What Should a Law Firm Website Include? A Checklist for Small Practices

Someone visiting a law firm website usually has a problem they want solved soon. They want to know whether you handle their kind of case, whether they can trust you, and how to reach you without saying too much too early.

A good-looking design helps, but it does not answer those questions on its own.

A small law firm website needs clear practice area pages, real attorney bios, accurate contact details, a consultation form with the right notices, and pages that everyone can use, including people with disabilities. It also has to follow the attorney advertising rules in your state, because your website is a communication about your services.

Use this checklist to review your current website or plan a new one. It is written for solo attorneys and small firms, not large firms with marketing departments.

This article is general information about websites, not legal or ethics advice. Your state's rules of professional conduct decide what your website must and must not say.

Law Firm Website Checklist at a Glance

Not every small practice needs a large website. It needs enough accurate information to help the right clients take the next step.

1. Make Your Homepage Say Who You Help and Where

Visitors should understand what you do within a few seconds of landing on your homepage.

Your opening section should make clear:

• Your firm name
• The kinds of cases you handle
• The city, county or state where you practice
• How to call or request a consultation

A headline such as "Justice You Can Count On" says little. A clear description does more work.

For example:

Family Law Attorney in Columbus, Ohio Divorce, custody and support cases. Call or request a consultation online.

This is illustrative wording. Your practice areas, location and contact options should decide the message.

Homepage check

Could someone who has never heard of your firm tell, without scrolling, what kind of lawyer you are, where you practice and how to contact you? If not, fix the opening section before adding anything else.

2. Give Each Main Practice Area Its Own Page

A list of practice areas on one page does not answer the questions people have before they call.

Give each main practice area its own page. A small firm might have only three or four, and that is fine. Fewer, better pages beat a long list of thin ones.

A useful practice area page explains:

• The situations you help with, described the way clients describe them
• Who the page is for, such as people facing a first DUI charge or business owners with a contract dispute
• What the first consultation involves
• Which attorney handles this work
• How to get in touch

Write about the client's situation, not just the legal category. People search for "lawyer for a car accident that wasn't my fault" more naturally than "tort litigation".

Separate pages also help search engines understand what you do. Each page can rank for its own searches, such as "estate planning lawyer in Tampa", instead of one general page trying to rank for everything.

Our law firm website design service plans practice area pages around the searches and questions your clients actually bring.

3. Write Attorney Bios That Answer "Can I Trust This Lawyer?"

People hire a lawyer, not a logo. Bios are often among the most visited pages on a law firm website, so they deserve more than a pasted résumé.

Each attorney bio should include:

• Full name and role
• A current, professional photo
• Bar admissions, with the states and courts where the attorney is licensed
• Education
• The practice areas the attorney handles, linked to those pages
• Relevant experience, described in plain language
• Languages spoken, where relevant

Be careful with titles and labels. Under the ABA Model Rules, a lawyer should not state or imply that they are a certified specialist unless an accredited organization has actually certified them. Words like "expert" and "specialist" can raise the same issue in some states, so check your state's version before using them.

Use real photos of your attorneys and staff, not stock images that suggest a bigger team than you have.

4. Show Who Is Responsible for the Website

ABA Model Rule 7.2 requires that any communication about a lawyer's services include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. Your website is one of those communications.

In practice, make sure every page shows:

• Your firm name
• Your office address or addresses
• Your phone number
• An email address or contact form

The footer is the usual place, so the details appear on every page.

Some states ask for more. New York's Rule 7.1, for example, requires most attorney advertising to carry the label "Attorney Advertising", and for a website that label goes on the home page. Other states have their own wording, filing or record-keeping rules. Find your state's version of Rules 7.1 and 7.2 and check it before launch.

5. Treat Every Page as Attorney Advertising

The ABA's ethics committee confirmed in Formal Opinion 10-457 that lawyer websites are subject to the advertising rules, including the rule against false or misleading communications.

That covers more than obvious false statements. A statement that is literally true can still be misleading if it leaves out important context or creates expectations you cannot back up.

Before launch, review your website for:

• "Best", "top" or "leading" claims you cannot support with facts
• Comparisons with other firms on fees or results without data behind them
• Specialist or expert language that your state restricts
• Out-of-date information, such as attorneys who have left, offices that have closed or practice areas you no longer take
• Stock images that could suggest a client, case or team that is not real

Keep a simple approval step: one attorney reads and approves every page before it goes live.

6. Build a Consultation Form That Does Not Create Problems

A website that invites people to describe their legal problem can create duties to them. Under ABA Model Rule 1.18, a person who discusses possibly hiring a lawyer becomes a "prospective client", and the lawyer owes them some confidentiality duties even if the firm never takes the case. The ABA's Formal Opinion 10-457 says inviting inquiries through a website can trigger those duties.

That is a good reason to keep your consultation form simple.

A well-built form:

• Asks only for what you need to call back: name, phone or email, the type of matter and the best time to reach them
• Avoids an open "Tell us everything about your case" box, or limits it to a short summary
• Shows a clear notice beside the submit button, explaining that submitting the form does not create an attorney-client relationship and that the person should not send confidential information yet
• Asks for the other party's name if you need it, so you can run a conflict check before hearing the details
• Sends submissions over a secure (HTTPS) connection to someone who checks them daily

A notice only works if your firm acts consistently with it. If someone replies to a form submission with detailed advice, the notice may not help.

Work out your exact wording with your own ethics guidance. Your website designer should place it, not write it.

7. Explain What Happens After Someone Reaches Out

This is where many firms lose clients they have already won online.

Clio's 2024 Legal Trends Report sent a secret shopper to law firms posing as a potential client. Only 40% of firms answered the phone, and only 33% of the firms emailed responded. Both figures were lower than in Clio's 2019 study.

Your website cannot answer the phone for you, but it can set clear expectations and make it easy to follow up:

• Say how quickly you respond, but only if you can keep that promise
• Explain what happens next: a call back, a short screening call or a scheduled consultation
• Offer more than one way to reach you, such as phone, form and online scheduling
• Show a confirmation message after the form is sent, and send an automatic email with the same information
• Send every form submission to a shared inbox or intake system, not to one person's email

Test your own form once a month. Many firms discover that inquiries have been landing in a spam folder for weeks.

8. Explain Consultations and Fees in Plain Terms

Cost is one of the first things people wonder about, and many firm websites say nothing about it.

You do not have to publish prices. But you can explain:

• Whether the first consultation is free or paid, and how long it lasts
• How you usually charge for each type of matter, such as hourly, flat fee or contingency
• Whether you offer payment plans
• What the person should bring to the consultation

If you mention contingency fees, explain clearly what the client may still owe, such as costs, where your state's rules require it.

9. Show Reviews and Case Results Carefully

Reviews and results are persuasive, which is exactly why the rules watch them closely.

The comments to ABA Model Rule 7.1 explain that past results can be misleading if they create an unjustified expectation that a new client will get the same outcome. An appropriate disclaimer can help, but some states require specific wording and a few restrict results claims more strictly.

If your state allows them:

• Show case results with the context needed to understand them
• Place the disclaimer your state requires beside each result, not hidden at the bottom of the page
• Use only genuine client reviews, with the client's permission where your state requires it
• Never write, edit or pay for reviews
• Link to your Google reviews rather than copying selected quotes without context

If you are unsure, leave results off the website until you have checked your state's rules.

10. Make the Website Accessible

The Americans with Disabilities Act lists the office of a lawyer as a public accommodation. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice published guidance on web accessibility confirming its position that businesses open to the public must make the services they provide, including those provided online, accessible to people with disabilities.

The DOJ guidance points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a helpful standard. A practical target for a small firm website is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Check that your website has:

• Text with enough contrast to read easily
• Alt text on meaningful images
• Captions on videos
• Pages and forms that work with a keyboard alone
• Form fields with clear labels and error messages
• Headings in a logical order, so screen reader users can move through the page

Accessibility overlay widgets do not fix problems in the code underneath. Build accessibility into the website itself.

11. Make It Easy to Use on a Phone

Many people look for a lawyer on their phone, often in a stressful moment.

On a phone, check that:

• The phone number is a tap-to-call link
• The main button to call or request a consultation is easy to find on every page
• Text is readable without zooming
• The consultation form is short and easy to complete with a thumb
• Pages load quickly on a mobile connection

Open your website on your own phone and try to contact your firm. If anything takes more than a few seconds to find, fix it.

12. Connect Your Website and Your Google Business Profile

When people search for "lawyer near me" or "divorce attorney in [city]", Google often shows a map with local firms before the regular results. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles.

Google's guidelines treat lawyers as individual practitioners, which means a firm can have its own profile and, in some cases, public-facing attorneys can have separate profiles. Follow Google's rules on business names closely. Adding keywords to your firm's name, such as "Smith Law, Best Injury Lawyer", can get a profile suspended.

Your website supports your profile when:

• Your firm name, address and phone number match exactly on the website and the profile
• Each office has its own page with its address, hours, phone number and attorneys
• Your profile links to the most relevant page, such as an office page, rather than always to the homepage

13. Label Legal Guides as General Information

Articles and FAQs that answer common legal questions are useful for clients and for search. They also need care.

The ABA has noted that a website offering general legal information should make clear that it is not legal advice for a particular situation.

For each legal guide:

• Add a short note that it is general information, not legal advice
• Show the date it was written or last reviewed
• Note which state's law it discusses, since the answer often differs by state
• Have an attorney review it before it is published

Shorter, accurate guides are better than long ones that age badly.

14. Keep the Website Current and Keep Records

An out-of-date website can become a misleading one. A former partner still listed, a closed office or a practice area you no longer take can all mislead a prospective client.

Assign one person to review the website every quarter, and update it straight away when:

• An attorney joins or leaves
• An office opens, moves or closes
• You add or stop a practice area
• Your hours, phone number or intake process change

Some states also require firms to keep copies of their advertising, including website content, for a set period. If yours does, save a dated copy of each version of the site.

What a Small Practice Can Skip at First

You do not need everything at launch. A solid first version of a small firm website can be:

• A homepage
• One page for each main practice area
• An attorney bio for each lawyer
• A contact page with a consultation form
• An office page for each location
• A privacy policy and any disclaimers your state requires

You can add legal guides, case results, videos and a blog later, once the basics are accurate and working.

If you already have a website, you may not need to start over. Our guide to deciding between a website redesign and a few fixes can help you choose. If you do rebuild, plan it carefully so you keep the Google traffic you already have.

Running Google Ads for a practice area? Read landing page vs. homepage: where to send Google Ads traffic before you choose a destination page.

Law Firm Website FAQs

What should a law firm website include?

At a minimum: a clear homepage, a page for each main practice area, attorney bios, your firm's name and contact details, a consultation form with a confidentiality notice, and pages that work on a phone and with assistive technology. Add any labels or disclaimers your state's advertising rules require.

Is a law firm website considered attorney advertising?

In most cases, yes. The ABA has confirmed that lawyer websites are covered by the rule against false or misleading communications, and states such as New York treat most firm websites as advertising with specific labeling rules. Check your own state's rules.

Does a law firm website need a disclaimer?

Most firms should have at least two notices: one near consultation forms saying that submitting the form does not create an attorney-client relationship, and one on legal guides saying they are general information, not legal advice. Your state may require others, such as a past-results disclaimer.

Can a law firm website show client reviews and case results?

In many states, yes, with conditions. Results usually need context and a disclaimer, and reviews must be genuine. A few states are stricter, so check your state's rules before publishing them.

Does a law firm website need to be ADA accessible?

The ADA lists a lawyer's office as a public accommodation, and the Department of Justice says the ADA's requirements apply to services offered online. Building to WCAG 2.1 Level AA is a practical way to meet that expectation.

How many pages does a small law firm website need?

Fewer than most people think. A homepage, one page per main practice area, attorney bios, a contact page and an office page for each location cover the essentials for most small practices.

Give Prospective Clients a Clear Next Step

A law firm website should help someone understand what you do, decide whether you are right for their problem, and contact you safely. Everything else is extra.

Eastlancers designs and builds websites for small law firms across the United States, with practice area pages, attorney bios, consultation forms with the right notices, and accessibility built in. Your firm approves every claim and disclaimer before launch.

See our law firm website design services, or get a free quote for your firm's website.