Web Design for Law Firms

A Web Presence That Will Keep People Coming Back For More

In addition to working at the Diepenbrock Law Firm and being Secretary/Treasurer of SLUG, Timothy Miller has a "hobby" that is considered by most to be a "job" — web site design. Recently Timothy shared his experiences gained from his company TheWebMiller, LLC (www.thewebmiller.net) with SLUG members. Longtime SLUG member Robert Zabik, who is currently working on his own web site, also discussed his experiences in developing a site from scratch.

Above all, the first rule of good writing — consider your audience — applies to web site design. A personal injury attorney looking to advertise to individual customers should keep in mind that many private citizens still use modems and won’t wait for lengthy downloads, so pictures and media clips should be minimized. Firms working with big businesses may be able to take advantage of their customers’ T-1 lines or other broadband access, and add photos and applets to the site. If customers are visually impaired, keeping the ADA guidelines in mind would be a good idea — Flash, for example, is not ADA compliant, and neither are frames.

A well-designed site will not ignore traditional design elements, such as the use of color, and the type of font used for text. In choosing the color palette, the image the company wants to portray should be considered as well as the image the customer would like to see. The gender or age of potential customers may affect how the web site will look — the design of the site indicates how "in tune" the firm is with a particular demographic. A firm that represents start-up internet companies might consider bold colors and add-ins to give the site "pizzazz" while a firm seeking to represent bankers and accountants might wish a more conservative, traditional look. Even a conservative design can add a little accent color to keep the page interesting.

Choosing a host for a firm is also a major decision. While some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) give customers limited web space "for free," you get what you pay for. Free web space tends to disappear at a moment’s notice, and there is usually no protection from attacks or blackouts. Paying for better accounts typically includes a number of other amenities, such as e-mail accounts, password-protected areas (for clients or associated counsel to view specific documents), and traffic reports (which can tell a firm which pages are accessed most frequently, how long someone stays on a page, from which web sites people were directed, etc.). Some firms may run a site internally (an in-house web and mail server); others may opt for a company to host the web site. If using a host, the firm must make sure that the host uses compatible systems (an NT server rather than Unix would be needed for Active Server Pages, and not all hosts include Microsoft FrontPage extensions).

After a host is obtained (by the firm itself or through a hosting entity) and the design concept is formulated, the actual contents can be created. Typically, this material has already been developed for traditional print media. When adapting print material to the web, most web designers agree that the first page of any site (the "home page") should fit in one screen — potential customers aren’t going to scroll down for their first impressions. Everything important must be contained in one (the first) view. That might include the type of law practiced, contact information (phone, fax, email, mail, street address), some general background, and the disclaimer. The disclaimer should include the state(s) in which the attorney(s) hold licenses, the fact that the content is not legal advice and is not warranted, and that no formation of an attorney/client relationship is formed by reading the web site. Further disclaimer information might include a choice of law provision regarding disputes, and a non-endorsement of any links provided on the site. Other things, behind the scenes, also go on in the home page — "metatags" can be added which will invisible to the customer, but will shout out to search engines to be included on web listings. Some sites forget to title their pages, which loses them a lot of exposure via search engines. If no one can find a web site, it doesn’t matter how great it is. A good consultant can help in this area.

Links on a page might direct a customer to articles written by the firm (and the firm must consider the customer before deciding in what format the articles should appear — Microsoft Word, Adobe’s pdf, HTML, etc.). Biographies of attorneys might also appear, indicating areas of practice, law schools attended, years of experience, jurisdictions in which licensed, certified specialties or other advanced degrees, professional memberships, publications, and perhaps a photograph. If a photo is to be used, make sure it is professional (unless there is a good reason to use that rugby championship shot), and that it is optimized for a fast download while retaining its quality. If the first page has a quick background of the firm, an additional page might include a full firm history, listing notable accomplishments.

Last but not least, there are ethical considerations regarding a web site for lawyers. Current thought is that a web site is an "advertisement" but not a "solicitation." (See Rule 1-400 and Proposed Formal Opinion Interim No. 96-0014 (Attorney Web Site), available from the State Bar website at www.calbar.org.) Keeping in mind how a firm handles business cards, brochures and newsletters concerning the rules on advertising, the law firm should closely review any web page — not all web designers are lawyers. Consider also that the usual practices for maintaining and updating web sites may run afoul of the ethical rules requiring lawyers to keep copies of advertisements for two years after publication. See Rule 1-400(F).

Heather Cline Hoganson is Staff Counsel at the Office of Administrative Hearings and is currently Vice-Chair of SLUG.

SLUG is a section of the Sacramento County Bar Association and is affiliated with the Sacramento PC Users Group. All interested in legal technology are invited to attend SLUG’s monthly meetings. SLUG’s September meeting (9/17 at noon, on the Delta King in Old Sacramento) will feature Corel’s WordPerfect 2002. A copy of WordPerfect 2002 will be given away to one lucky meeting attendee. Door Prizes and special at-meeting-only prices will also be available to attendees. To register for the September meeting or to find out about future meetings, contact Timothy Miller at 446-4469 or by E-mail: tmiller@diepenbrock.com.