Did you know they have over 50 PhDs with degrees ranging from neurobiology to electrical engineering focused on IP ONLY? If so, it is probably because you saw it on the home page. That is what I call promoting a differentiating factor. Take a lesson. That is one of a few little phrases worked into the home page design. I also liked seeing the top news item on this day regarding a favorable outcome for client Starbucks (as opposed to yet another yawner that they have six lawyers that were awarded one of a zillion honors that allow you to buy a profile or ad). I will not hold the Starbucks representation against you. You see, my wife gets an iced venti latte with one Splenda every single day. Five bucks times 365 days a year is $1,825 (and she did go there on Christmas Day, when they were open). Do not let them mark down any of your bills. They have the cash. Still one of the stronger IP sites out there.
The site mixes elements of design with good organization and up-to-date content to give the firm a top-drawer presence. The “webinars” section has a lot of options, past and future. I did have some difficulties with the attorney search results (put in a keyword and got like 700 bio responses) and the format of the standard search results. Outside of that, good online forms for subscription and event registration. The flash movie at “careers” I could have done without. I did have a few issues regarding ethics oversight. Two issues opped out on the home page. Since the firm has offices in MA, NY and DC—what I refer to as the “default” state would be NY—in regard to the rules. The home page fails to identify any physical location or phone number. That is a no-no. A home page icon links to a PDF version of an excellent “Big Ideas in Technology” publication. The magazine (or newsletter), however, fails to properly identify that the piece is law firm marketing. Remember, an attorney is responsible for ethics oversight for all marketing and advertising initiatives. And while MA and DC are what I call “loosey-goosey” states in regard to ethics rules, NY is a little more stringent.
Last time around, this was a sparkling new site—so the only way to screw it up would be a lack of maintenance. No problem. Still a potent home page in terms of information and direction. The graphic design elements are the only things that come up short. It might be worth just sinking a few bucks into a paint job (you never hear me say that), and leaving the rest of the site be. I also would not mind seeing a one sentence firm overview on the home page. It really does help newcomers out. Another plus…the “contact us” page—this is along the lines of how a page like this should be constructed. Not just an online form, but a variety of contact options.
One of the first things that struck me on the OMM site was that the “In the News” features were dated one for each of the last three days. Either you got lucky and I caught you in an updating frenzy or you are really on the ball…I’ll give you the “on the ball” benefit of the doubt. Nice. I found the dedication of space to “diversity” quite interesting. We know that it is one of the red hot areas of discussion in 2006. The solid two-sentence description of who you are is another well written and thought out component (I said that last time, but it bears repeating). I’m also fond of the clean layout and the always-superb search results format. The attorney search page could be improved, and touches like “printer friendly” would be useful. However, I would suggest that the OMM site is a good example of a solid presence that does not go overboard in trying to do too much. While I always commend those that are online “loaded”, the truth is most firms are best suited with a focus on fewer things.
Maybe the home page has a little too much going on, but the new srz.com is another successful new site. Especially in NYC, where other large law firm web sites are fine, but the equivalent of Tylenol PM without the medication part (which is actually another product called Simply Sleep). SRZ offers up some of the greatest detail in regard to clients and related representation. I thought the “hot topics” were winners. Pointing out “free subscriptions” under pubs is another good move. Good recruiting site. However, a blank page under “lateral hires.” There are still some QA issues here and there. And you know what I’m going to say about the associate bios. Still a little, tiny bit of room for improvements.
If the new Shearman site is a sampling of what I will see as I surf through all the NYC-based firms in the IMAs, then I’m going to have a lot less to whine about. It is a balance of classy, conservative design with timely, well-detailed news and highlights. As would and should be expected, the home page news shows recent involvement and activity in high profile worldly matters. Some nice usability touches without being crowded or confusing. This is what a Shearman site should look like. And I liked the recruiting site as well.
Firms like Stinson are taking all the fun out of the IMAs. A very complete site that looks like they checked off all the “must-haves” when redesigning. From the home page set up to relating all of the content, there are no real weak points. A very good job moving up in class in the way the firm presents itself online.
I especially liked the various “tools” available for the end-user—whether it is subscribing to stuff as a client or media member or simply a big WRF fan. The site is solid from top to bottom. It appears that issues with navigation and searchability have been corrected and improved upon. Another capital presence in the nation’s capital.
There has been a trend among many law firms to shine a spotlight on client services. At WSGR, it is called “re:source”. Obviously, providing strong client relations and service is great…and to be expected. I’m just not sure how much value is in “marketing” what should be a “given.” Enough said. The firm has always done a great job online. You had better, since you are technology-focused. Of course, plenty of tech-focused law firms never did as good a job as these folks, where content has always been a focus. I especially like the calendar in events, where you see which dates the firm has an event going on…ala your Outlook Calendar. Now, if you could download the event to Outlook that would be nicer. Many firms do it. Think about it.
Relatively new on the last review, the WB site is still strong and timely. The firm avoids falling into the large-firm cookie-cutter model. The weak link is probably the home page. Use of that important real estate can be vastly improved, without messing around too much with the rest of the site. There is great value in sister sites dedicated to the excellent Wolf Institute and wolfblockgov.com. Most of the user-friendly features—searchability, contact info, timely data—are in place. A few pages were missing contact names. A little tinkering would do a lot.
