Law Firm Website Essentials

A law firm website has one job to do before it does anything else: help a worried person decide in a minute or two whether to call you. That takes clear practice area pages, attorney pages with real credentials, a way to reach you that works on a phone, and wording that stays inside your state's advertising rules. This article covers the pieces we plan for, and where you should check with your state bar.

This is general information about web design, not legal advice. Lawyer advertising rules differ by state and change. Confirm your own obligations with your state bar or ethics counsel before you publish.

The pages a firm needs

1. 1Home. Who you help, where, and how to reach you, in the first screen. A phone number that taps to call, and a short form.
2. 2One page per practice area. "Family law" is a topic, not a page. Where you handle divorce, custody and support, give each its own page if you want to be found for each. Explain the process in plain language: what happens first, what it usually involves, what you need from the client. Avoid legal jargon and avoid promising outcomes.
3. 3Attorney pages. Photo, bar admission (state and year), education, practice focus, languages, and a short, human account of the kind of work the lawyer does. People hire a person.
4. 4About the firm. Office location, how the firm works, and fee approach if you are willing to describe it (free consultation or not, how fees are structured), stated accurately.
5. 5Results and reviews, handled carefully (see below).
6. 6Contact. Address, hours, map, phone, form. For firms with several offices, a page per office, with its own real address.
7. 7Resources. Short articles that answer the questions callers ask, written by someone who handles those matters. These bring in search traffic and show how you think.

Do not create dozens of near-identical pages for every city and case type. Google's spam policies describe that pattern as doorway abuse. See local SEO for a Los Angeles service business for a safer way to handle location pages.

The intake form

An intake form is where a stressed visitor decides whether to trust you with details. Keep it short and honest.

• Ask for name, phone or email, the type of matter and a few words about what happened. Leave out anything that is not needed for a first call.
• Say plainly what happens next and how fast you reply, and only promise what the firm will do.
• Add a notice that sending the form does not create an attorney-client relationship, and that visitors should not send confidential details or deadlines through it. Many firms use wording like this; have your own counsel approve the exact text.
• Do not collect sensitive information by plain email. Use a form or intake tool that stores data securely, and know where the submissions go.
• Offer a phone number beside the form. Many people with legal problems want to talk to someone.

Trust signals that carry weight

• Real photographs of the lawyers and office, not stock handshakes.
• Bar admissions, and specializations only where you hold them. California's Rule 7.4 says a lawyer may claim to be a certified specialist only if certified by an accredited organization, and that the organization must be named in the communication. Other states have their own rules.
• Bar association memberships and published work you can show.
• Reviews from real clients, collected without incentives and displayed accurately.
• Clear office address and phone.

Advertising rules to check

Most states build their rules on the ABA Model Rules. Here is how the California version, which many Los Angeles firms follow, addresses the website-relevant parts, according to the State Bar's published Chapter 7. Use it as an example of what to look for, and read your own state's rules.

• No false or misleading statements (Rule 7.1). A true statement can still mislead if it leaves out a fact needed to understand it. The comments treat guarantees of results as misleading.
• Name and address (Rule 7.2). Communications should include the name and address of at least one responsible lawyer or firm. You also may not pay or give something of value to someone for recommending you, apart from the exceptions the rule lists, such as advertising costs and qualified referral services. Check any directory or "top lawyer" listing before paying for placement.
• Solicitation (Rule 7.3). Rules differ for real-time contact and for targeted written messages, which in California must carry the word "Advertisement." If your marketing includes mailers, email or messages aimed at people known to need legal help, check this rule closely.
• Specialization (Rule 7.4) and firm names (Rule 7.5). A firm name or logo must not mislead, including suggesting a connection to a government or public service organization, or a partnership that does not exist.

Case results and testimonials need special care. Even a true past result can be misleading if it leads a reasonable person to expect the same outcome. Some states require specific disclaimers; others treat them as good practice. Review each result with your ethics counsel, and consider whether a general "prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome" statement is required where you practice.

What to ask your web designer

• Can the firm edit practice area pages and attorney pages itself?
• Where do form submissions go, and who can read them?
• Does the site use tracking pixels on intake pages? Those can pass details about visitors to advertising platforms. Ask what is installed and why.
• Will the site be fast and readable on a phone? Most searches for lawyers happen on phones. See Core Web Vitals in plain English.
• Is the site accessible? Our accessibility basics explain what a firm should check.

A note on practice area scope

Do not list areas where your firm does not practice because they bring searches. Visitors notice and bar regulators may too. A narrow site that says exactly what you handle tends to turn better inquiries into clients.

Want a person to look at it?

We build law firm sites in Los Angeles with practice pages written from the lawyer's own explanations. Read about our work for law firms, or start a quote and tell us your practice areas and offices.