Whether a law firm's website leads to consultations depends on whether it has pages for each practice area saying “if you are in this kind of situation, you can consult us,” whether visitors can see the attorneys' faces and their approach, and whether the consultation process and a guide to fees are clear. Write only concrete facts, in line with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations' regulations on professional advertising.
The first thing people look for is whether their own situation is something they can consult about
People looking for a law firm are, in most cases, already facing a problem. Divorce, inheritance, debt, traffic accidents, company contracts or labor matters — their situations are specific. The words they search with also center on the situation, such as “inheritance siblings dispute,” rather than the job title “attorney.”
For this reason, a firm profile page alone will not lead to consultations. The following three things influence the decision to get in touch.
- Whether their situation is something the firm handles (practice area pages)
- Who they will be consulting (attorney profiles)
- What happens if they consult, and roughly how much it costs (process and guide to fees)
When a website answers these three questions, more people go on to call or use the contact form.
The order to present pages, and the role of each one
- Home page. Place entry points to the practice areas, the consultation process, the phone number and the contact form on the first screen
- Practice area pages. Create one page per area, such as divorce, inheritance or debt restructuring
- Attorney profile pages. Write about career history, areas of focus and approach, with a photo
- Consultation process and fees page. Explain how first consultations work, how fees are calculated and the steps up to engagement
- Firm information page. List the address, access, office hours and contact details
- FAQ page. Answer the questions people most often have before engaging a firm
- Columns and news. Cover legal amendments and frequently raised issues in the way readers want to know about them
Even firms with many practice areas do not need to build every page from the start. Begin with the areas that bring the most consultations and the ones you want to focus on.
What to write on each practice area page
Practice area pages are the pages that lead to consultations. Write them in the following order.
- What kinds of situations the firm can help with. List concrete scenarios: “If you are in any of the following situations, please contact us”
- What can be done through a consultation. Explain the available options, such as negotiation, mediation or litigation
- The path to resolution. Set out the steps from consultation to resolution in order
- A guide to fees. Explain how retainer fees, success fees and expenses are calculated, as far as you are able
- FAQ. Answer the questions that come up most often in that area
Rephrase technical terms in plain language the first time they appear. For example, explain “mediation” as “a procedure for holding discussions in a court setting,” so that first-time readers understand.
What prospective clients look at on attorney profile pages
When choosing an attorney, what people want to know is not the length of a career but whether “this is someone I can safely talk to.”
- Photo. Use a photo in which the attorney's expression is visible
- Rather than a list of titles, write about which areas the attorney has handled and with what approach
- Areas of focus, and why
- Attitude toward clients. Describe what the attorney actually does, such as how they listen and how they explain things
Phrases like “we respond with genuine care” appear on every firm's site. Writing concretely about what you do sets you apart from other firms.
Writing in line with advertising regulations
Attorney advertising is governed by rules such as the Japan Federation of Bar Associations' Regulations on Attorney Business Advertising. Expressions that do not match the facts, that risk being misleading, that are exaggerated, or that compare the firm with other attorneys are subject to restriction.
Check the following before publishing anything on your website.
- When publishing figures such as “resolution rate” or “win rate,” verify the basis and the calculation method
- When publishing client testimonials or experiences, check the provisions of the regulations
- Make sure you are not using superlatives such as “the best” or “number one in Japan”
- Make sure the fees shown do not differ from what is actually billed
- Make sure the name of the bar association you belong to and the name of the firm are stated correctly
Do not leave everything to the production company; have the firm itself review the text to be published. Deciding during production who will review it and on what date will keep the launch on schedule.
Design that makes it easier to get in touch
Consultations with a law firm often involve matters people do not want others to know about, so the psychological barrier to making contact is relatively high. The following design choices can lower that barrier.
- Place the phone number and contact form where they are visible on every page
- Explain the first-consultation process (how to book, how long it takes, what to bring) on a single page
- State that the content of the consultation is kept confidential, based on the attorney's duty of confidentiality
- Keep the form fields to a minimum: name, contact details and a summary of the matter
- If you accept inquiries in the evening or on weekends, state your hours clearly
Common mistakes on law firm websites
Practice areas shown only as a list
Simply listing “divorce, inheritance, debt restructuring, traffic accidents, corporate legal affairs” will not match searches based on specific situations. Create one page for each area.
No fees are shown
If fees are unclear, people leave before contacting you. Even when amounts vary by case, state how fees are calculated and the typical range.
The attorney's character does not come across
A page with no photo and nothing but a list of credentials does not show the person behind it. Add a photo and a passage about the attorney's approach.
The site is not updated
If information on legal amendments is out of date and the news section stopped years ago, visitors cannot see that the firm is active, which creates unease. Decide on an update frequency you can realistically maintain.
What to check when choosing a web production company
- Whether they have experience building websites for licensed professionals
- Whether the production company understands the advertising regulations, and whether the project can proceed on the basis that the firm gives final approval to the text
- Whether they propose a structure with a separate page for each practice area
- Whether there is a point of contact you can ask for post-launch updates (columns, news)
Work to continue after launch
Rather than treating launch as the finish line, continuing the following work keeps the number of consultations steady.
- Count incoming calls and form inquiries by practice area
- Strengthen the pages for areas with many inquiries by adding case examples and questions
- Update the relevant pages whenever laws or systems change
- Promptly reflect new attorneys and changes to practice areas
Looking at the numbers and adding the pages you lack, in order, lets you grow the site without strain.
An example of how to write a practice area page (sample structure)
Using an inheritance page as an example, here is a suggested order of headings. Rewrite the content to match what your firm actually handles.
- If you are in any of the following situations, please contact us (siblings disagree on how to divide the estate, a parent's will has been found, and so on)
- What an attorney can do in an inheritance matter (representing you in discussions, filing for mediation, reviewing a will, and so on)
- The path from consultation to resolution (consultation, explanation of strategy, engagement, negotiation or mediation, resolution)
- How fees are calculated (what the retainer fee, success fee and expenses each cover)
- What to prepare before your consultation (family register documents, materials showing the assets, and a copy of the will if there is one)
- Frequently asked questions in this area
Listing what to prepare reduces anxiety when someone is about to come in for a first consultation. Quite a few people hesitate to get in touch simply because they do not know what to bring.
Points to note when writing
- Rephrase technical terms in one sentence the first time they appear
- Lead with the conclusion. Say first whether the answer is “yes,” “no” or “it depends on the case,” then give the reasons
- Open with a sentence that acknowledges how the reader feels. Avoid overblown expressions of sympathy, however, and acknowledge the situation factually
- If you publish actual resolved cases, review them in line with the regulations and the duty of confidentiality so that clients cannot be identified
What to include in your first-consultation guide
Include the following items on your first-consultation page.
- How to consult (phone, form, how to book) and the hours you accept inquiries
- Whether a consultation fee applies, and how hourly charging works
- A guide to how long it takes
- Examples of documents to bring
- That the content of the consultation is kept confidential
- That there is no obligation to engage the firm after the consultation
That last item gives a nudge to people who are hesitating, because many of them worry that “if I have a consultation, I'll have to hire them.”
FAQ
It depends on the number of practice areas. Building on a home page, a page for each practice area, attorney profiles, the consultation process and fees, firm information and a contact page, starting with around 10 pages is one reasonable guide.
They are effective content, but because the regulations on attorney advertising contain specific provisions, check those provisions before publishing. Depending on how they are presented, they can cause problems.
Even when amounts vary by case, stating how retainer fees, success fees and expenses are calculated, and whether a consultation fee applies, lowers the psychological barrier to getting in touch.
Writing about frequently raised issues and legal amendments widens the range of search entry points. Decide on a frequency you can keep up before you start.
Yes, it is worth building one. If you have pages describing the attorneys' approach and your practice areas, prospective clients have something to judge by even in a period when you have few cases to point to.
We can start together by organizing your firm's strengths
A law firm website involves a lot of preparation: organizing practice areas, putting the attorneys' approach into words, and checking the advertising regulations. With Merci Ltd.'s made-to-order production, our creators lead the way from identifying your strengths and how to present them through to design and copywriting.
