I don’t know how I missed this.

There’s an article entitled “What Does Your Web Site Say About You?: A law firm’s online presence should inspire a potential client’s confidence” at SmallFirmBusiness.com, part of Law.com’s network. The article is written by Margot Teleki, president of a commercial writing/marketing company.

When called upon to write for a web site for a law firm, Teleki looked around at law firm web sites and found that attorney sites are written from the firm’s perspective, not from the client’s. Instead of saying how the firm could solve the prospect’s problem, law firms are just talking about how they view themselves.

Perspective is important.

One thing that separates legal services from any other product or service is need. [okay, that's not true....people need medical products and services too. Oh, and food.] A client has a need for legal services; they’re not just browsing around looking for an impulse buy at the mall.

So, what does this have to do with law firm web sites? Well, I’ll let the author say it:

If you look for an attorney the way many of us do today, you’ll first ask your friends for referrals, then look up the recommended firm on the Web site. That Web site must offer information, confidence and comfort to a potential client. A client in trouble — either an individual or a corporation — needs to be assured that the chosen law firm will give him aggressive advocacy and have the right skill set to win a case. He wants to be assured that his attorney will fight for his rights — and win! He wants to feel assured that he is of primary interest to his attorney — not just another case on the block.

Now picture this: a client has just hired your firm to take his case. Now he’s going to the web site.

Does your site reassure him? Does it say “You’ve made the right choice?”

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