Marketing Legal Services on the Internet

By Alan Gahtan - December 20, 1994

In my last column I provided an overview of an Internet service called the World Wide Web (or the Web) as the first part of a series on marketing legal services on the Web. This second segment of the series will examine how some law firms are pioneering the use of this new media to promote their services.

The first page of a Web publication (which typically acts as an introduction and an index) is called a "home page". These home pages act as the starting points into a collection of hyperlinked pages which comprise each Web databases on the Internet. A number of law firms have already begun publishing their home page on the Web.

The first link contained in a law firm's home page is typically to a firm profile which contains general information about the firm. Such information is usually comparable to that provided by law firms in their printed brochures. This is the place where the firm can describe the types of matters it handles and any special experience with government agencies, legislative bodies or specific courts. Any special legal or industry expertise possessed by its senior attorneys can also be highlighted.

Most law firms also provide a section on practice specialties or practice groups. In many cases this section allows a reader to call up comprehensive and detailed information about each practice area. The information contained in these pages is usually comparable to that provided in current practice group brochures which are printed by many large firms.

Bailey, Harring and Peterson, A Professional Corporation, rather than offering a description of its practice areas, provides a list of services that each practice area can perform for potential clients. For example, potential clients are told that the firm's Business Organization Practice can assist clients in selecting the type of business organization, document the financing transaction, provide advice regarding tax matters, etc.

Finally, many law firms provide on-line biographies of their lawyers. This may include educational background, relevant industry experience and organizational affiliations. In cases where Lawyers have their own individual Internet E-mail addresses, this address may also be listed.

Publishing electronic copies of brochures, however, is not enough. Law firms must capture the attention of potential clients.

One technique is to provide copies of general firm memos and articles published by individual lawyers from the firm. For example, Pepper & Corazzini, a Washington, D.C. based firm which specializes in communications law, provides access to a large number of memos, FCC releases and decisions, and Supreme Court decisions which relate to communications.

This technique is also followed by Lewis Rose, a partner with the Washington, D.C. office of Arnet Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, who established the Advertising Law Internet Site (ALIS). ALIS contains online copies of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) policies, guidelines, rules and statements as well as articles about advertising law. The articles deal with aspects of advertising and marketing law. ALIS also provides access to over 100 brochures issued by the FTC's Office of Consumer and Business Education covering automobiles, credit, fraud, health claims, investments, and other marketplace scams.

It should be noted that legal-oriented home pages on the Web are not restricted to large law firms. Home pages are also being added by smaller firms or even by individual lawyers to market their expertise. For example, Timothy B. Broderick, Attorney at Law, has a simple one page listing on the Web. The listing contains his address, areas of specializations and a professional biographical summary.

Lackenbach Siegel (LSM&A) also has a simple one page brochure on the Web. LSM&A lets Web readers know that it is advising the Supreme Court of the United States, by Brief Amicus Curiae on the issue of whether or not the federal trademark law prohibits the registration of color alone as a trademark.

The Web can also be used for purposes other than just marketing legal services. Cooley Godward, a firm specializing in high technology clients and those who finance such companies, also uses the Web for recruiting new associates. Cooley Godward publishes the firm's policy for new associates and covers assignments, training, compensation and partnership.

In some cases a law firm may want to capture information about potential leads. ALIS utilizes two methods to accomplish this. The first is an online Guest Book which visitors can "sign". The visitor's name, e-mail address and comments are captured (and available for others to view). On average, about 2-4 visitors per day sign in. The other method is to invite visitors to join an electronic mailing list which is operated by the firm. Subscribers to the ALIS mailing list are informed about updates to the ALIS site, new articles, regulations, speeches, testimony, etc. Subscribers are also informed about important trends in advertising law and new developments with Arent Fox's advertising and intellectual property practice.

[Note: The number of law firms with Web home pages has increased substantially since this article was printed. For a list of Canadian firms see http://gahtan.com/lawlinks/firms.htm]

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