Risks of
Attorneys Not Having a Website
REFERRALS CHECK YOU OUT ON
THE WEB
Some lawyers think they do not
need a website because most of
their business comes from
referrals.
According to Margot W. Teleki in
the July 17, 2006, issue of the
New Jersey Law Journal, the
first thing your referral will
do is check out your firms
website before giving you a call
to see who and what you are and
how well you're suited to meet
his needs.
Gerry Morris, a white collar
criminal lawyer and Austin sole
practitioner, says, Sometimes
clients referred to me by other
lawyers come into my office with
a printout from my website in
hand.
If you do not have a website,
you could be losing business
without even knowing it. When a
prospective client cannot find
you on the web, that could send
out a message that tour firm is
too small, too new, too
unsophisticated, too
unsuccessful, or too behind the
times to handle the good quality
work you want to attract.
SMALL FIRMS LAG BEHIND
Legal marketing consultants
Alyn-Weiss concluded that law
firm websites are the single
most effective marketing tools
employed by corporate,
transactional, and defense
firms. In their 2006 national
survey of 119 firms, 82% had
received work directly or by
referral during the past 24
months from their websites. Yet
the American Bar Associations
Legal Technology Survey for 2006
reported that only 40% of sole
practitioners and 65% of small
firms (2-9 attorneys) have a
website. Almost all firms with
50+ lawyers have a website, and
90% of those with 10-50 lawyers
do.
Some small firms with stretched
resources think a website is too
expensive because they don't
have the budget to hire an
information technology
consultant. Others struggle to
just keep up with the needs of
their clients and still have a
personal life. They believe they
just don't have the time
necessary to create and/or
update a website.
WEBSITE BENEFITS
Other than looking inadequate or
behind the times, there are
several benefits of having a
website. Websites give clients a
chance to get to know you and
your qualifications at their
convenience and before they make
the commitment of a phone call.
They can emphasize your
achievements and demonstrate
your expertise, which you
probably would not do in person.
Informative articles and other
valuable content pertinent to
your clients needs build trust
by providing the service before
meeting. Websites save time and
improve staff productivity by
answering those recurring
questions about office hours,
location, and how the legal
process typically works. They
can include intake forms for
clients to complete before their
first appointment or lists of
essential documents to bring to
the appointment. Most
importantly, a website with
useful content and keywords
often found by search engines
will reach clients when they are
interested, 24/7. Morris says
his website (www.egmlaw.com)
brought in enough business in
the first year to more than pay
for itself. Soon, it so
outperformed his Yellow Pages ad
that he cancelled it.
HOW TO START
Begin by shopping the
competition. Many websites have
the name and web link of the
designer in small print at the
bottom of the page. Contact
designers whose work you like
for an estimate. Ask friends and
colleagues who they would
recommend. You can find plenty
of designers by entering terms
like websites for lawyers or law
firm web designers into a search
engine. Websites like
www.elance.com and www.guru.com
provide a forum for freelance
web designers to bid on projects
and provide links to their
portfolios. The expense you
should expect depends on the
number of pages and complexity
of your site. A firm of 5-10
lawyers may expect to pay from
$2,000 to $8,000 for a custom
site. However, according to Luke
Gilman, a web designer turned
law student
(www.GilmanCreative.com), a firm
on a budget could still get a
custom web design for under
$1,000.
WEBSITES ON A TIGHT BUDGET
For greater cost savings, check
out the template websites that
are available. To illustrate how
easy it is to create a template
website, view
www.houstoncoaches.com. It took
about 8 hours of work initially,
and costs about $12.00 per month
at www.spinsite.com. For
templates specially designed for
law firms, visit
www.legalwebdesigner.com or
www.easylawsite.com. Their 5-6
page websites cost from
$400-$1,000 plus a monthly fee
of $25-$40. That usually
includes domain name
registration, hosting fees, and
a limited number of email
accounts. For a real bargain,
check out www.easylawweb.com,
where you can get a 5 page site
for about $6 per month, or
www.citymax.com for $20 per
month. Finally, for the ultimate
bargain, get a minimal site free
at www.justia.com.
LEGAL DIRECTORY WEBSITES
Attorneys can also get template
websites created for them at
online legal directories such as
www.lawyers.com and
www.findlaw.com. A search for a
lawyer usually brings up
listings in those two
directories on the first page of
every search engine. Due to
directory listing cost, even the
simplest site runs about $2,000
per year and more targeted
premium listings can cost much
more. Many attorneys find these
listings worth the price,
although results may vary
depending on the region and area
of practice. Even some firms
with custom websites still pay
the fee to be linked to a
directory listing.
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