| Firm Name |
Design |
Content |
Usability |
Interactivity |
Intangibles |
Total |
| Baker Donelson |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
28 |
| Probably the best of the large firm sites that begin with “Baker”. I also will not bust too much on any firm with a significant Cajun presence. You had bigger things to worry about. However, there was a very detailed Hurricane Katrina relief site. Still a site that shows organization and attention to detail. I could not find the subscription form I liked so much on the previous site. Short on interactivity and contact info. Good careers site.
|
| Cooley Godward |
5 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
28 |
| A very calm presence, with good integration of firm personnel in photographs throughout (I assume those are really Cooley people.). A few functions could be a touch stronger—like the way search results are displayed. I would be curious to know how many people fill out the registration form on a regular basis, to gain access to subscriptions for client alerts. As I find myself so often repeating, virtually everything that I should find is findable—and put together well.
|
| Jones Walker |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
28 |
| The time has come for a fresh site, although JW has had bigger fish to fry in the wake of Katrina. There is plenty of disaster recovery data online, and I know the firm relied on the web as a conduit of information after the hurricane. On occasion I would pop in and say hello when in New Orleans. I look forward to returning once again some day soon.
|
| Kaye Scholer |
5 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
4 |
28 |
| The first thing that struck me when the site popped up was that it looked a little like Paul Weiss. Just like Cleary and Debevoise look the same. Anyway, that is what struck me (along with the stapler my 21 month old daughter just threw at me…she does not appreciate Daddy’s IMA project). Inside, there are parts of the site more frequently updated than others. I always like the “media appearances”—better to show what others are saying or asking about you—over firm news or press releases (which, of course, you need as well). I also like the option of viewing some documents as a web page or as a PDF. Just like with the last review, the home page featured news of a major high profile representation. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! And I always appreciate usable search results when looking for something specific.
|
| Kramer Levin |
5 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
28 |
| I’m going to save the one thing I really want to complain about for the end of the review. The new site has all the necessary components. The home page is clean. The bios are well structured. The practice pages are useful and set out in a way that makes sense. The news & publications section is solid. What is my beef? I hate the welcome message—not the concept of having one (which I think is key), but the relatively meaningless garble with bland stuff like “a premier, full-service law firm” and “Our lawyers are leading practitioners in their respective fields.” Match the language against some of the intro lines for Finnegan or Reed Smith. Say something. I assume that you offer good client service. Tell me something I might not know.
|
| Proskauer Rose |
4 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
28 |
| While still not a fan of the design and layout, the content continues to be first-rate. I enjoyed the “Who was Proskauer?” and “Who was Rose? Pages. Together with the history timeline, it is nice to see the firm still care about the founders. How many times do you hear partners at your own firm say they have no idea about the guys on the shingle? And they do not care, either. Show some respect, baby. You are not pulling down six and seven figure incomes because you are an entrepreneur. You billed your way there. Back to Proskauer.com—the incorporation of the “press room” into the bio pages is very nice. While the “Contact” page still needs to be stronger (especially in regard to individual office pages), the list of contacts for each practice area is a journalist’s dream.
|
| Quinn Emanuel |
5 |
7 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
28 |
| Trial lawyers are a different breed. And when the whole firm is full of them, you get a lot of huffing and puffing—in the ads I see and on the web site. With lines like, “Winning. It’s what we do.” I’m not in love with the navigation. And the “scroll text” arrow is something I should never see. Yet the constant pointing to verdicts, victories and winning (often in HTML or PDF format) makes you feel like you can’t lose. I’ve said this before, though, that in many states some of this language and use of testimonials will earn you a trip before the disciplinary board. One question. Why do I need to call you to subscribe to the newsletter (which you have online)? Why not an online form? Just wonderin’.
|
| Barnes & Thornburg |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
27 |
| The “Midwestern Values + Global Perspective” thing is a little bit of a stretch. I’m not sure that an empty wheat field photo is exactly the way you want people to think of that part of the country. Or maybe it is. I’m just a nasty Northeastern guy. The site is OK. I liked some of the firm’s companion sites, such as Flashpoint for HR. Everything was basically in working order.
|
| Blackwell Sanders |
4 |
7 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
27 |
| Hey, the home page has a little too much going on. And the layout and text length gets cumbersome at times. The site may not win a beauty contest, but if it is really about what is inside that counts, you’ve succeeded. Of course, we all love beauty and brains, when we can get them. A page that might go overlooked, but I think could be a difference-maker is the Extranet Services page. It tells you a lot about what clients can access from the firm online.
|
| Covington & Burling |
7 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
27 |
| For some reason, I was not lovin’ Cov like I have in the past. On this day, the download time of the pages took a little longer than I’d like (and I’m trying to get through hundreds of sites, so time is awastin’). I’m still a fan of the look and feel of the home page. The inside could be a bit stronger. Room for some upgrades and improvements.
|
