Page 10 - Dallas Vol 6 No 2

4 Pillars of a Good Law Firm Website
(and Why Almost No Firm Has One)
BY IGOR ILYINSKY
Ifyou ask 1000 lawyers of the same discipline what single trait makes them a good lawyer, you’ll probably get very similar answers. IP lawyers will say it’s their comprehension of Engi- neering. Litigators will say they can strongly argue any point.
But if you ask a website builder what makes for a good website, you will likely get one of four answers (or perhaps a variation on one of the four). Why? Because unlike most areas of law, or business in gener- al, website builders have been fragmented into one of four disciplines. And of course, each thinks their discipline is the most important, ren- dering the other three trivial. In fact, if you show me ANY law rm website, I’ll identify for you which of the four pillars it is built on (and which are lacking).
is anomaly may be hard to understand for those practicing law, where goals are fairly linear, and success isn’t subjective. Even in other industries where goods are commissioned, like construction for ex- ample, it’s accepted that an electrician and a plumber cannot do the same job, but it’s expected that a general contractor will be experi- enced enough to oversee both. Not in web design! is is because the skill sets and philosophies carried by the “general contractors” of web design in supporting these four disciplines, are usually mutually ex- clusive. I’m sure you’re dying to know what they are, so let’s dive in and see which one your rm’s website is built on (and which three are lacking)!
LAW FIRM WEBSITE DESIGN
You would think that because the word “design” is in the job title “web designer,” which most people refer to when considering those that build websites, this would be the strongest of pillars. But, alas, it is not! With the advent of wizards, widgets and wordpress (you thought www stood for something else?) the barrier to entry as a “web de- signer” has come waaaay down.
ese days an eye for aesthetic creativity is not a prerequisite for builders of the web, and heaven knows the vast majority of them lack it. But there are indeed purists out there. Usually classically trained in design and sometimes supplemented by actual talent, the browser is their canvas (a very di erent medium than print design, mind you). ey are true artists, and tend to have their hallmarks and signatures. Speci cally in the bubble of law rm website designers, it is almost too easy to identify which of the few designers worked on a website (they tend to look similar).
But like true artists, they take their art seriously, and display it care- fully... generally at the expense of the other three pillars.
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · DALLAS· VOL. 6 NO. 2 10