Blog Posts in the 'Website Content' Category

It is a good idea to include disclaimers on your legal website or blog in order to avoid confusion. A failure to include disclaimers can result in problems. See a list of problems below, the ABA’s opinions, and examples of disclaimers.

Case Studies

Problem: A web visitor may read case studies on your website, and expect the same results.

ABA Opinion: Information about current of former clients may be included on a website with the clients’ permission. The information must not be false or misleading. Include a disclaimer to prevent misunderstanding.

Example Disclaimer: “Prior Results Do Not Guarantee a Similar Outcome” Derived from Crotty Saland LLP

Legal Information

Problem: A web visitor may read general legal advice on your website or blog and may apply it to his personal legal situation.

ABA Opinion: Legal information, as given through blog posts or website articles, must be accurate and current. Include a disclaimer to the effect that the advice is general and “should not be understood as a substitute for personal legal advice.”

Example Disclaimer: “The information you obtain on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.” Derived from Cowheylaw.com

Contact Form

Problem: A web visitor may view a reply to a contact box on your website as an action that creates a client-lawyer relationship.

ABA Opinion: If a lawyer’s contact box invites the web visitor to submit a message, and the web visitor complies, this creates bilateral communication (client-lawyer relationship). Include a disclaimer so as to avoid misunderstandings. The disclaimer must be clearly written and conspicuously placed.

Example Disclaimer: “We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.” Derived from Crain Lewis LLP

In conclusion, the ABA recommends adding disclaimers to your law firm website or blog. The disclaimers prevent a web visitor from expecting certain results, advise a visitor to get information about his individual matter, and warn a web visitor that a relationship is not established by merely filling out a website contact form. Adding disclaimers minimizes confusion and prevents problems.

Seth Godin says, “Great bosses and world-class organizations hire motivated people, set high expectations, and give their people room to become remarkable.” Apparently that isn’t happening over at Thomson Reuters. Findlaw website content creator, Kilby Shepard, is anything but motivated. On his blog Uptown Rantz he complains of working in cubicles, being underpaid, and of dirty bathrooms. One post begins like this:

“I’m sitting in my cube intently staring at my monitor with my fingers motionless on the keyboard.  It’s the easiest way to mask complete boredom but still look like I’m focused on work.  Work…writing generic web marketing copy.  How many times can I re-phrase, “simple solutions to complex problems,” or “leave your legal worries to us” or “count on our experience”? Well, I can re-phrase them a hell of a lot because I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve done just that.”

There are two things that are sad about his post. First, Findlaw has stifled Kilby’s ambition to the point that he is willing to publicly humiliate them. The second thing that is sad and more relevant to my blog post is that all law firm websites are the same. The reason that Kilby can churn out pages of website copy while nursing a hangover is because he is writing the same things over and over again. It is like being able to tie one’s shoes in the dark.

Law firm websites do not have to be the same. Behind each website is a unique individual (or individuals) with unique experiences. The copy on the website can convey this individuality.

Individuality can be expressed by telling a personal story, listing relevant experience, and by differentiating oneself from the competition. It wasn’t easy but I managed to find a few good examples, after looking at hundreds of law firm websites (and blogs).

Tax Girl (aka Kelly Erb) has written an excellent biography. Unlike most attorney bios, it cannot be mistaken for anyone else’s bio. That is because she explains why she chose to be a tax attorney. She begins:

“Years ago, I found myself sitting in law school in Moot Court wearing an oversized itchy blue suit. It was a horrible experience. In a desperate attempt to avoid anything like that in the future I enrolled in a tax course. I loved it. I signed up for another. Before I knew it, in addition to my JD, I had a LL.M Taxation. With two graduate degrees and an internship at the Internal Revenue Service attorney’s department under my belt, I needed only to don my cape…. taxgirl ^® was born.”

OK, so her bio was written on a blog, but it could have just as easily been written on a website.

Attorney Sunny Kalara does a fantastic job of incorporating his relevant experience into his website copy. One paragraph says:

“Sunny served as the General Counsel to Dreamtime Holdings, a multimedia company charged with monetizing NASA’s multimedia assets. He led the negotiations to forge an unprecedented partnership between NASA and the private sector to commercialize NASA’s IP assets.”

No one else can claim that on his law firm website.

As far as differentiating yourself from the competition, take a look at a segment of Duane Dawson’s website. He explains how he is different, by talking about his roots. He says:

“My name is Duane Dawson, and I am a WA bankruptcy attorney.  I am not like a lot of attorneys, I am probably a lot more like you.  I grew up in a middle class family in and around St. Louis, MO.  My father was a commercial interior designer, and my mother was a registered nurse.  Like you, I know what it is like to be in a tough spot, and to need help to work it out. I see myself as a defender of the individual rights of regular people like me.  I have always had an itch to stand up to bullies, and I really enjoy sticking up for my clients’ interests.”

Once again, his bio cannot be confused with someone else’s bio. He makes a personal revelation, which cannot be copied.

In closing, law firm website content does not vary from one site to the next, as demonstrated by Kilby Shepard. It doesn’t have to be this way, however. Attorneys are individuals with distinct personalities and experiences. They can highlight these differences in their website content, and stand out from their peers.

Thanks to 3 Geeks and a Law Blog for pointing out Kilby’s blog.

“People will not place an order with you or hand you their private information until they feel they can trust you, your products, and your services.” Khalid Saleh – founder of Invesp.com, a company specializing in conversion rate optimization for online businesses

Add these elements to your law firm website to gain trust:

• Testimonials. Example: “My father got into a situation involving a DUI a couple of months ago. I had used Bradley Johnson Attorneys before on a personal injury case that I had, so I gave them a call to see if they could help with my fathers case. They were very professional and worked very had on my fathers Seattle DUI case. I really appreciated all the long hours that Brad and his team put in.” (testimonial for Bradley Johnson Attorneys)
• Industry recognition. Examples: Link to Avvo profile, Link to SuperLawyer article, link to newspaper article (in which you were quoted)

“Headlines and copy throughout need to solve the user’s problems and persuade them to select your service/product over the rest of the competition.” Khalid Saleh

Show that you can solve problems by including these elements on your website:

• Case Studies. Example: The employer terminated our client, the oldest sales representative in the company allegedly because he had low sales, however, younger sales representatives were not terminated even though they made fewer sales.  Shortly before terminating our client, his manager asked whether he ever thought about retiring. (excerpt from the Law Offices of Fern Trevino)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Example: Question - How much notice am I entitled to before I can be terminated? Answer - California is an at-will employment state. Unless you and your employer have a signed employment contract, your employer has an employee policy handbook or your union has rules that state otherwise, an employer can fire any employee at any time for almost any reason, without notice. (excerpt from the Law Office of Eugene Lee)
• Practice Areas. Explain in a step-by-step manner how you can help. Example: Daniel Gershburg explains how he can help a client through the process of purchasing real estate. He explains the help that his firm provides during; 1)contract preparation and negotiation 2)mortgage advice 3)the inspection 4)the title 5)the closing 6)the closing statement.

In closing, there are two ways to get more paying clients.  Either direct more traffic to your website, or convert more of your web visitors into paying clients.  Adding trust and persuasive elements to your law firm website will help you achieve the latter. 

I sat next to a middle-aged lawyer named Evelyn at the State Bar of TX annual meeting. We listened to a speaker as a part of the Adaptive Lawyer track. The speaker espoused the benefits of a blog and other forms of social media. Evelyn did not buy it. In the end, she maintained her original position that she did not have time for blogging nor Twitter, but she did acknowledge the need for a basic website.

I’ll call Evelyn a traditional lawyer. A traditional lawyer wants a “brochure” type law firm website. She doesn’t want to update it frequently with blog posts; she just wants a few basic web pages.

Is there something wrong with that? Not in my opinion. I think that if a basic law firm website is properly created with good navigation, contact forms, and persuasive content then it can be an effective marketing tool. This is especially true when the content includes case studies, answers to frequently asked questions, and well developed practice areas. An effective website does not have to have a blog; it just needs to have a purpose, which is usually to get potential clients to act.

Blogging is not for everyone. Maxwell Kennerly, a lawyer who blogs, cautions “don’t kid yourself that such is the path to fame and riches.” He also says, “Blogging is a pie eating contest in which the prize is: more pie.” Fellow law blogger, Scott Greenfield, agrees with the sentiment. Greenfield says, “This captures the essence of blawging better than anything I’ve ever read.” Does that mean that I think blogging is a waste of time for lawyers? Absolutely not. There are many lawyers who are experiencing success with social media, and I recognize them in my Monday blog posts.

Aside from a blog, there are other tools that can change the purpose of a website. Randall Ryder, a consumer lawyer, has a calendar on his website. Lee Rosen, a family lawyer, has a downloadable child support app on his website. At Impirus we have developed a payment function, which allows for an attorney to accept payments through his website. We are also developing a website portal through which an attorney can share documents with his clients.

Add-on features like a blog, calendar, and portal give a website a communicative purpose. A law firm website with those capabilities might be very appealing to certain target markets. Regardless, some attorneys are not comfortable with this amount of technology usage. In fact, most solo practitioners are just coming around to owning some kind of website at all. So for them, a basic website for the purpose of marketing is probably best. For more progressive lawyers, a website can be used for marketing and for communication.

I’d like for you to give me your opinion. Tell me the purpose of a law firm website. Let me know what features you think it should have.

Image derived from: http://netdna.copyblogger.com/images/purpose.jpg

In order for your legal website to serve a business development function, it must have the following critical elements.  Some of the elements help with the website’s visibility on the World Wide Web, and others help with converting web visitors into clients.      

1. Page title – The page title is visible in the top, left side of the window. Each page of your website can have a different title, which reflects the content on the page. For instance, a page about discrimination could have the word “discrimination” in the title. The home page title could include your firm’s name, geographic region, and major practice areas. Page titles are critical because they are used by Google, and other search engines, to match search queries with relevant results. They are also seen by potential clients on search engine results pages.

2. Prominent phone numbers – Highly visible phone numbers encourage potential clients to take action.

3. Article section or Blog – Written articles are a great way to connect with potential clients.  Effectively written articles make potential clients feel smart.  They educate potential clients, and make them feel empowered.  Potential clients associate you with this feeling, and want to do business with you.  Articles also help with your search engine optimization because they are loaded with keywords. You should be able to add articles or blog posts to your website, at your convenience.

4. Practice Area submenu – It is important for your law firm to list and explain specific practice areas. This is because web visitors are interested in how you can help them.  The best practice area descriptions explain exactly how the lawyer can help the client, in the client’s language.  For an example, see Attorney Daniel Gershburg’s step by step explanation of how he can help someone buy or sell a home.

5. Contact box – A contact box or form allows for a potential client to easily submit information. It should be visible on all web pages.

If your legal website already has all of these critical elements, and you’d like to learn more about how you can improve your website, try running your website through HubSpot’s free website grader.

Fear as motivation

If I lose my resolve to go running on a particular day, I look down at my growing mid-section, and I get motivated to put on my running clothes. In that case, fear of becoming overweight is my motivation to run. On another day my motivation might come from the promise that something good will happen, like being able to fit into my favorite pair of shorts.

We all need motivators to make things happen and we are all motivated by the fear that something bad will happen or the promise that something good will happen. As a result you can use your law firm website copy to motivate people to retain you. People come to your website because they know that they need help. They want to hire a lawyer, but they need the motivation from you to make the right decision.

How do you motivate people? Explain through your website or blog what can happen to them if they don’t hire you. For instance, tell the true story of what happened to Mr. Jones because he didn’t hire a divorce attorney. OR in a FAQ section answer questions such as “What could happen if I don’t hire an attorney to help me incorporate my business?”

If you’d rather motivate with a promise, write down all the good things that could happen to them if they do hire you. For example, “If you claim bankruptcy, then you won’t have debt collectors calling you all the time.”

Once you put the motivators on your law firm website, be sure to tell people how to act. Ask them to call you or email you. In other words, make it easier for them to do what they want to do, but aren’t doing.

What motivates you to act? Fear or promise?

Photo credit:  stuant63

The other day I was shopping at Super Target for essentials, like milk and bread. A “sample” lady politely offered me a taste of wine. I liked it, and said so. Then she said, “Here, take one home” as she handed me a bottle. I said, “OK” and placed it in my cart. I had not intended to buy the wine. But it did reinforce a marketing lesson for me, which is that people have to be told how to act.

If you want a web visitor to take action after reading your website content, tell him what to do. Using verbs is a great way to do this. Include a verb (also known as a call to action) at the bottom of every web page. Here are 8 verbs that you can add to your website:

1. Call (us to make an appointment)

2. Email (us)

3. Contact (us)

4. Send (us a message)

5. View (map or directions)

6. Submit (form)

7. Make (arrangements to meet with us)

8. Set Up (a free consultation)

If you’d like to see an example of how this is done take a look at this Law Firm Website. They have a call to action on every page.  Here’s an example of one:  “Make arrangements to meet with one of our lawyers by calling us directly or by contacting the firm online.”

In trying to come up with content for your own website, copywriter Jonathan Kranz says, “First choose the kinds of actions people can take at your site; those actions dictate the messaging and content you need.”

I’ll leave you with an actionable task. Add verbs to your website today.  If you need some inspiration, go watch some TV infomercials. They are filled with calls to action.