Real attorney photos
Professional photos of the lawyers who will meet the client. People like to know who they will see.
Website design
Law Firm Website Design: A Site That Explains, Reassures and Books
A law firm website has a narrow job. It must tell a visitor in a few seconds what areas of law you handle, where you practice, who the lawyers are and how to reach someone. It then has to feel trustworthy enough that a person with a sensitive problem is willing to call or fill out a form. Most law firm sites are heavy on stock photography and light on specifics, which wastes the little time a visitor gives.
This guide covers the pages a law firm needs, how attorney bios and practice pages should be built, how intake and scheduling should work, the disclaimers and privacy details that matter for a legal site and how to avoid design choices that quietly lose clients. We build sites for firms under the Gold and Platinum plans, and a standalone website is quoted after a short call.
- Phone firsttap to call and scheduling that works on a small screen
- Plain languagepractice pages a layperson can follow
- Named lawyersreal attorneys, real photos, real credentials
- Careful formsintake that does not invite confidential details too early
Page inventory
The Pages a Firm Site Needs and What Each Must Do
| Page | Purpose | What it should include | Common weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Orient and route | Practice areas, offices, a call button, one clear scheduling link | A slider of slogans and no specifics |
| Practice area pages | Match a problem to the firm | Who it helps, process outline, attorneys, how to schedule, disclaimers | One page listing fifteen areas |
| Attorney bios | Build trust | Photo, admissions, jurisdictions, education, languages, matters handled, contact | Copy of the bar directory entry |
| Fees and process | Reduce uncertainty | How the law firm charges, what a retainer means, what to expect after the first meeting | Silence about cost |
| Contact and locations | Make visits easy | Address, hours, parking, directions, accessibility notes, languages spoken | Only a form and no phone |
| Resources | Answer questions early | Guides, checklists, FAQs, each dated and reviewed | Undated posts with outdated rules |
| Legal notices | Meet professional obligations | Privacy policy, terms, advertising disclaimer, notice that no attorney-client relationship forms by submitting a message | Boilerplate copied from another law firm |
The first screen
What a Visitor Needs in the Opening Seconds
Picture the visitor: stressed, on a phone, perhaps in a waiting room. In the first screen they want to see the law firm name, the kind of law you practice, the place you practice it and a way to reach a person. A button that says "Schedule a consultation" and a phone number they can tap should both be visible without scrolling. Behind them, a short paragraph in plain words explains who the law firm helps.
Avoid the usual clutter: sliding banners, scales of justice, a wall of badges, a video that plays by itself. Avoid headlines that claim superiority. Many bars restrict that language, and it reads as noise to a visitor. A calm, specific opening does more for trust than any slogan.
Trust without claims
Ways to Build Confidence That Bars Generally Accept
Verifiable credentials
Licenses by state, law school, years in practice, bar memberships, stated precisely and kept current.
Process transparency
Explain how a first meeting works, what happens next and how the law firm communicates during a matter.
Office details
Photos of the entrance and reception, parking notes, public transit and accessibility information.
Plain fee explanations
Describe the types of arrangements the firm uses without quoting terms that depend on the matter.
Client communication standards
Say how quickly the firm normally returns calls, and keep that promise.
Whether reviews or testimonials can appear on your site is a bar-by-bar question. Check your rules before adding any, and see the maps and reviews guide for related care.
Intake design
Building the Path From Visit to Consultation
Offer more than one way in
Call, schedule online or send a short message. Different people prefer different doors.
Keep forms short
Name, contact details, matter type and a preferred time are enough. Ask for the opposing party's name only when it is needed for a conflict check.
Warn before they type
A short notice above the form states that sending a message does not create an attorney-client relationship and that confidential details should wait.
Send an immediate confirmation
A reply that says when someone will respond sets expectations and reassures the visitor.
Route to the right person
Matter type decides who gets the inquiry, so a business matter does not sit in a family law inbox.
Track the result
Record whether each inquiry became a consultation and then a client, so the site can be improved on evidence.
Technical details
Behind the Design: Items a Law Firm Site Should Not Skip
| Area | What to do | Why it matters for a law firm |
|---|---|---|
| Security | HTTPS everywhere, secure form handling, limited admin access | Prospective clients share sensitive information |
| Privacy and tracking | Mask or exclude form fields from analytics and recording tools | Session replay tools can capture what people type |
| Accessibility | Readable contrast, keyboard navigation, labeled forms, alt text | Clients include people with disabilities, and accessibility complaints about websites are a known concern; ask your attorney about requirements |
| Speed | Compressed images, lean scripts, fast mobile loading | A slow page loses visitors who are in a hurry |
| Structured data | Organization, attorney and local business details that match the page | Helps search and AI tools read the facts |
| Chat widgets | Use only if staff monitor it and a notice explains what it is | Chats can solicit or receive confidential details; check your bar rules |
| Multiple languages | Professionally translated key pages when you serve language communities | Machine translations of legal content can mislead |
Practice page blueprint
The Sections of a Practice Area Page, in Reading Order
Who this helps
Two or three sentences naming the situations the page covers, in the words a client would use, not statute titles.
Common questions people bring us
A short list of the questions the attorneys hear most, each answered briefly and linked to a fuller guide where one exists.
How a matter usually moves
The typical stages, stated as a general description that varies by case and jurisdiction.
Who would handle it
Photos and links to the bios of the attorneys in that practice area.
What to bring and how to schedule
A short checklist and a scheduling button so a visitor can act without leaving the page.
Where we practice
The offices, counties and courts involved, and the states in which the lawyers are admitted.
Fees page
Say How the Law Firm Charges, Even When You Cannot Quote a Price
The question visitors are most nervous about is also the one most law firm sites avoid. You may not be able to quote a fee, since it depends on the matter, but you can explain how the law firm works: whether it bills hourly, offers flat fees for defined tasks, works on contingency for certain claims or asks for an advance retainer that is applied to later work. You can say what affects the total, how often a client receives a bill or statement and how to ask questions about it.
That kind of plain explanation builds trust and screens out people for whom the arrangement would not fit. It also happens to be useful content for search and for AI tools. Have an attorney review the wording against your bar's rules on fee communications, and avoid anything that implies an outcome or a guaranteed cost.
Content and upkeep
A Site That Stays True as the Law Firm Changes
Firms change: lawyers arrive and leave, fees shift, offices move and the practice mix evolves. A website that is not kept current becomes a liability. Departed attorneys still listed, old phone numbers, stale guides about rules that changed. We build a simple update routine so that bios, hours and practice pages change when the law firm does, and we keep a record of who approved what.
Our sites under Gold and Platinum are managed for you, including hosting and maintenance. If you already have a website, we can improve it in place where it makes sense, and tell you honestly when a rebuild would serve you better. See the search guide for how the site structure supports visibility.
Plans
A Managed Site Comes With Gold and Platinum
The two higher plans each include a custom website that we host and look after. Silver leaves the website out, and a site built separately is priced after a brief conversation.
Questions
What Firms Ask Before a New Site
How much does a firm website cost?
A custom website that we host and maintain is part of Organic Growth Gold at $2,495 a month and Platinum at $3,495 a month. Building a site on its own is quoted after a short call. Nothing is charged to start, and no contract applies.
Do we need a page for each attorney?
Usually yes for the lawyers clients will meet, since people look up lawyers by name. For very large firms we may prioritize the attorneys who handle the most inquiries and build out the rest over time.
Can we use stock photos?
Sparingly. Real photos of attorneys and the office build trust, while stock courthouse images add little. Never use photos of real clients or imply a client relationship without consent and a rules check.
Should the site have a live chat?
Only if someone watches it and your attorneys are comfortable with the bar and confidentiality implications. A scheduler and a phone number are often simpler and safer than a chat that nobody answers.
What disclaimers do we need?
That depends on your state. Many law firms include a notice that the site is general information and not legal advice, that contacting the law firm does not form a relationship and any advertising label your bar requires. Your attorney should confirm the wording.
Can you redesign without losing our rankings?
We plan the structure, redirects and page content carefully to reduce the risk, but any redesign can change visibility temporarily. We cannot promise outcomes, and we monitor closely after launch.
Explore more
Related Guides for the Pages, Forms and Tools Behind the Site
Start Here
- SEO for Law FirmsHow a firm of any size earns visibility in local search: practice area pages, attorney biographies, location pages and the trust signals Google and clients look for.
- Law Firm Marketing GuideA complete guide to law firm marketing: channels, client types, mistakes, order of operations, costs, a seasonal calendar, measurement and the first 90 days.
- Law Firm MarketingMarketing for law firms of every size: search, maps, advertising, AI answers and a website built to turn a worried visitor into a scheduled consultation.
Get Found in Search
- Google Maps for Law FirmsSetting up and caring for a law firm's Google Business Profile: categories, office rules, attorney listings, reviews and what to avoid.
- AI Search for Law FirmsHow people ask AI tools about lawyers and what a law firm can publish so its offices, attorneys and practice areas are described accurately.
- Link Building for Law FirmsCitations and links that suit a legal practice: bar profiles, directories, courts and community mentions, plus the award and paid-listing traps to avoid.
Paid Advertising
- Paid Ads for Law FirmsWhere a law firm should advertise: Google Ads, Local Services Ads, Bing and Meta Ads, with a small test of ChatGPT ads, and how to decide the order.
- Google Ads for Law FirmsCampaign structure by practice area, keywords and negatives, call handling, scheduling, landing pages and tracking for a law firm on Google search.
- Meta Ads for Law FirmsWhat Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) can and cannot do for a law firm: retargeting, events, planning-type matters, comments and confidentiality.
Website and Content
- Law Firm Website Design (you are here)What a law firm website needs: practice pages, attorney bios, a clear consultation path, confidentiality-aware forms, accessibility and speed.
- Content for Law FirmsContent that suits a legal practice: attorney-reviewed guides, process explainers, fee pages, local court information and an approval routine that protects the firm.
Strategy and Lead Generation
- Lead Generation for Law FirmsWhere a law firm's inquiries come from, what makes a good prospective client, speed to lead, conflict checks, tracking and why we do not sell leads or referrals.
- Grow Your Law FirmSteady, rule-aware ways to grow a law firm: choose your practice mix, build referral and search channels, tighten intake and measure what matters.
- Scale Your Law FirmHow to scale a law firm: fee models, utilization, hiring order, intake and conflict systems, trust accounting care and when added marketing spend makes sense.
Get in Touch
Want an Honest Review of Your Firm's Current Site?
Send us the address of your website and tell us which practice areas matter most. We will walk through it on a phone the way a visitor would and list what to fix first. Our CEO is glad to join a review booked at 610-825-4363 or hello@getphound.com.