While anyone can edit Wikipedia and any person can have a page, most people do not qualify to have a Wikipedia page.
You must be “notable” to have a Wikipedia page.
While you and I both probably believe that we’re very notable people, Wikipedia has a different opinion. Over on Wikipedia, notability (of people) is defined as someone or their work who has been covered by multiple, reliable, independent sources.
The vast majority of notable lawyers who have Wikipedia pages are not practicing personal injury or criminal defense lawyers, but are involved in politics or are not a federal judge, etc.
Here are a few random examples of lawyers on Wikipedia:
- Gretchen Whitmer – Governor of Michigan
- Arlen Specter – US Senator
- Benjamin Crump – Civil Rights Attorney
- Steven Berman – Class Action Lawsuits
- Motley Rice – Washington DC Attorney General
- Barack Obama – 44th President of the USA
Do not create your own Wikipedia page!
While you can log in and make your own Wikipedia page in 1 minute from now, you should avoid doing so. Wikipedia defines conflict of interest editing: “Conflict of interest (COI) editing involves contributing to Wikipedia about yourself, family, friends, clients, employers, or your financial and other relationships. Any external relationship can trigger a conflict of interest.”
Do not write it. Don’t hire a Wikipedia editor on Fiverr, either. You page will almost definitely get deleted on the heavily policed platform. Once deleted, good luck getting it undeleted.
Reputation Management Issues?
Whether you just wanted to be on Wikipedia, wanted the backlinks or are trying to manage the reputation of your law firm, you probably should not be attempting to edit Wikipedia.
If you need assistance with how you show up (or don’t show up) in Google’s search results, feel free to contact us. We help good lawyers look their best online every day.