Websites for law firms

Legal expertise cannot be represented by one photograph. Use clear typography, a coherent practice structure and substantive professional profiles. Case descriptions explain the matter and the team’s contribution within permitted disclosure. The firm approves outcome wording; the interface does not promise a particular legal result.

During design, document representative screens and expected user actions. For each decision, identify what editors maintain, what comes from another system and who owns its freshness.

Acceptance check: A first-time mobile visitor can find the relevant service and next step.

The workflow connects these stages: Enquiry → Scope review → Version approval → Deliver result. Each transition has an owner, inputs and a visible result. Before implementation, map the normal journey, correction, cancellation and repeated actions. Interface status must represent a confirmed state rather than a button click.

Acceptance check: Returns and retries preserve input without duplicating the result.

A matter connects client, team, scope, deadlines and documents. Each document has a revision and a state: draft, under review or approved. Creating a revision means the previous approval does not automatically cover the new file. Keep author, time and comment history, with discussion tied to the relevant revision.

Acceptance check: Reference data changes do not overwrite an agreed document.

Clients see only their own matters and permitted files. Internal notes remain separate from external conversations. Publishing a case study requires a separate approval; a project in the client workspace is not automatically public. The server checks access on every file request rather than merely hiding a download button.

Acceptance check: A different organisation cannot retrieve a restricted file by direct URL.

An enquiry sends topic and contact details into CRM. The portal may exchange tasks with an internal system and receive signed files from an agreed document service. Signing methods and exchange scope are defined separately. Repeated notifications must not alter an already approved document’s state.

Acceptance check: An unavailable source never appears as a confirmed success.

For long operations, acknowledge receipt and retain the result identifier. Retrying after a connection loss must not create a second record. Separate user-correctable errors from cases requiring a specialist, preserving input under the agreed handling rules. Design empty, loading, forbidden and unavailable states before implementation rather than after launch.

Acceptance check: A repeated event does not apply an operation twice.

Practice pages explain scope, engagement approach and deliverables. Professional profiles connect to relevant articles and permitted experience. Public content search is separated from private document search. Analytics identifies enquiry-producing practice areas without transmitting matter contents to external trackers.

Acceptance check: Search and filters lead to useful pages without endless duplicates.

The first release covers the complete journey from “Enquiry” to “Deliver result”, supporting pages and editable fields. Test mobile views, roles, forms, documents and integration failures in staging. Save the previous state and define rollback before switching. Handover includes editor instructions, the exchange design and a checklist for future releases.

Acceptance check: Recovery has been tested on a copy, and editors can maintain fields independently.