The Worst Law Firm Websites
Wachtell may be the most prestigious firm out there (according to Vault), but it has the industry’s worst Web site, as rated by Jonathan Thrope of the American Lawyer. We’re not completely sure we trust his judgment though, since he was “sucked in” by Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice’s animated dog. We waited for it to do something cool, but it just stretched and yawned.
According to Thrope, law firms are getting more serious about online marketing and using Web sites to create a distinctive brand. In general, law firm sites strike us as fairly dry. And boring. There are a few exceptions, like the Van Winkle Law Firm’s split personality bio page. North Carolina-based Van Winkle adds a personal touch to its site with dual bios (and photos) for many of its attorneys: one with professional highlights, and another focused on hobbies and life outside of work.
Other firms experiment with offbeat advertising, but seem to be using it to recruit attorneys, not clients. Like Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle’s creation of a Facebook page, and Stoel Rives’ free-style running promo on YouTube.
Of the assortment of staid sites in the AmLaw 100, five made Thrope’s cut for the worst. Check them out after the jump.
Here are Thrope’s top five stinkiest sites, along with two “dishonorable mentions.”
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: Reminiscent of a seventh-grade history project.Davis Polk & Wardell: Not much better than Wachtell’s. Simply a brochure placed online.
Cravath, Swaine & Moore: As one Web reporter described it, this site is Spartan. Associates don’t even get bios, and the attorneys that do have meager descriptions.
Pepper Hamilton: White space can sometimes be a good thing, but not when it makes up a third of your home page. Is something still loading?
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: Skadden apparently thinks the Cold War is ongoing — and they’re on the side of the Soviets.
Dishonorable Mention: Sullivan & Cromwell and Kaye Scholer.
Since all of these firms continue to pull in the big clients, and big bucks, we have to assume that TTT sites are not detrimental in the legal business. Perhaps “dry and boring” are what clients want from Biglaw.
The Best and Worst of Am Law 100 Sites [American Lawyer]
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Comments
I AM FIRST - SUCK IT!!!!!
Hate hate the Skadden website. It hurts my eyes.
another lame story
It's power red!
I bought an Oscar Meyer "Deli Creation" sandwich that was described as a "Chicken Bacon Ranch" sandwich. Turns out what they meant was chicken, along with bacon-flavored ranch. Absolutely disgusting. It doesn't even have real bacon flavor -- it tastes like bacon-bit-flavored ranch.
sixth
How about a Seven & Seven anyone?
I *hate* the Cravath web site. The back button doesn't work, b/c the entire stupid thing is in Flash. People used to do that like eight years ago, and it was terrible then.
eight
It feels GREAT to be number EIGHT
In defense (sort of) of Pepper Hamilton's site, if you zoom in a lot, the columns line up properly. It looks like it was designed for 640x480 or 800x600 resolution or something, and hasn't been updated since. The Wayback Machine reveals that pepperlaw.com was updated to the current format in March, 2003, when people were just going over to flatscreens and Pepper was probably still using CRTs. Now everybody's looking at it on higher resolution flatscreens and it looks screwed up. It probably displays differently on Firefox and IE, too, I haven't checked.
It feels GREAT to be number EIGHT
Wachtell's website is the height of respectability and dignity. They don't make fancy promises, use buzz-words, or display eager, satisfied clients shaking hands with middle-aged attorneys. Instead, they give you a modicum of information and let you gauge your interest without hype.
Frankly, I think it's the best legal website out there. Lawyers aren't management consultants, and the trend toward sounding and looking them needs to halt.
How about Fulbright & Jaworski. Yep. Website still doesn't load. Hasn't for four days now.
(And I had an on-campus interview one of those days and knew very little about my interviewers. That was great fun.)
I like Strook's website. It says Strook everywhere. It makes you say Strook.
New York considers websites lawyer advertising which would explain the spartan nature of the websites.
14: lulz. What did you say to them? "So . . . I realize . . . that you do lots of . . . ugh . . . litigation work! Yeah, litigation. How's litigation at your work?"
I agree with 13. There's no gimmicks devised by overpaid marketing department people or the ad firm they hire who are so proud of themselves for creating penguins or bowling games or other stupid crap that have nothing to do with the actual practice of law or what sets the firm apart. All it does is try to be cute.
18: the worst offender is a Wisconsin-based firm that I won't mention by name. Their website is like a stand-up comedy contest.
I'm sure that someone else is familiar with this big firm, or even works for them, but I won't spill the beans.
I've got PLENTY of TWENTY!
19 here. Nevermind. It applies mostly to their careers section, which makes a lot of jokes.
How does Roy Davis not get a shout out?
http://www.vwlawfirm.com/attorneys/roydavisinfo.php
Wisconsin is a joke. Not even GULCers venture there.
Wachtell's website is great. Attorneys don't need fancy, comprehensive bios to "prove" themselves. Collectively, the caliber of schools represented is remarkable in and of itself. Wachtell knows that and that's what's reflected on the site. That's what's important to some, if not most, big clients.
It's only when a firm hires attorney's from TTT schools does it need to write comprehensive bios about the attorney's Law Review membership, etc.
...
twentyfithski!!!!!!
and #11, Pepper sucks almost as bas as it's website :)
twentyfithski!!!!!!
and #11, Pepper sucks almost as bad as it's website :)
Baker & McKenzie is pretty bad...
I like to feel the Skadden star shining on my face.
Kaye Scholer's website looks like it's stuck in 1998. Images that change colors when you mouse over? Neato! Time for a face lift...
I always thought that Davis was the worst because it is supposed to have the best looking associates, but has no pictures on the bios to confirm this.
Wachtell is so badass they don't need anything but the simplest of websites. Just like a spectacular diamond doesn't need an ornamental setting to make it look fancier than it is.
I tried going to Assbill's website but kept being redirected to the billing page of a gay porn company.
I'm not sure I get what's wrong with Pepper Hamilton's website. Maybe it loads differently on my computer. It looks fine -- just like all the rest of them.
This is one of the best I've seen:
http://arnoldporter.webfactional.com/
34: I don't want to pick on anyone, but the firm does place it in the public, so the attention is warranted.
That is one of the funniest things I've seen.
I hate Pepper Hamilton more than I hate the demon offspring of fired Paul Hastings associates.
Why do they put the school down?! We get it: you have associates from schools like Harvard and Columbia. Why not put substantial deals they've completed?
I have always thought Jones Day has a horrible website, it look like it was made in the mid 1990s, kind of remind of Yahoo in the good old days.
They even have some dead links!! How can you top that?
Recycling your own prior story = FAIL.
Hungry Hungry chipmunk. It is sweeping the nation.
Hungry Hungry chipmunk.
I emailed Lat to recommend this as a post idea last November. Missed opportunity to do a much funnier job than this article...
18: I guarantee you an overpaid advertising and marketing firm was involved in that wretchedly uninteresting web site. Talk about waiting for something to load.
http://www.bolanjahnsen.com/
Trust me. Hands down the best website ever.
I love the Gibson site. If I am ever arrested or under investigation for, let's say, bribing the Nigerian government for a natural gas contract and run the risk of an FCPA prosecution, I am SO hiring them. I am never cornered. I just need a new way of thinking.
Missed the boat on this one.
How about the all time worst (or best if humor is the criteria) website?
www.williegary.com
44: Way to read buzz-words literally. I'm sure that you would make a top-notch management consultant or financial adviser.
Hungry Hungry Chipmunk. Devouring your nuts one gobble at a time.
I'm so GREAT for picking FORTY-EIGHT!!!
FIFTY is SPIFFY
--but--
FORTY-NINE is the NINES!!!
49 has aids.
Re graphics: Less is more on lawfirm websites.
But I do like them loaded with tons of information, bios, memos, news, etc.
There are WAY worse websites out there.
Just about anyone in the AmLaw 200 has a crap site. Loeb's doesn't even work. Allen Matkins' looks like it was created by a special needs 3 year-old with a blindfold. Baker Hostetler??? My eyes still burn!
43-
Concur. Hilarious.
45 thinks that Willie Gary's website is the "all time worst" because Willie Gary is black.
52, I resent that. Had I designed the Allen Matkins website it would have looked far better than it does. I designed the Loeb site.
Sincerely,
Blindfolded special needs 3-year old.
Fulbright & Jaworski is the worst. Their website almost never works. Last year I never could get it to work and this year again for OCI I couldn't get it to work.
What firm has the best website?
I think Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is pretty cool.
www.stblaw.com
(and, no, I don't work for STB)
12:10 - Photos were taken off the Davis website several years ago after female attorneys started attracting stalkers.
Yes, DPW lawyers are just that hot.
58 - obviously you have not seen the female litigators in DPW's Menlo Park Office. Over the years I've run into a few, and quickly ran away each time.
59: you're being ridiculous. You're supposed to run TO beautiful, ravishing women, not AWAY from them.
Hands down best law firm web site ever:
http://www.jwsanchez.com/
Just make sure you're audio is not muted. The intro is the best. And yes, it is for real.
Hands down best law firm web site ever:
http://www.jwsanchez.com/
Just make sure your audio is not muted. The intro is the best. And yes, it is for real.
60 = female DPW Menlo Park litigator
silly 58, you can't run away from them. they'll just fly after you on their brooms
I like that Jorge has his site so efficiently organized: "modeling", "literature" ("Mr. Pitiful"), "Acting."
If you don't like the worst law firm websites, check out some of the best law firm website design at http://www.bestlawfirmsites.com
62:
that. was. amazing.
Apparently Kaye Scholer got the message...a new website is now up and running.