What a small law firm website needs

The first screen: what you handle, where, and how to reach you

Most visitors arrive on a phone. Before they scroll, they should read your practice areas in plain words, the county or city where you practice, a phone number they can tap and one button to request a consultation. “Divorce, custody and support in Travis County” tells a worried parent they are in the right place.

Skip lines any firm could use, such as “Experienced, aggressive representation”. Specific beats impressive, and it is easier to keep accurate.

Give each practice area its own page

Write one page per main practice area for the client, not for other lawyers: who it is for, the situations you usually handle, what the process looks like from the first call, and what to bring to a first meeting. Use the words clients search (“getting divorced”, “hurt at work”) and explain legal terms when you need them.

Say what you don’t take on. “We don’t handle criminal cases” saves both of you a call that goes nowhere.

Show the lawyers behind the firm

Clients hire a person, so each lawyer deserves a short bio a client can scan.

• A recent, friendly photo.
• Where and since when each lawyer is admitted, and the courts they appear in.
• The kinds of matters they handle day to day, in plain words.
• Languages spoken, if clients need them.
• Be careful with the word “specialist”: under ABA Model Rule 7.2(c), a lawyer shouldn’t state or imply certification as a specialist unless an approved or ABA-accredited organization has certified them and the communication names that organization.

Explain the first consultation

Uncertainty stops people from calling. Say whether the first consultation is free or paid, how long it lasts, whether it happens by phone, video or in person, and what happens afterwards. Two honest sentences here do more than a page of promises.

Talk about fees

For many clients the bill is the biggest worry. Explain how you charge for each type of matter, whether flat fee, hourly, retainer or contingency, and give starting points or typical ranges where you can, with what makes a matter cost more.

If you use phrases such as “no fee unless we win”, check your state bar’s rules first on how costs and expenses must be described.

Make contacting you simple and safe

Ask only what you need to call back and check for conflicts: name, phone, email, the type of matter and the name of the other party. Next to the form, ask people not to send confidential details until you have spoken, and say that sending the form does not make them a client.

This matters. The official comment to ABA Model Rule 1.18 says a consultation is likely to have occurred when a lawyer’s advertising specifically invites information about a potential matter without clear warnings that limit the lawyer’s obligations, and someone sends it. That can create duties to a prospective client even if you never take the case.

Check the advertising rules before you publish

Every state has its own version of the lawyer advertising rules, and many are stricter than the ABA Model Rules. Read your state bar’s rules before publishing results, reviews or comparisons. The Model Rules give a useful baseline:

• Nothing false or misleading. Model Rule 7.1 forbids false or misleading communications about a lawyer or the lawyer’s services, including statements that leave out a fact needed to avoid misleading.
• Past results in context. The official comment to Rule 7.1 says even truthful results can mislead if they suggest other clients would get the same outcome regardless of their facts, and that appropriate qualifying language may help.
• Careful with comparisons. The same comment says an unsubstantiated claim about your services or fees, or an unsubstantiated comparison with other firms, may mislead when it sounds specific enough to seem provable, such as “lower fees than any other firm in town”.
• A responsible lawyer named. Model Rule 7.2(d) says advertising must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. A footer with the firm name, address and phone on every page covers it.

Your Google profile and your website

Google’s Business Profile guidelines count lawyers as individual practitioners. A lawyer in a public-facing role who can be reached at the verified location during stated hours can have a dedicated profile, separate from the firm’s. A solo lawyer practicing under a firm brand should share one profile, named in the format “Firm name: Lawyer name”.

Link each profile to the matching page of your website and keep names, addresses and phone numbers identical everywhere. Our Google Maps checklist walks through the profile.

An example first screen

For a hypothetical two-lawyer family law firm. Swap in your own practice areas, county, consultation terms and phone number.