This article was originally published on December 11, 2017, and was updated on March 17, 2018.
Law firm layoffs are at their all-time high these days. More and more lawyers are finding themselves flying solo. Pixelita Designs can help you get your solo web site off the ground and set you up with all you need to start your solo practice. We can help you get online, whether it’s a modest brochure or a content-managed site complete with logo designs for business cards and stationery. Inquire today!
Here are some of the key elements you should consider, depending on your area of focus, of course, when planning your solo web site.
- Contact Form — Obviously, your potential clients need a way to reach you, especially for the initial consultation. A contact form is a must-have. Language to the effect that submitting the contact form does not create an attorney-client relationship is also something that should be considered when building the form.
- Attorney Biography — This goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. This is not the time to be shy. Your prospective clients will be checking out your web site because they want to learn about you, about your qualifications Be sure your professional biography is kept current and contains no typos or grammatical errors.
- Blog — A blog is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your fields. It is a good way to summon prospective clients to your doorstep via Google.
- Social Media Links — Social media links are another way for clients to learn about you. Be careful what you post; it’s always best to have a professional account that is separate from your personal social media accounts, but thanks to Google, you still won’t completely avoid discovery. it’s best to be professional on all fronts so nothing you post or tweet comes back to haunt you later. Of course, it depends on what type of law you practice whether or not you’ll have much more than a LinkedIn profile.
- Your State’s Ethics Rules — Some states, such as Texas, have stringent rules for lawyer advertising, including website content. It’s always pest practice to check with your state’s bar website to be sure your site comports with any rules or requirements.
We have several design packages available, from a 1-2 page brochure site running Get Simple CMS to WordPress– and Genesis-driven web sites, or even a much larger, enterprise-level web site driven by Expression Engine or Drupal. One is bound to suit your budget.
Joni Mueller has been designing web sites for hire since 2003, when she first blew up her web host’s server by insisting on running Greymatter. Since then, Joni has designed for Blogger and Movable Type, TextPattern, WordPress and CMS Made Simple. She lives with her cat and shoe collection in a bucolic old section of Houston called Idylwood. For some strange reason, Joni likes to refer to herself in the third person. When she’s not working on web design, she’s ordering lawyers around. And blogging about it. Or both.