Websites sit alongside our other services for law firms and follow the same four-step method.
Ownership, settled before the first draft
Plenty of agencies rent a firm its own site, so the design and pages stay behind when the contract ends. Ours is registered to your firm at launch, and if you part ways with us, every page leaves with you. That matters when a partner retires or a practice group splits off.
Recent law firm builds
Live siteInjury firm serving Raleigh and the rest of Wake County, NCA county map traced from actual roads greets visitors, backed by separate pages for six Wake towns and Spanish-language content for clients who prefer it. 
Live siteStatewide North Carolina injury lawyer who meets clients where they areAbove the fold, a visitor learns the lawyer will travel to them, that the opening conversation happens by phone or video, and which county pages cover their area. 
Homepage conceptDivorce and custody practice in greater Los AngelesNavigation leads with practice areas and a library of client questions, and booking a video consultation is the primary action. 
Homepage conceptNorth Carolina estate and business planning practiceThe opening view lists exactly what a no-cost discovery call covers and offers a one-minute planning check for visitors not ready to talk.
Identifying details are blurred, and unbuilt designs carry a concept label.
What sits in your firm's name
- Domain and hostingRegistered to the firm on Netlify, a WordPress host you pick, or Squarespace.
- FilesOn Netlify or WordPress, the firm holds the code and theme. On Squarespace, the firm holds the account, the subscription and all published content, while the platform stays Squarespace's.
- Copy and structureEvery word, the full page library and the structured data underneath.
- Voice and researchYour attorney's Voice DNA profile and the research each page drew on.
- Measurement accountsAnalytics and Search Console, opened under the firm.
Two limits, named at the outset. Stock photography, premium typefaces and paid plugins belong to their makers, so we license them under your firm's name and they stay with you. And at any service level, a licensed lawyer at your firm signs off on content before it goes live.
Choosing between Netlify, WordPress and Squarespace
We work on these three platforms only. The deciding question is who at your firm will edit pages after launch.
| Platform | What we build | Best for a firm that |
|---|---|---|
| Netlify | A static site, coded by hand | Prefers a fast, secure, low-maintenance site and sends edits to us |
| WordPress | A theme written for your firm, not a store-bought one adjusted | Wants staff to update pages, run the blog and add plugins |
| Squarespace | A firm design inside the Squarespace editor | Wants an easy editor the office runs itself |
Four service levels that stack
Each level carries everything below it, on any platform.
- FoundationDesign, build, a move from your old site with redirects, structured data and contact forms, all owned by your firm.
- AuthorityAdds a Voice DNA profile and question pages drawn from City Intelligence research.
- OngoingAdds AEO Creation after launch, reporting, and a quarterly Content Intelligence plan.
- Hands-OffPlanning, writing, publishing and updates sit with us, and attorney sign-off on each page is a fixed step.
Law firm websites begin at $5,000, with each build scoped in writing before work begins. Starting prices are on the pricing page.
The four steps behind every page
- Authority Asset. We collect what the firm has cleared for public use: practice areas you accept, matters you turn away, each lawyer's bar admissions, office locations, and case results approved for release.
- Voice DNA. We map how your lead lawyer explains a matter across 21 dimensions, down to headings, button labels and intake form fields.
- City Intelligence. We research what clients in your market ask; that list sets the page plan.
- AEO Creation. We write each page to answer its question first.
Technical detail lives in AI SEO for lawyers.
Included in every build
Standard practice; your agreement sets contract terms.
- Pages that lead with the answer
- JSON-LD markup describing the firm and each attorney
- An XML sitemap, plus permanent redirects when addresses change
- Intake form entries emailed to the firm
- A layout review at phone width before go-live
- Automated accessibility testing. ADA rules in 28 CFR 36.104 name a lawyer's office as a place of public accommodation. The tools miss some issues and give no legal opinion.
- A review gate on all copy before launch
Bar advertising rules in the layout
Your website communicates about your lawyers' services, so advertising rules reach the template, not only the words. Most states adapt the ABA Model Rules, and your lawyers answer to the version your state adopted.
Model Rule 7.2(d) says a covered communication has to identify at least one lawyer or firm accountable for it, with a way to reach them; most firms use a repeating footer. Rule 7.2(c) restricts claims of specialist certification, so a bio field labeled "Specialties" goes to your ethics reviewer.
Model Rule 7.1 reaches omissions too: a missing fact can mislead when it distorts how the whole reads. A carousel of verdict amounts with no case context can do that through design alone. See whether law firms can publish case results online and the North Carolina guide for one state's rules.
Migrating from your current site
Your existing addresses carry inbound links and search history. In its guidance on site moves, Google stresses pairing each old URL with its replacement and advises server-side permanent redirects where the setup allows. Every Smart Chimp migration ships with them, so pages referring attorneys saved keep working.
It is also a good moment to retire city pages that differ only by town name.
Try us on one page first
To judge the writing first, ask for a free page rewrite. Send one page from your current site and we email back a rewritten version. A call is up to you.
Common questions
Who drafts the disclaimers on our site?
An attorney at your firm or your ethics counsel, since the answer turns on your state's rules. We supply a template with a consistent spot for them.
Can our staff update pages once the site is live?
Yes on WordPress and Squarespace. On Netlify, edits come through us, in exchange for a faster, more secure, low-upkeep site.
If we end the relationship, what happens to the website?
It stays put. The domain, hosting, files, content and data were in your firm's name from the start.
Keep reading
Sources
- American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct
- ABA Model Rule 7.1, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services (linked above)
- ABA Model Rule 7.2, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific Rules (linked above)
- 28 CFR 36.104, Definitions (place of public accommodation, paragraph (6)) (linked above)
- Google Search Central, "Site moves with URL changes" (linked above)