Size Matters: Anatomy Of A Small-Firm Website

Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Size Matters, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers.

They say that to be competitive in today’s market, branding is key. To do that, one needs a snappy marketing campaign. I mean, think about the marketing genius behind the Shake Weight, or that truly awesome FreeCreditReport.com song!

According to an article in the Martindale.com Blog entitled Small Law Firms Take the Lead in Marketing, small firms have, well, taken the lead in marketing. Martindale-Hubbell commissioned a survey to look into the issue of small-firm marketing and concluded that the smallest firms are increasing their spending on marketing, with a focus on internet advertising.

Given this premise, I decided to search the worldwide web for some of the best (or most entertaining) small-firm websites. I found one website that stuck out to me: the home page of a boutique law firm, Edelson McGuire. (ATL previously covered the firm when it gave out free iPads to all employees, both attorneys and staff.)

How do I love the Edelson McGuire site? Let me count the ways….

(1) The photos show attorneys in pseudo-natural poses modeled from the waist up (or showing some leg), while wearing (for the most part) business casual attire. Some of the Edelson lawyers are even outside (which suggests that these guys get to leave the office — at least for their glamour shots). This is certainly a breath of fresh air compared to the majority of Biglaw websites featuring high-school-yearbook-sized photos of sad people in business suits. I must say, however, that the one dude in The Thinker pose, the angry guy in his undershirt, the guy trapped in an abandoned warehouse, and the chick modeling for the cover of a Danielle Steele novel might want to rethink their photos. Oh, and this guy should get wallet-sized copies of his photo to hand out to the ladies.

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(2) When the website first launches, there are various pictures of attorneys in motion. Check out the dude playing ping pong!

(3) The lawyer profiles contain a lot more information than the standard bios. For instance, we learn from the website how many cups of coffee each attorney consumes (some drink none — yes, gasp!), his/her favorite lawyer show (a lot of them share my mother’s love of The Good Wife), and his/her choice for Rock, Paper, Scissors, Match (apparently, some did not see the episode of Seinfeld when we learn that nothing beats rock). And the attorneys reveal their favorite websites — one likes website with funny pictures of cats. Does it get any better?

(4) Cool quotes are peppered throughout the website. Take the tagline, for instance: “The law is evolving. So is your lawyer.” I like it! Oh, and then this one: “In the world of lawsuits, there are lawyers, and there are suits. Which are you?” I am not a suit! Down with the man!

But, right as I was preparing to apply for a job at this firm, or at least challenge that one dude to a ping pong match, I got a little turned off by this line in the recruiting section:

We won’t lie. We care about your credentials. It’s a given. And it’s also a given that we care about your academic accomplishments, your work experience, and your capacity for greatness. It’s not arrogance. It’s just we like working with the best. We like lawyers who can handle themselves and their own cases.

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I hate to say it, but this is some douchey copy. I mean, no law firm wants slacker losers (although if you find one, give me an email shout), so this sort of information is unnecessary. And I found myself a little annoyed by the firm’s touting of credentials; not every lawyer went to Harvard or Yale (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Oh, and I was pretty disappointed when I learned that the ping game may be “at 3:37 (a.m. or p.m.) on a Thursday the day before a mediation of a $40 million case.” I go to bed at nine.

In short, if this website were an online dater, “he” would say that he works hard and plays hard. It is possible that “he” also uses emoticons (eek).

All in all, this is certainly a stand-out website, and it appears to me to be an example of small firms using online marketing to distinguish themselves. Do you have (or know of) a similarly awesome website? Or an even douchier one (we’ve already covered Fieger Law)? Email me. There must be a website out there with full-length pictures of attorneys straddling the scales of justice or some other lovely visual.

Earlier: Further Adventures in Attorney Website Photos
Law Firm Perk Watch: Who Wants a Free iPad?


Valerie Katz (not her real name) works at a small law firm in Chicago. You can reach her by email at Valerie.L.Katz@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValerieLKatz.