Prospective clients research lawyers carefully. Before they call, many will read your attorney bios, check your practice areas and look for signs that your firm is established and active. When that information is out of date, it raises doubts at exactly the wrong moment.
We help law firms keep their websites current. This post covers the areas we see drift most often and a simple routine for keeping them accurate. One note up front: we're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice. Advertising and ethics rules vary by jurisdiction, so your firm should review content for compliance.
Why accuracy matters more for law firms
Most businesses suffer a little when their website is stale. For law firms, the stakes are higher:
- Trust is the product. Clients are choosing someone to handle serious matters. Visible sloppiness undermines confidence.
- Professional rules apply. Many jurisdictions have rules about lawyer advertising, including accuracy of claims. Outdated or overstated content can create problems.
- Wrong information wastes time. A practice area you no longer handle brings in inquiries you have to turn away.
Attorney bios: what to keep current
Who's at the firm
The single most common issue we see is a bio for someone who left, or no bio for someone who joined. Make updating the website part of your onboarding and offboarding checklists.
Admissions and credentials
Bar admissions, court admissions, certifications and education should be accurate and current. When an attorney is admitted in a new jurisdiction, update the bio.
Experience and focus
Bios often describe an attorney's practice as it was when the bio was written. Revisit them yearly. Has the attorney's focus shifted? Are listed affiliations and roles still current?
Photos
Headshots from a decade ago are common. Updated, consistent professional photos make the whole firm look current.
Claims and results
Be careful with descriptions of results, superlatives and anything that could be read as a guarantee. Have your firm review this language against the rules that apply to you.
Practice area pages
Practice area pages tend to be written once at launch and never touched again. Review them at least annually:
- Remove areas you no longer handle, or clearly redirect visitors.
- Add new areas as the firm grows, so the right clients can find you.
- Make sure each page explains who you help and how to reach you, with a clear next step.
- Check that laws or procedures you describe are still current. If the law changed, the page should too.
Intake forms and contact paths
Your intake path is where interest becomes a consultation. Test it regularly:
- Submit your contact or intake form and confirm the right person receives it.
- Tap the phone number on a mobile device.
- Check that any scheduling links still work.
- Make sure your form includes an appropriate note about not sending confidential information until a relationship is established, if your firm uses one.
Forms that silently fail are one of the costliest website problems because the firm never learns about the inquiries it missed.
Office details
Office moves, new phone numbers and holiday closures should be updated promptly, along with your Google Business Profile, so the two match.
Security
Law firm websites typically don't store client files, but they still represent the firm. Keep software updated, use strong passwords and limited user accounts, and keep backups. A defaced or hacked site is an embarrassing and avoidable problem.
A simple routine that sticks
- When someone joins or leaves: update bios and team pages within the week.
- Monthly: test forms and contact paths, and post any firm news.
- Quarterly: review practice area pages and office details.
- Yearly: refresh bios, photos and overall site content, and review advertising compliance with your firm.
The challenge isn't knowing what to do. It's finding time between client matters. That's where many firms find it easier to hand the work off.
Common questions from firms
Should every attorney have a bio page?
In most cases, yes. A dedicated page for each attorney helps prospective clients learn about the person they'd work with, and it's easier to keep updated than one long team page.
How long should a practice area page be?
Long enough to explain who you help, what the process generally looks like and how to get in touch. Clear and current beats long and stale.
How KeptWeb helps law firms
We keep law firm websites accurate, secure and current every month. You send the changes, and we make them. We publish the wording your firm approves. We don't add claims or results on your behalf. Our plans include monitoring, updates, backups and security checks, plus small edits: one per month on Basic ($49/mo), up to four on Growth ($99/mo) and up to 10 small edits per month on Pro ($149/mo). Plans are month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime online or by email. $0 and discounted builds need a 12-month plan.
See how we help attorneys, read about website security, or, if your firm needs a new site, see our website building pricing.
Want a quick review first? Ask for our free website review and we'll flag outdated content, broken forms and anything else we'd fix first. Or see our plans.