How to Build a Law Firm Website: A Compliance First Guide for Lawyers

A law firm website plays by different rules than almost any other business site. Bar regulators limit what lawyers may say, show and promote online. In this guide I explain how I plan a site for a law firm, what I include, and what I leave out on purpose. One note first: this article is not legal advice, so check every decision with your bar or regulator.

What is a law firm website and why do different rules apply?

A law firm website is the online home of a lawyer, a firm or a partnership. It presents identity, contact details and areas of practice within the limits of professional conduct rules. The key difference from other business sites is simple: it informs rather than persuades.

Every jurisdiction draws that line in its own place. In the United States, for example, ABA Model Rule 7.1 says a lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services. States adopt their own versions, so the details vary. You can read the model text on the American Bar Association site.

Other countries go much further. I work from Istanbul, and Turkey is one of the strictest examples. So I use Turkish rules throughout this guide as a stress test. If a design survives those rules, it will usually feel comfortable almost anywhere.

How strict can advertising rules for lawyers get?

Very strict. For instance, Article 55 of the Turkish Attorneys' Act bans any attempt to attract work through advertising. The Union of Turkish Bar Associations then turned that ban into a detailed regulation. It changed substantially in August 2024, and the new text moved all website rules into its Article 7.

• The domain name may not aim at attracting work or harm the dignity of the profession.
• The site may only show a closed list of information about the lawyer and the firm.
• Lawyers may not publish client references under any label.
• Codes, keywords, subdomains and page addresses that push a lawyer up in search results are off limits.
• Content that puts the lawyer personally in the spotlight is also off limits.

In short, most of the classic digital marketing toolbox does not exist here. Your own jurisdiction may allow far more. Still, I find it useful to know where the outer edge of the spectrum sits before I design anything.

What information belongs on a law firm website?

Start with verifiable facts. Under the Turkish regulation, academic commentary lists the permitted items as a closed list. I find the same list a good baseline everywhere, because readers can check each fact.

• Name, academic title in law and a photo.
• Names and titles of the other lawyers at the firm.
• Registered name of the partnership or firm.
• Bar registration numbers.
• Year of admission, university and spoken languages.
• Office address, phone, email and registered electronic mail address.

Beyond that list, the Turkish rules allow areas of practice, as long as they do not imply specialisation. In practice, I check every page against the list. If a block has no basis in the list, I either remove it or ask the client to get a bar opinion first.

How do you choose a domain name for a law firm?

Keep it plain. A name that sells, such as a phrase promising to win cases, invites trouble in strict jurisdictions. A Turkish law journal article even gives an example: a domain meaning roughly "the lawyer who solves it" would breach the ban.

So the safest option is the lawyer's name or the firm's registered name. Some countries also offer special extensions. Turkey, for instance, has av.tr, which only lawyers can register with documents. Then use the same domain for email, because a firm that still writes from a free mailbox looks careless.

I covered that part in my guide to business email on a custom domain. The setup takes an afternoon, yet it signals professionalism in every single message.

How should you describe practice areas without claiming expertise?

Describe scope, not superiority. Words like "expert", "leading" or "best" count as claims in many jurisdictions. For instance, ABA Model Rule 7.2 restricts stating that a lawyer is a certified specialist unless an approved body issued the certification.

My rules for this page are short. I list the areas in plain language. Under each one I add one or two neutral sentences about what the area covers. I never add win counts, success rates or promises about timing.

For example, consider two lines. "Employment law: employment contracts, dismissals and wage claims" informs the reader. By contrast, "We fight hardest for your rights at work" sells. Read every sentence and ask one question: does this inform, or does it ask for work? That single test, applied line by line, removes most of the risky wording before anyone else has to point it out.

Why are client testimonials risky on a law firm website?

Testimonials create two problems at once. First, many conduct rules treat them as potentially misleading, because one happy client says nothing about the next case. Second, they expose client information. Under the Turkish regulation, lawyers may not share any information about clients, under a "references" label or any other name.

Turkish commentators read that ban broadly. Even anonymised success stories fall under it, because their purpose is still promotion. So a plugin that embeds Google reviews, or a "what our clients say" slider, is usually the first thing I remove.

How do you build trust instead? Show the permitted facts carefully and completely. Registration numbers, year of admission and a real office address are all verifiable. A clean, current and error-free site also sends a strong signal on its own.

Which pages does a law firm website need?

Fewer than you think. In practice, a small site is easier to keep compliant and current. The table below shows the structure I usually propose. The last column is my own practical reading, not a legal opinion.

Notice what is missing. Above all, there is no "Why choose us" page and no comparison section. The lawyers page also replaces a separate "About" page in most cases.

Can a law firm publish blog posts and legal insights?

Usually yes, with care. In Turkey, academic commentary says lawyers may produce legal information content, but may not put themselves or their work in the spotlight. So the line runs through purpose and tone rather than topic.

My advice is to keep articles general and abstract. Explain a new law or a legal concept. Then stop. Do not end with a "call us now" button, a free consultation offer or a promise of results. Also, do not stuff posts with keywords to rank, because strict rules treat that as a ranking method.

Legal content also ages fast. An old post on a repealed provision can mislead a reader badly. So add a review date to each article and check every post at least once a year.

Is SEO for a law firm website allowed?

It depends on where you practise. In many markets, law firm SEO is a normal and competitive field. In Turkey, however, Article 7(e) of the regulation bans codes, keywords, subdomains and page addresses that help a lawyer rank higher. I offer SEO consulting, and I still decline ranking campaigns for Turkish law firms.

That said, not every technical task counts as manipulation. A fast site, a clean mobile layout, a correct page title with the firm name, and a crawlable structure are basic web hygiene. Any professional website should meet that standard.

One question clears most doubts. Does this change make the site work properly, or does it exist to get ahead of other lawyers? The first is reasonable maintenance. The second is exactly what strict rules target. When unsure, ask your bar before you act.

Which technical settings stay on the safe side?

In my own reading, settings that serve the site rather than lead generation are the safe ones. Again, this is a web designer's practical view, not legal advice. Here is how I sort them.

• Safe: page titles with the firm name and city as identity information.
• Also safe: HTTPS, a fast server, a mobile layout and a correct XML sitemap.
• Safe: structured data that only repeats the permitted identity facts.
• Risky: separate landing pages for every service and city combination.
• Also risky: subdomains or URLs packed with keywords.
• Risky: paid search ads, sponsored content and paid links in strict jurisdictions.

To keep meta tags plain, you can use my meta tag generator. The schema generator helps you turn identity facts into structured data. In both tools, enter only the facts your rules allow.

Can lawyers run Google Ads or social media ads?

In many countries they can, within conduct rules. Google also runs its own policies for legal services ads in some regions. In Turkey, however, the answer is no. The regulation brings giving or receiving ads, and short redirect links from other sites, under the ban.

Social media accounts are a separate question. A Turkish lawyer may hold an account, yet may not post promotional content about their life, income or professional activity. So the tone of the account should match the tone of the site. Posts about won cases or "DM me for advice" calls cross that line.

I also run Google Ads accounts. Even so, I turn down paid campaigns for firms in strict jurisdictions. Short-term traffic never outweighs the risk of a disciplinary case.

How do you handle privacy on a law firm website?

Treat every contact form as a data flow you must explain. In the EU, the GDPR applies. In Turkey, the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) applies. Both require a clear privacy notice before or at the point of collection.

• Link a short, readable privacy notice next to the contact form.
• Ask only for what you need to reply: name plus phone or email.
• Advise visitors not to share case details in the first message.
• Do not load analytics or marketing cookies before consent.
• Document where form data lives, who can read it and how long you keep it.

This matters most in criminal and family law. Visitors may describe health issues or criminal records in the first message. A short form protects both the prospective client and the firm.

How should the contact page and form work?

The contact page is the most used page on most firm sites. Still, the goal is not to squeeze conversion rate. The goal is to give people a calm, clear path to reach you. So I never add pop-ups, countdown timers or "only two slots left" banners.

Instead, I show the full office address, a map, office hours, phone, email and any registered email address. If you use a form, say clearly when and how you will reply. Also add spam protection, because law firm forms attract a lot of automated abuse.

For field order, error messages and mobile behaviour, see my guide to lead form design. I deliberately skip some of its sales tactics on law firm projects.

What design style fits the dignity of the legal profession?

Calm and readable. The Turkish regulation even limits office signs to two colours and bans illuminated panels. Those rules do not bind websites directly. Even so, they show the tone the profession expects.

So I use a quiet palette, readable type and plenty of white space. Animated backgrounds and stock photos of gavels and scales add nothing. Real office photos and professional portraits of the lawyers look far more credible.

If your firm has no visual identity yet, settle the logo, colours and fonts first. I explain my process on the brand identity service page. For law firms I keep that work restrained as well.

Why do speed and mobile layout still matter?

Because referrals arrive on phones. A prospective client often hears your name from someone they trust, then searches for it on a mobile device. A slow or broken page at that moment weakens the trust the referral created.

So I build law firm sites mobile first. The phone number dials with one tap, and the address opens in a map. My article on mobile first design covers the basics. I also discuss load time in how site speed affects SEO.

Accessibility belongs here too. Adequate font size, strong contrast and a keyboard-friendly menu help older visitors and people with low vision. None of this conflicts with any advertising rule, because it is simply quality.

How do you set up a team page for a multi-lawyer firm?

Use one template for everyone. Long CVs, award lists and case examples can easily cross the line in strict jurisdictions. Uneven profiles also make some lawyers look like the "star" of the firm, which reads as promotion.

My template has a photo, name, title, bar number, year of admission, university and languages. Every profile looks equally modest. Also, when a new lawyer joins, updating the page takes minutes.

Think separately about trainees and support staff. Decide whether their details need to appear at all, and weigh the personal data side before you publish them.

Does a law firm need a multilingual website?

Only if you truly serve clients in that language. Firms with international clients often benefit from an English or German version. However, translation adds its own risk. A neutral Turkish sentence can turn into "leading" or "top-rated" in English without anyone noticing.

So run every language version through the same checklist. On the technical side, mark each version correctly for search engines. My multilingual website guide explains that setup step by step.

In short, a second language should reflect real capacity. Otherwise it misleads readers and becomes a maintenance burden.

What steps should you follow to build a law firm website?

Here is the order I follow. I put the rules check before any technical work. That way I never have to tear out content after launch.

1. Read the current conduct rules for your jurisdiction and check recent bar guidance.
2. Choose a domain based on your name or registered firm name.
3. Collect all permitted facts in a single table.
4. Write practice areas in neutral language without adjectives.
5. Prepare the privacy notice and cookie policy from real data flows.
6. Build a quiet, fast, mobile first design.
7. Before launch, read every line and ask: information or advertising?
8. Review content and rule changes once a year.

This order may sound slow. In practice, it saves time, because nothing needs a rebuild later.

How do you choose hosting and security for a law firm website?

A law firm site may be small, but its reputation is not. A hacked site that suddenly shows gambling links or a fake payment page damages client trust and the firm's standing at once. Therefore I never recommend cheap, unmanaged shared hosting to law firms.

• First, pick a provider with automatic backups stored in a separate location.
• Then add two-factor login to the admin panel and limit user accounts.
• Also check plugin and theme updates at least once a month.
• Finally, keep form submissions in a secure panel instead of plain email.

Server location matters as well. If form data sits on a server abroad, cross-border transfer rules under the GDPR or KVKK come into play. So make the hosting decision together with whoever handles your privacy compliance.

How do you keep a law firm website current after launch?

Launch is not the finish line. Rules change, lawyers join and leave, and phone numbers move. An outdated bar number or a profile of a lawyer who left years ago looks careless to any reader.

So I give clients a simple calendar. Every month, test the form and the phone link, then check security updates. Every quarter, review the team page and contact details. Once a year, read the current conduct rules again and recheck every page against them.

In addition, follow announcements from your bar, because a new ruling can change what counts as promotion overnight. If you want the general link between freshness and search, see my article on content freshness. For a law firm, however, the goal of an update is accuracy, not ranking.

What happens if a law firm breaks advertising rules?

Consequences depend on the jurisdiction, but disciplinary action is the usual route. In Turkey, the Constitutional Court reviewed a 2024 individual application about a reprimand for a promotional post. The court did not find a violation of free expression. It treated the post as an effort to reach potential clients.

Also, according to the consolidated text on Lexpera, a 2026 amendment added Article 12/A. It sets up a centre to detect advertising violations and report them to the bars. So online monitoring is becoming more systematic.

Therefore "everyone else does it" is not a defence. A competitor's risky page may simply not have drawn attention yet.

What should you ask a web designer before hiring them?

Ask whether they know your conduct rules. Otherwise they may suggest review sliders, testimonial plugins and conversion pop-ups that work well elsewhere. You carry the responsibility for those choices, not the designer.

In the first meeting, ask three things. Have they read the advertising rules? Which components will they leave out because of them? Who drafts the privacy texts? Also confirm that you can edit content yourself, because rules change and you must react quickly.

My team and I work closely with each firm and deliver every decision with a written checklist. You can see my approach on the web design service page, or reach me through the contact page. One last reminder: this article is not legal advice.