Lawyer Website Design: The Pages, the Order, and the Advertising Rules That Shape What You Can Say

Key takeaways

• Build around the enquiry. A visitor with a legal problem wants three answers fast: do you handle this, are you credible, and how do I reach you. Put the phone number and a short contact route where they are always in reach.
• One page per practice area, one profile per lawyer. The home page points to them; it does not try to be them.
• Your claims are regulated, not just your ads. The State Bar of California's rule 7.1, which we read on 24 October 2026, covers "all communications of any type whatsoever" about a lawyer or the lawyer's services, which includes a website.
• Results and reviews need context. The same rule's comment says a truthful report of past results or a testimonial can still mislead if it creates an unjustified expectation of the same result for other clients.
• Rules differ by state and country. Read your own bar's rules, and ask its ethics line when unsure. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

The short answer

A law firm website that earns enquiries has a home page that names the kinds of matters you handle within the first screen, a separate page for each practice area, a short profile for each lawyer, proof that is worded carefully, and a contact route that works on a phone. Design comes second to clarity: people arriving with a legal problem are often stressed, in a hurry, and comparing two or three firms.

Who is writing: Amariq is a web design studio. We are not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. We have written the rule section from the bar's own published text, and we say which state we read.

What the pages that rank for this search offer

On 24 October 2026 Google, set to the United States and English, showed us for "lawyer website design" two paid listings (FindLaw and Hostinger), then a ranked list of 73 law firm websites from Attorney at Law Magazine (22 September 2026), Lawyerist's design principles chapter, the agencies PaperStreet and The Modern Firm, a Dribbble tag page, a Pinterest board, an American Bar Association article from February 2023 and a Clio list of five templates dated 22 April 2026.

We read one of the checklist pages in full, FindLaw's "Law Firm Website Design Must-Haves". It is dated March 2020 in its related-links box and refers to the COVID-19 climate, so it is old. Its advice is sound and plain: keep the layout simple, use white space and a clean typeface, put a phone number and a link to a short contact form at the top of every page, set the number up as tap-to-call on phones, and review your analytics monthly. We could not load the full text of Lawyerist's chapter, so we do not summarise it.

Three things were missing from what we could read:

1. The rule text. Nothing we saw quoted the actual advertising rule that governs the words on the page.
2. A page-by-page plan. Galleries show finished sites. They do not say which pages to build or what each one must answer.
3. A check for claims. "Best", "guaranteed", "no fee unless we win" and "results" are typical law-firm headlines, and each has a rule behind it.

The pages a law firm site needs

Keep the practice area pages separate. A single "Services" page that lists ten matter types gives a visitor with one problem too much to read and gives you one URL to rank for all of them.

The home page order

1. A header that stays reachable. Firm name, phone number, a contact button. FindLaw's advice, and ours, is that these stay within reach on every page.
2. A first screen that names the work. "Family law in Leeds" tells a visitor more than "Justice. Integrity. Results."
3. The matters you take, as links to the practice area pages.
4. People. A short row of the lawyers with photos and links to their profiles.
5. Proof, worded with the rules below in mind.
6. How an enquiry works. Three short steps and a reply time.
7. A contact form and the other routes.

Our guide to call to action examples for small business websites covers the button wording for a consultation request, and contact page design covers the form fields.

What the bar's rules say about the words on your site

We read Chapter 7 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct on the State Bar of California's website on 24 October 2026. It is marked "Effective November 1, 2018". We quote it as one worked example, not as the rule for your state. Cornell's Legal Information Institute explains on its legal ethics page (reviewed March 2023) that lawyers are largely governed by the law of each state, with the ABA Model Rules a strong influence.

Two more cautions from that same page. Rule 7.2 comment 1 says an advertisement that sets out a specific fee or range for a service is false or misleading if the lawyer charges or intends to charge more. And comment 6 of rule 7.1 says rules 7.1 to 7.5 are not the only basis for regulating these communications, and other state or federal laws may apply.

Other states may word these differently. Some adopt the ABA Model Rules more closely, some add disclosure or filing requirements, and outside the US the regulator is different. Before you write the home page headline, read your own bar's version and call its ethics line if you are unsure.

Accessibility is part of the job

Legal clients include people with disabilities, and public-facing sites are increasingly expected to be accessible. The standard most laws point to is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. W3C's overview page, read on 24 October 2026, says WCAG 2.2 was published on 5 October 2023 with an update on 12 December 2024, and that WCAG 2.2 is also an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2025. We do not give legal advice about which law applies to you. The practical steps are the same: readable text contrast, labelled form fields, keyboard access and meaningful link text. You can test colours with our colour contrast checker.

Handle the contact form with care

Our suggestions, not rules we read:

• Ask for the minimum: name, a way to reply, and a short description.
• Tell visitors what to leave out, for example sensitive details, until you have confirmed you can act for them. Ask your bar's ethics line what wording it expects.
• Say when you will reply, and keep that promise.
• Keep tracking scripts off any page where visitors describe their situation unless your own adviser has cleared them.

Platform and cost

You can build a law firm site on Webflow, WordPress, Framer or another builder. Choose by who will update it, not by taste. Our cost guide for a Webflow website and WordPress website cost guide set out dated, sourced price ranges, and Webflow vs WordPress for a service business compares the two for a firm like yours.

Mistakes to avoid

• A stock-photo hero that says nothing. Say what you do and where.
• One "Services" page for everything. Build one page per matter type.
• Claims you cannot support. "Best", "guaranteed" and unqualified results lines need the checks above.
• No lawyer names. Visitors want to know who they will deal with.
• A phone number that is only text. Make it tap-to-call.
• An old site copied across. If you are rebuilding, keep your old URLs working with redirects, as our website redesign SEO checklist describes.

How Amariq approaches a law firm site

We start from the matter types and the enquiry route, then plan the practice area pages, the profiles and the footer details your regulator expects before any visual design begins. Your adviser reviews the claims; we do not write legal opinions. Pricing follows the scope of the work, never an hourly rate. Payment comes in three parts: 40% to begin, 30% when you approve the design and 30% before launch. When the last payment clears, the design, copy and code are yours, and your domain, hosting and analytics accounts stay in your firm's name from day one. See our web design service and Webflow development pages.

Frequently asked questions

What pages should a law firm website have?

A home page, one page for each practice area, a profile for each lawyer, an about page, a contact page and, if you can state it accurately, a page on how you charge. Articles or FAQs help you answer questions before people call.

Do advertising rules apply to a law firm website?

Generally yes. The California rule we read says its rule 7.1 covers all communications of any type about the lawyer or the lawyer's services, including advertising. Your own state or country may differ, so read your bar's rules.

Can I put client results and testimonials on my site?

Often, with care. In the California text we read, a comment says a truthful result or testimonial may mislead if it creates an unjustified expectation of the same outcome for others, and that qualifying language often avoids that. Ask your bar if unsure.

Can I call myself a specialist?

Not by default. The California rule we read allows the word "certified specialist" only when the lawyer is currently certified by an accredited body, which must be named. Saying your practice is concentrated in a field is treated differently.

How many pages is enough?

Enough for each matter type you want enquiries for, plus the lawyers, about and contact pages. Ten well-built pages beat forty thin ones.

Should the phone number or the form come first?

Both should be within reach. FindLaw advises a visible number and a link to a short form at the top of every page and the full form near the bottom, and a tap-to-call number on mobile.

How do I check my site is accessible?

Test colour contrast, form labels, keyboard use and link text, then read W3C's WCAG 2.2 guidance. Which law applies to you is a question for your own adviser.