The Appellate Practice Group deserves IMA kudos for the rich and unique content of “Florida Courts Week-At-A-Glance”—an excellent resource that many Florida practitioners most likely access. And if not, too bad for them. The site’s soothing design and easy-to-use structure works well for showcasing the many things going on with CF. I think the Martindale AV stuff is a little overplayed, but it is not harmful to the effort.
You may recall that I referred to the old site as “store-brand vanilla” in an odd ice cream comparison. That would make this site a Cold Stone concoction along the lines of “berry berry berry good.” (True fun fact – In looking up the name of a concoction, I realized I could sign up for the free ice cream birthday club online. Like I’ll need another million calories on my b-day). You might think the pizzazz of the site would not be to the IMA’s liking. But focusing on the finance theme—with the clever scroll that looks like a ticker—makes it work. The “deal stream”, “market trend” and “featured matter” work too in showing experience. Outside of an empty “upcoming events” column on review day, the site effectively mixes content and design in a way that works.
In case you are wondering, the 250th largest U.S. firm was the 250th web site I reviewed. So, there is clearly some joy at my desktop this late afternoon in early April. And the JM site is far better than 250th, I assure you. A strong home page focused on firm news, events and successes. They waste no time offering you the chance to subscribe to their newsletter via e-mail. Strong resumes and contact info. With offices in downtown LA and San Fran, offering a link to “parking instructions” and “driving directions” shows they are on the ball. Especially if you’ve driven around these areas aimlessly, like I have. A number of the smaller “large” sites were very recognizable names that did a shoddy job translating market success online. JMBM has not fallen into that trap.
When I saw the “flash and flashy” home page, I thought this was going to be one of those sites that are all sizzle, no steak (or tofu, for those vegetarians in the audience). Wrong. The interior pages were still flashy, but also meaty. I liked the colors and design. The pages have lots of little components that make the user experience better. There are still a few areas to improve. For example, I love having a few hotels listed close to each office, but would like a better directions page. Which Metro stop? Where do I park? That sort of thing. This site is a winner, and about 1,000 times better than the previous iteration.
The biggest compliment I can give is to finally say to you, “your site looks like a lot of other large firm web sites.” Finally, the firm’s online efforts have gone beyond the recruiting audience (an attitude which was sooooo 1999). I do not know if it was a change in marketing personnel, management committee or just that L.A. attitude (“dude, we’ll get to it”). But, the improvement is 1000%. Strong everywhere. Now, I can stop saying the best thing about the firm’s biz dev efforts is seeing the building signage while watching an episode of Alias. Strong—top to bottom—from a score of 18 to 37. Certainly a candidate for Most Improved Player.
I started writing this review talking about how so many firms are using the “partnering” phrase on the home page. And I was stunned to see a press release on some guy getting AV rated. I’m going to assume that the marketing department was forced to issue this—most likely at gunpoint—because it is ridiculous. The reason I believe this to be the case is that once I settled down and started surfing the site, I had trouble finding anything I did not like about it. As a matter of fact, I thought it was damn near perfect. Everything in it’s’ place. So well organized and structured. It is actually a great model for midsize firms to emulate. Outside of the fact I prefer static to scrolling headlines, the home page provides a real quick overview of who this firm is—with a short sentence that so many firms fail to provide. Loved the case studies. Each of the main navigational categories are set out just right, with related content, just-right searching (and results display), and excellent pages for offices, careers, and everything else you would expect to find. No problems with scrolling. No trouble finding anything. And I don’t think there was a single category—events, articles, etc.—that were not timely and up to date. Even the bios are set up right. The one real flaw—which is so easily corrected—is to make the “contact us” open up to a page that provides contact info, an online form and e-mail options, instead of just opening up my Outlook. It may not be the prettiest site, but it is definitely effective.
What is Impact? If you are not familiar with the firm’s marketing theme, that is it. And this version of tklaw.com does a fantastic job combining the firm’s somewhat non-traditional business development approaches (by non-traditional, I mean good and not boring) with effective dissemination of information. I had already developed a fondness for the firm when interviewed earlier this year in The American Lawyer about their decision to sponsor a PGA golfer. I said it was a great idea. I like the site’s look and feel. It is one of the better ones in terms of using “web language” instead of “brochure” (read…shorter). User-friendly and content rich. Check out the “clients” section, but beware about copying. Many states prohibit client testimonials. Check your local ethics rules. The contact/subscription capability was a little thin. As was the recruiting section. Overall, however, a particularly stalwart effort.
For the most part, you could only screw it up. You did not. Strong practice pages (although I am no longer in love with calling it “client services”). Looks good. Feels good. It is good.
Attorney match – I’m looking for a SJF, non-smoker, who loves NFL Sundays, college basketball, wine and travel. Just kidding, honey. In all seriousness, it is a nice function. And after an off-review last time around, the former IMA powerhouse has returned to glory. It is the same strong site, but the data and focus is sharper. It is also a lesson to many that investing in a really good site should give you decent legs. Instead of always having to be in redesign mode.
Who let the dog out? Who? Who? Oh, that is just Winston the Bulldog—still going strong in the world of Womble. He has got to be like a million years old in dog years. And he has a “lawyer bio” for himself. I love it. A lawyer bio! You can even e-mail him. Another site that has come back from the dead. It was good. It was bad. It was good again. It was bad again. Now, it is back with a vengeance. First, the look, feel and layout are different—which few firms manage to effectively accomplish. Second, the data is strong. Third, the interactivity is good. Some might find the top page graphics distracting. Perhaps, if I reviewed the site earlier in the IMA process, I might not have been as appreciative. But, by now, I’m bored and looking for different. And if you are going to have a “sales department” at your firm, you better have a salesier web site. The site tools (like page bookmarking) also improve the user experience.
