A recent NJ ethics opinion puts the “Hosted by Lowenstein Sandler” underneath “The Environment” blog in question. It is still a law firm web site and you need to follow the rules of professional responsibility in regard to advertising in the same manner. It is law firm advertising. Your ethics counsel should have caught that one—not me. I anticipate a rash of ethics opinions nationally in regard to blogs in the next five years. I will say that I loved the line, “Please consider the environment before printing this webpage” at the bottom of the blog home page. Back to the regular LS site—outside of some significant scrolling issues on the home page and many interior pages (one word – “archive”), the site continues to be chock full of relevant data and components. The other little tip I’d give is in relation to the home page news items—throw in something meaty and relevant, not just PR fluff headlines. You need to strike a balance, or you lose credibility for the rest of the site. Little touches like the bankruptcy notifications and class action settlements add value to a new set of end-users. For the most part, tout the accomplishments more than the “honors.”
The good news is that the “velaw.com” has been replaced by a more intuitive name. The bad news is that it should be “vinsonelkins.com” and not “Vinson-elkins.com” with a dash. At the very least, you should have both domain names active. I discuss this rather dull domain name issue here because the site is less than I remember. Nothing really stands out. I like the “pick a school” for law students in the careers section. There are still a nice variety of extranets. Overall, a step back.
The data is deep, but I still think “small firm” when I see the same look and feel I’ve seen so many times before. Ironically, I just finished reviewing Schiff Hardin, which probably makes this look even sleepier. Wake me up when it is over.
If much has been done with this site in the last two, three or four years, it is not noticeable. The home page is still dark and uninviting. The data and organization is still not user-friendly. Quite frankly, I was surprised to see the same site still sitting there on the web. I did see a note that a new name and logo would debut on January 1, so it is possible that a new site is around the corner. But, on this fall day in ’05, it is still the same site I never liked.
The careers site highlights “what is different here”. All I saw was another video production that looked like all the other “we’re different” law firm careers sections you see. And I could not get back to the main web site, where any law student worth his/her salt is going to look at what the firm actually does. On the main site, the layout is still crowded, and the “look” standard. I still crack up at the “arm in a sling” photo for the health care practice. Have YOU been injured? Another site that is OK if you’ve got 25 lawyers or so. Just does not have the biz dev look of a big-time firm.
Still pretty simple and to the point. Nothing too fancy. The “careers” site is a highlight. Many of the sections and content could be tinkered with, to improve the experience. An acceptable presence.
After the last version of the Willkie site, anything was going to look awesome. Last time, I suggested the firm “get with the millennium.” They have. The home page is as understated as possible, which works for firms in which the name alone is generally all that is needed (and that holds true for these folks). They have actually placed “news” on the home page. And the content that all sites have to have is essentially in place. Of course, Associate bios still are just name, rank and serial number—which kind of sucks. And listing the CMO as the contact for media inquiries is not exactly helpful to a WSJ reporter on deadline. But, at least it is there.
Still some design and layout issues, especially in regard to scrolling and organization. The site strength is that it appears up to date, and plenty of things were new and upcoming. I think you have most of the content in place. You just need a better engine to deliver it. An area in need of more—and relatively simply—are the office pages.
Because I do not re-read the old review before visiting the site again, I got sucked into the same “see what makes us different” flash show—and the answer was still—nothing. It is the same law firm dribble we all write and read every day. The home page and the general marketing messages need to be improved upon. There is plenty of room to upgrade your presence and message. However, these complaints are about not being an above-average site. The presence is typical.
One of the oldest sites remaining among the 250. Here is what I said two years ago and it still stands today – “For the most part, this is that family car that you know you need to replace, but if you could just get 10,000 more miles out of it…next time the engine blows, trade it in.” What can I do to get YOU into a brand new web site today? I have to believe they are in redevelopment mode. I hope.
