The home page has way, way too much going on. I have to admit that I did view the firm’s TV commercials, which were okay. The Twin Cities, home to some of the nation’s top law firm web sites, now seem to be putting more and more into advertising campaigns. Hey, if one firm does it, you got to, right? That is the mantra of most law firm marketers (although not the few good ones). The Leonard site is much timelier than it had been. In some cities, it would really stand out. In MN, it is standard fare.
The “Hot Topics” seemed a little lukewarm to me. HIPAA was hot last year. The design is so-so, although the content and finding the content is improved, and generally up to date. The standard fare.
There is a difference between having a hot, info-rich home page and having a messy hodge-podge. Guess what I’m talkin’ about. A crowded, scrolling mess. Divvy it up a bit. I did like the “cool place” mantra on the “opportunities” site. They can say what they want, but I bet even in cool places, first-years are having quite the fun time billing and answering to everyone else. Pillsbury was a frontrunner in using the web effectively, and they still do not let things get stale. Outside of substandard design and some overcrowded pages, the site continues to pump out the materials. The design is probably more a side-effect of building up so much data over the last decade.
An interesting thing happened on the way to this site. This year, IMA put “Reinhart Boerner” into the Internet Explorer browser address and MSN brought up the old rbvdnr.com results (formerly known as “one of the least intuitive domain names known to man”). This link was dead, leaving me to wonder whether the firm had folded or merged (which is not that unusual an occurrence these days). However, when putting the same search phrase into Google, up popped the improved domain, reinhartlaw.com. Horray! Just remember, that previous domain should still be on re-direct for a few years. On with the show…Very good home page with the logo top-left, a brief firm description, a few changing news and events. It would be nice if the latest news was not three months old on this date. And, I would love to see an address or location hint as to where the firm is based. As I continued surfing, I could tell the site was not yet ready for prime time. The “overview” section read “This is some overview text.” I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that by the time people read this review, the uploading will have improved. The presence continues to get better each year. WILL ALWAYS LOVE…the Satisfied Clients section.
Not exactly a thing of beauty, this is a site that could really use some design tweaking. Unlike many NYC firms, the information is there. Things like search functionality and better navigation are missing. There is way too much scrolling on some pages. This is the web. We want web-writing…quick, condensed, to the point. There are some standout components, such as the site in German and Japanese. The Corporate Governance Hub is a useful resource. WILL ALWAYS LOVE…the law firm rankings section, the firm history exhibit.
One of the nicer looking sites, with bright colors and a mix of unique graphics. Most of the info you want is there, but it can still be tough to find. It took awhile before I noticed the keyword search capability for the bios. The organization of items is definitely improved, but still could use some realignment. Boy, if I could take the design elements here and mix it with the content of some other sites, it would pack quite a punch. Think about site-wide searching and a site map to start. You are not that far off. And kudos for jettisoning the splash page! The public affairs group site is also a nice plus. On this day, a picture of Dick Cheney addressing a TS luncheon appears. Which means that the firm is either very well politically connected, or has some really good duck hunters.
The problem with seeing the same home page “cover” time after time, year after year, is that it makes you look for anything of interest, instead of helping out the end-user a bit. The look & feel are stale. The strength continues to be a focus on a few select industries (i.e. technology and energy). However, if I’m in another practice group, I’m probably pretty annoyed. What about me??? Long overdue for a upgrade.
A pet peeve that still exists on many of these sites is the “contact us” button simply opening up to a webmaster@ or info@ e-mail address. Give me some contact options on this page that might include the generic e-mail as an option. I did like the “wage and hour information center”—a hot area in 04. Good array of materials, and all the expected basics are in place.
The old site is dead and buried. Dorsey can now hold its online head high in the competitive law firm web site city of Minneapolis. The level of organization, depth of content and marketing sophistication that is expected of a top 50 U.S. firm. The home page is all about info and not about glitz. Case studies, seminar registration, lots of articles…all the info is there. The navigation and organization can get a little unwieldy. It is just soooo nice not to see a new presence.
The site looks about the same, but has more content and better organization. The home page is both the site’s strength and weakness. It highlights some of the best stuff they’ve got (in terms of resources and materials), but has too much going on. The key word is “streamline”. The search results have improved as well, but the site still has a way to go. There is still too much surfing to find what I need. Yet, it has moved beyond brochureware. HOWEVER, I’ve been given a sneak-peek at the new Hunton site, which is a major improvement. Three intangible points have been added for the new site, nearly set to launch.
