Web Design For Law Firms: Our Tips
In our experience, clients don’t just want a good web designer — they want a web designer with expertise in their industry or field. Law firms are one of the most demanding: if you don’t have anything to their liking in your portfolio, you most likely won’t get the job. But understanding what separates sites like that from all the rest is no less critical. Web design for law firms has a few particular quirks you should know. Let’s talk about them.
Web design for law firms
First of all, remember that law firms have a specific vision of what a website should look like. Usually, they take a gander at the others’ sites before coming up with their own idea. Often they want you to copy someone else: a client rarely has a vision, and it’s your job to present them with something familiar but new. Please have a few examples at the ready and use them as an inspiration. Finding (and, well, copying) good ideas and improving them is what the most successful companies in the world have been doing from the very start.
Make a website for the layman, not the firm
All you want is to make a client happy, but the client can have a skewed vision of what their website should be like. It’s your job to make them understand the basics of such a website. We often hear that law firms must have a “sophisticated” or a “professional” website, and for a client, that usually means “jargon-heavy” and “hard to understand.” That is a mistake: no matter the industry, a client doesn’t have to feel dumb and lost. Approachability is paramount.
CTA
This point is definitely not only for law firms, but it would be prudent to repeat here. Every website must have a CTA (Call to Action). Don’t overload your visitors with hard-to-digest content — make it easy to read. And complex topics are for the experts. Instead of trying to explain everything on a site, make a clear CTA. “Want to know more? Contact our expert!”
Serif fonts
Sans serif fonts are all the rage now: they convey that the company is modern and hip, but a law firm might need another message. Serif fonts (letters with strokes and extra flourishes) were a big no-no back in the day when screen resolutions were abysmal. Now though, they are more than fine. They scream “serious, professional” to most people, which is why serif fonts are great for law firms.
Minimalism
Most of the law firm websites today are pretty busy. That can be okay, but if you want to convey that your company is modern and serious, try to merge classic serif fonts and minimalistic design. Your clients might not be ready for it, but try to surprise them. It’s a great way to stand out among the similar-looking websites.