Law Firm Websites That Work

William A. Wheatley
Mar 25, 2009 7:43 AM CST

May a non-lawyer comment on this string? I manage an expert services firm that works extensively with law firms. From my viewpoint, there are several essentials to a good law firm web site: (1) it should be user friendly with a good “index”; (2) It should list the areas of practice on which the firm concentrates; (3) it should provide summary resume information on its lawyers, including their specialties, and offering V-Cards for download to Outlook; (3) it should list the law firm’s snail-mail addresses and telephone numbers; (4) it should give a list of representative clients and cases; and (5) it should provide electronic contact capability either through eMail or through a web-site contact box. Beyond that, graphics pizzaz, animations, etc. are superfluous. As a potential user of a law firm’s services, I would need to know where they are, how to contact them, who their key players are, what are their specialties, and what is their experience. All else is eye candy that can actually get in the way.

Michael
Mar 25, 2009 11:31 PM CST

Why have lawyers and law firms been slow to take advantage of the opportunities presented by technology and the Internet to promote themselves to prospective clients?  Why do lawyers feel that they just need to put up a website for the sake of saying they have a website?  Putting up a website alone doesn’t guarantee anyone will visit it.  Take it from a guy who spends night and day, who has a team of people, and who has a budget and resources dedicated to promoting a website (i.e. Dynamic Lawyers): it’s not easy and it takes time.  In fact, if you don’t spend a few hours every day on it (e.g. adding content, making it search engine optimized, etc.), then it will barely be known to the world wide web.  Only people who somehow remember the law firm website address will be able to search for it.  But in most cases the website itself will likely not be set up in a way to target the key words that users are searching for in Google, Yahoo, Live, etc.  For these reasons, I ask: ‘what’s the point’?  Without traffic there will be no inquiries or engagements from prospective clients.  Without content there will be no reason for prospective clients to visit the website in the first place (except perhaps to get the lawyer’s biography or contact information).  Without a strategy about how to use a website as an interactive and meaningful tool to draw prospective clients in, what value does it have?  Again, what’s the point?

JB
Mar 27, 2009 7:17 AM CST

This is one of the lamest issues ever. The “Web Sites That Work” looks like it was written by people involved in web site development ten years ago. It in no way addresses the hottest areas of development by newer law firm web sites today. The “branding” expert sells expensive law firm web sites. The other people are clearly not experts in the field. Maybe the ABA Journal should learn to find people that are expert in the field…a continuing problem of a weak publication. Why pay these dues?

Paul the Magyar
Mar 30, 2009 3:53 PM CST

“In fact, if you don’t spend a few hours every day on it (e.g. adding content, making it search engine optimized, etc.), then it will barely be known to the world wide web.”

Read: “If you do not hire a web professional (like me) to spend several hours per day on it, at exhorbitant prices, then we will not be able to grow our attorney internet marketing company the way we want.”

Get real.  Attorneys don’t have the time to put in several hours each day and, if they did, it would be a waste of time and money.  Very few people spend much time on any attorney’s website.  Comment #2 covers it pretty well - (1) user friendly; (2) areas of practice; (3) resumes; (4) physical contact info; (5) representative clients and cases; and (6) email.  Add map and parking information and that about does it.  You would be amazed how few people even read the parking info and how many will get lost.  Music and graphics just slow down the loading and frustrate people with old computers.

KW
Apr 2, 2009 1:21 PM CST

My person belief is that there are two types of websites that are genuinely useful for your business:

1) If you’re a small firm, a business card website is great.  Not a ton of content required, just name, address, expertise, and maybe some very brief bios.  Nearly all of the information should fit on screen without scrolling.

2) If you’re a large firm, or a very specialized firm, some more in-depth content to help people with specific legal problems find you.

And while I wouldn’t expect a business card website to generate a ton of business, you’re talking about a website that might cost $1,000 to put together, and $10/mo to host.

If it gets you one client, total, it pays for itself.

TW
Apr 14, 2009 1:08 PM CST

If anyone is looking for someone to do them a website, I know a good contact. His name is Matt Brown. His email brown.matthewp@gmail.com . He’s a law student at Texas Tech Law School. He makes attorney web pages to pay for school.