April 25th, 2010
Doug Jasinski
Skunkworks Creative Group
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Skunkworks has developed a new website and brand called LawStartBC on behalf of our client Courthouse Libraries BC. LawStartBC provides an easy-to-remember gateway to the many services Courthouse Libraries BC provides to the general public and stakeholder community organizations.
Courthouse Libraries BC has developed several important initiatives over the last two years focused on the needs of the general public. These include:
- ClickLaw (a web portal drawing from 24 different BC organizations who provide legal information and help);
- LawMatters (a program that places key legal texts and information in public libraries); and
- HelpMap (a unique tool integrated with google maps to help users locate legal resources near them).
For the public, however, knowing where to tap into the different resources available to them could initially be confusing. Now LawStartBC serves as a unified a starting point. CLBC’s Community Outreach Team officially launched the new brand during LawWeek events as shown here.
Tags: Clients, Google
Posted in Agency News, Client News, Law | Add a Comment »
January 16th, 2010
Doug Jasinski
Skunkworks Creative Group
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Skunkworks welcomes well-known Victoria, British Columbia immigration and business lawyer Robert (“Robbie”) Sheffman to our client roster. Robbie recently launched his own firm and tapped Skunkworks to develop his new logo, business collateral and website. Starting with his logo we opted for a modern colour scheme and visual cues reminiscent of international visa documents. From there we designed a clean, straightforward website that would be user friendly for English speakers and ESL clients alike. The result is www.immigrationlawbc.com.
Tags: Clients, Law firm websites
Posted in Agency News, Client News, Law, Law firm websites | Add a Comment »
January 7th, 2010
Marni MacLeod
Skunkworks Creative Group
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Here’s the next stream of consciousness post on elements that make for a user friendly website. This one is straightforward – display your contact information clearly and prominently on every page. While you may want to have a mailing address block at the bottom of the page (which is fine)…in my view (again…this is just my opinion, you are perfectly free to ignore me) you want to make it as easy as possible for potential clients to pick up the phone or add you to their email address book. What I like (and it drives our creative team nuts – which is part of why I like it … shhhh) is to have the firm contact information displayed at the top of the page either with the logo or in the upper right hand corner…and I like that on EVERY page. Some might argue that this is overkill when you already have a Contact page built into your nav BUT…not so if the point of the exercise is to make life easy for people who may be looking for your services. In the legal context in particular, I would argue that if someone is looking for a lawyer they are probably in a state of either anxiety or excitement and want to find information fast. Clicking around your site trying to find out how to contact you is not going to be as appealing as the spoon feeding approach. Also, they are looking at your site searching for key words that match the issue or problem they need to resolve. You have no idea where on your site they will be when they find what they are looking for and decide they want to contact you. If the contact info is right there…it’s one less thing they have to think about.
A word about Contact pages. Some might say (damn proverbial peanut gallery) “Why have a Contact page at all if you are going to put the information on every page.” Welllll, for me a Contact page serves more than one purpose. When I go to a law firm’s Contact page I am usually looking for their office location (ye old Google Map), some sort of imagery of their office building (first impressions), so I know what to look for if I’m going to meet with them. If it’s available I might also use Google’s new “drag me to the street” tool to get a look at the neighbourhood – I like to meet clients in context (it’s handy to know what else is close by that might be used to create a destination or provide people with reference landmarks). For those of you who haven’t tried it…go to Google Maps and type in your office address. When the map comes up look for the little yellow stick person on the nav — looks this:
So, while I like a phone number that is easily accessible (please don’t make me scroll to the bottom of the page and read teeny tiny print) I also think a well designed Contact page is a valuable tool to increase client familiarity and, by extension, comfort levels with your firm. Finally, for what it’s worth, to me a Contact page is the place for all extra detail…9 times out of 10 I’ve been on the phone or contacted the firm by email before I ever visit the Contact page.
Tags: Contact pages, Law firm websites, usability, web content
Posted in Law firm websites | Add a Comment »
December 16th, 2009
Marni MacLeod
Skunkworks Creative Group
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If you are interested in the survey results you can find them in this issue of the CBA National. Just so you know…the panellists were not allowed to vote for sites of their clients or sites they had worked on. My hope is that this year’s results will inspire other Canadian law firms to take a good look at their websites and start thinking about how they present themselves from a client perspective.
Websites generally serve two primary functions. If your business is heavily skewed to the referral side a professional, informative website acts as a credibility check. If you are looking for new clients a user friendly website that clearly states what kind of law you practice and the matters you regularly handle is one way to provide another doorway into your office. Either way the site should be oriented to the user experience not limited to to a resume approach that focuses on the individual achievements of the firm’s lawyers. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t include all the wonderful things about your legal ability and highlight the prowess of your practice teams. Obviously, a prospective client wants to know about you. BUT I bet you they are more interested in how you can help them with the issue they have at hand (and how much it’s going to cost them to have you do so).
People skim sites looking for key words related to a specific issue or problem they are trying to research or resolve. In short, they are looking for reassurance they are not up the creek without a paddle or, if they are in trouble, they are looking for help. The other thing that tends to happen, particularly when people haven’t had any contact with the legal system or lawyers, is that they get overwhelmed by the procedural side of a problem or they develop unrealistic expectations about their position because they are misinformed about how the law is applied. Lawyers know that every legal issue has at least three component, a unique fact pattern, a procedural component and a case law or legislative component that will dictate or influence the outcome. This can be overwhelming for people who don’t have a legal background. When people feel overwhelmed it’s hard to make good decisions. A clear, user friendly legal website can restore calm by providing a frame of reference and perhaps most important it should supply a prospective client with general background on the practice areas covered and include an action plan (checklists are helpful) that includes calling the lawyer or firm for further advice.
One thing I have come across which I will say I think is a mistake (and this is just my opinion) is to hold back basic information on the assumption that the client will decide not to call or may think they don’t need a lawyer to help them. This makes no sense in my view. The better prepared your clients are when they walk through your door for the first time the less time YOU waste bringing them up to speed and educating them on what facts are going to be relevant, the kind of evidence they need to prove or defend a claim, the types of documents you need to review or legislation that may have an impact. Communication is key and part of a lawyer’s job is to explain a situation fully so that a client can make informed decisions and provide instructions accordingly. Ok, enough for one day. Next time I will share a bit of what I’ve learned about what makes a good user friendly legal website (hint: it’s not fancy Flash scripts or dramatic music).
Tags: legal services, websites
Posted in Advertising + Design, Inspiration, Law, Law firm websites, Things we like | Add a Comment »
October 6th, 2009
Marni MacLeod
Skunkworks Creative Group
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If you weren’t able to attend the conference you can still get the materials for $149 + tax (free shipping).
Want to find out why you should care about Web 2.0 and social media? Concerned about privacy, security and professional responsibility in a wired world? Interested in practice management software, the latest on e-Discovery and e-Prep of litigation files or how to make Word actually earn its keep? It’s all in the papers that were prepared as part of the conference and burned to disk for participants. The full slate of sessions is available on the Pacific Legal Technology Conference website.
You can purchase a disk by contacting Megan Ejack at the Trial Lawyers Association of BC by email megan@tlabc.org or by calling 604 682-5343 or toll free 1 888 558-5222. TLABC will accept cheques, VISA or MasterCard. The sessions I attended were all excellent and I’m looking forward to going back and reading the materials at my leisure.
Tags: law practice management, legal technology
Posted in Inspiration, Law, Technology, Things we like, social media | Add a Comment »
