Legal website designers are building a regulated advertisement, not a brochure. A law firm's website is a communication about a lawyer's services, and state professional conduct rules govern what it may say, who must be identified on it, and what may be paid for. That makes vetting a designer different from vetting one for any other business: visual craft and conversion skill matter, but so does whether the firm has read the rules that apply to the pages it is about to publish. This page covers what the work involves, the compliance layer, and how to test a designer's claims against published evidence. It is general information, not legal advice, and the rules vary by state.
The compliance layer that shapes the design
Rules modelled on ABA Model Rule 7.2, such as North Carolina's version, set out concrete constraints a designer has to build around. A lawyer may compensate employees, agents and vendors engaged to provide marketing or client development services, including publicists and public relations personnel, so paying a design agency is squarely permitted. What is not permitted is giving something of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services, outside narrow enumerated exceptions. Any communication made under the rule must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content, which is a footer requirement the designer has to honour on every template. Specialisation claims are restricted too: North Carolina permits a lawyer to state they specialise only where they are certified by the state bar or an accredited organisation and the certifying organisation is clearly identified. A practice areas page that calls a lawyer a specialist without that certification is a design decision with a disciplinary consequence. Your state's own rule controls, so ask the designer to build to the version your bar has adopted.
Testimonials, reviews and results content
Client testimonials and case results are the two design elements most likely to create trouble, and they are governed twice over. State advertising rules commonly restrict claims that create unjustified expectations about results, which is why so many firm sites carry a disclaimer next to a verdict figure. Federal rules apply as well: the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, effective in October 2024, prohibits fake reviews, reviews by insiders that do not clearly and conspicuously disclose their connection to the business, and incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment. The FTC's own guidance says advertising agencies, public relations firms and reputation management companies can be liable under that rule, so a designer who offers to seed reviews as part of a launch package is offering you a liability rather than a service. Testimonials that feature exceptional results also need context about what results are generally expected unless the advertiser can show the experience is typical.
What good legal web design actually optimises for
The commercial job of a law firm site is to convert a stressed person who is comparing two or three firms in a single sitting. That points at a small number of hard requirements: fast loading on a phone, a phone number and intake form reachable without scrolling on every practice page, plain language descriptions of what happens after someone makes contact, and practice area pages deep enough to answer the question the visitor actually typed. Google's page experience documentation names the same fundamentals from the search side: Core Web Vitals are used by its ranking systems, pages should be served over HTTPS and display correctly on mobile, and intrusive interstitials that obstruct the main content should be avoided. The chat widget that covers the screen on a phone is exactly that pattern. Accessibility belongs in the brief too, both because clients with disabilities are clients and because it is a common source of demand letters.
How to vet the designer before you commission
Ask for law firm work specifically, with the firm named and the practice areas visible, rather than a portfolio of generic small business sites. Ask who owns the site, the content and the domain if the relationship ends, and get that answer in the contract rather than in an email. Ask whether the build includes the responsible lawyer identification, the disclaimers your state requires and a documented process for updating them when the bar changes a rule. Google's guidance on hiring search help transfers cleanly to design: ask for examples of previous work and success stories, ask what results are expected and in what timeframe, be sceptical of anyone secretive about their methods, and remember that you remain responsible for the actions of any firm you hire. Nobody can guarantee a ranking, and a designer who bundles a ranking promise with the build is selling something Google itself says cannot be sold.
Questions people ask about legal website designers
Is a law firm website regulated advertising?
In every US state it is treated as a communication about a lawyer's services and is governed by that state's professional conduct rules. Rules modelled on Rule 7.2 require the name and contact information of a responsible lawyer or firm on the communication and restrict paying for recommendations. The details vary by state, so check the version your bar has adopted. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can we publish client testimonials on the site?
Usually yes, with care. State rules commonly restrict claims that create unjustified expectations about results, and the FTC's consumer reviews rule prohibits fake reviews, undisclosed insider reviews and incentives conditioned on positive sentiment. Testimonials describing exceptional outcomes need context about what results are generally expected. Ask your bar's rule and disclose material connections clearly.
Can a designer call our attorneys specialists?
Only where your state allows it. North Carolina's rule, for example, permits a specialisation claim only where the lawyer is certified by the state bar or an accredited organisation and the certifying organisation is named in the communication. Copy that describes deep experience in a practice area is normally safer than the word specialist. Confirm against your own state's rule.
Should we pay a designer for referrals or leads?
Treat that as a question for your bar before it is a question of price. Rules modelled on Rule 7.2 permit paying the reasonable costs of advertising and paying vendors for marketing services, but prohibit giving anything of value for a recommendation of the lawyer's services outside narrow exceptions. Lead arrangements can fall on either side of that line depending on the state and the structure.