Download time was a serious issue, as I found myself waiting for each page, and definitely did not visit for as long, due to that frustration—which may be the reason that a “back” button is there. Maybe it was a bad day. Outside of that, the home page is extremely well set out. The content is easy to find and strong. The bar is high for IP firms on the web. Of course, last year I said they did not hit the level of Pennie & Edmonds, and look who is no longer around. So, what do I know? I would say that it is not as extensive as fr.com, but I would hate to jinx that fine firm.
When you are a Northeast corridor guy, you think of Minnesota as that dinky little state where major league baseball wanted to contract their professional team. I mean, really, I’ve spent enough time there to know it is just like the movie Fargo. Weekends ice-fishing? No thank you. Yet, every year the law firms in MN seem to get bigger and bigger. Lindquist joins the 250 list this year with an above-average performance. A rarity among sites is telling you that a link will open up a new window. The home page has a different look and layout, but manages to show you the way to what you might need. I like the “points of contact” page. The “practice services” pages are strengths. The bio section could be organized better. The firm also makes good use of photos. I do not think there is a piece of clipart on the site.
Outside of the frames and the slow to load structure of the site, Paul Weiss continues to update and maintain a quality web presence, with focus on the info. They manage to find the balance between maintaining a conservative image and using the Internet to disseminate information. While the “News” page is updated, there are still items on the page from 1987 (to quote myself in previous reviews…that is not news). I’ve got one word for you...archive. I can not see behind paulweissalumni.com, but I always like the concept.
The new Ruden site is another marked improvement. Loved the home page, with the “Ruden Rolodex” feature. The site in Spanish was more than just a page, but the site in Spanish. Overall, a sharp presence. There were still some flaws, like having all the client industry info dumped on to one page. I encountered a few dead links and the opening of a few unnecessary browsers. Some of the attorney photos were in need of a trip to “extreme makeover”, but having recently dealt with attorney photos at a few firms, it is not an easy job. Fran Leibowitz would have a cow shooting lawyers. I really like having the “subscribe” built into the design. Still some navigation I might have done different. Good use of the seminars section.
The changing colored pencils on the home page are interesting, and in a world of boring law firm site designs, it is a breath of fresh air. Cadwalader has come a long way in presenting itself and materials on the web, slowly finding that mix of look and data, in a manner that people can use. It is always nice to see that type of progress.
One of the failures of many firm web site search engines is the unidentified fact that all the PDF materials are not searched when kicking back results. That is not the case here, helping to make the searching more effective. Now, to put more meat on the bone. The site still lacks overall depth.
Boy, Philadelphia must have been quite the litigious place 100 years ago. Seems like every firm in town is celebrating a century of lawsuits. And DM is doing so in style, with a brand new web site (which was way overdue), with a 100th anniversary logo and everything. People know that Duane Morris has been expanding all over the place, with one of the nation’s largest marketing efforts. Now, they have a site to better make use of all the stuff they are doing, from affiliate businesses to new practices and locations. Besides the upgrades all the way around, the site has not lost some of the user-friendly pieces from the previous iteration.
Another solid site starting to show some signs of aging. Many pages had way too much text (scrolling….) and could be tightened up a bit. Whereas it once was ahead of the curve, the style and approach is now a little bit behind it. It does, however, maintain decent structure and organization. The section devoted to “surveys” is a nice touch. The “careers” is still a strength. And the web page rating system continues to offer up some originality.
Still a little put off by the design—too heavy and flashy—masking some original content and good depth. As I stated last year, if you like the glitz, you will disagree with me. If you like the more conservation info-first approach, you may not delve into the data underneath. WILL ALWAYS HATE…the home page with annoying and useless scrolling headlines (keep those static). WILL ALWAYS LOVE…dedication to GC audience, the two-letter domain name (thinkin’ ahead).
It may seem like such a little thing, but the first thing that OMM offers up on the home page is a brief paragraph description of the law firm. Brilliant! It is one of the most overlooked items on many of these sites. Stop assuming everybody knows who you are! Even when you are one of the “players” in the business. The site is no MoFo, but it is clean and relatively easy to use. WILL ALWAYS LOVE…the search results format, the subscription form for publications.
