Law firms with multiple offices often rely on several photographers, which can lead to inconsistent headshots across the firm’s website. A uniform, professional appearance reinforces the firm’s brand and attention to detail. Conduct an annual audit of all attorney photos to ensure compliance with your firm’s current specifications. Provide each photographer, whether in-house or external, with a written guide outlining your firm’s standards for lighting, background, pose, attire and image orientation. Consistency across offices and markets helps your firm project cohesion and professionalism. 

Headshot Standards Checklist 

Audit and Planning 

• Review all existing attorney photos for consistency in lighting, cropping, orientation and background color. 

• Identify which photos are outdated or noncompliant. 

• Determine whether the firm will use one preferred photographer or multiple vendors. 

• Provide all photographers with the same written specifications and sample images. 

• Confirm whether portraits will be used for both website banners and directory thumbnails. 

Photographer Guidelines 

• Background: Use a seamless universal color backdrop.  Ensure the background is lit evenly to appear pure white without light bounce on the subject. 

• Lighting: Maintain soft, natural lighting with a large soft box as key light and subtle edge lighting for definition. Avoid harsh shadows or mixed light sources. 

• Framing: Shoot from the waist up so portraits can be cropped as headshots or quarter-body images. Avoid cropping elbows or shoulders. 

• Orientation: Have all subjects face the same direction: typically, slightly angled to the photographer’s left or straight on. 

• Expression: Aim for confident, approachable expressions. Variations are acceptable, but ensure everyone appears professional and comfortable. 

Dress Code and Presentation 

• Establish and communicate a firmwide standard: 
  • Will men wear ties? 
  • Are jackets required? 
  • Should attire be formal business or business casual? 

• Avoid clothing that blends into the background (e.g., no white shirts against a white backdrop unless layered under a darker jacket). 

• Ensure attire colors and styles are consistent across practice groups and offices. 

• Confirm whether glasses should remain on or off, and note any guidance on jewelry or accessories. 

Framing and Posture 

• Define whether portraits will show head-and-shoulders or upper-torso framing. 

• Specify allowed postures, such as facing forward or at a slight angle, and whether arms may be crossed. 

• Maintain the same camera height and crop ratio for all subjects. 

Post-Production and Delivery 

• Require color correction, white balance and background clean-up for all images. 

• Deliver final images in both high-resolution (print) and web-optimized (compressed) formats. 

• Label files consistently (e.g., lastname_firstname_office.jpg). 

• Archive source files and maintain a central photo library accessible to marketing. 

In addition to standard headshots, consider scheduling editorial-style portraits for firm and practice leaders, office managing partners and other key executives. These images can be used for thought leadership articles, media profiles and internal publications. Editorial portraits should reflect the subject’s leadership role and personality while maintaining brand consistency, often photographed in natural office environments or using slightly varied poses and compositions. Coordinate these sessions in advance so that lighting, styling and background still align with the firm’s overall visual identity.