So, the folks over at Real Practice have ginned up a list of important goals for your professional website:
Solo and small firm websites should not…
- Cost more than $1,000 in money or in non-billable attorney hours
- Require attorneys to spend countless hours creating “content”
- Attempt to teach prospective clients how to be a lawyer
Solo and small firm websites should:
- Clearly communicate how the attorney helps his/her clients
- Show what makes the attorney uniquely qualified
- Look professional, but not overdone or overwhelming with too much content
- Make it very easy for prospective clients to call the attorney
- Make the law firm’s phone ring
They also have a killer offer if you hire them. (I’m not an affiliate. I just like the guidelines. If I’m going to use them, I should give the creators shout out.)
Remember. If you work for a firm, and attempt to set up your own practice while you’re in that firm, you’ll loose your license. Carolyn Elefant explains in her post.
Your website definitely doesn’t need to be as slick as Saul Goodman’s (he even has an office webcam), but don’t limit yourself to a static “brochure page,” either.
If you’re solo, or trying to soup up your job hunt, you may want to consider these guidelines to increase your presence on the Web. It’s worth the investment. You may also want to try all of the Social Media tools you already know and love! How would you use Facebook or YouTube or LinkedIn to manage your career?
If you’re not using your social media to enhance your professional profile, why not? LinkedIn is especially helpful, even though it’s possibly quite boring compared to Facebook. Attorneys post all sorts of things on LinkedIn that they wouldn’t post on Facebook. I connected a paralegal and a law firm the other day simply because the firm posted a need on LinkedIn. You also get a slightly higher professionalism cred by having a profile on LinkedIn.
So there’s your assignment: Get a website. Create a LinkedIn profile. Be bold.
