The Brief
LMJ – Lound Mulrenan Jefferies Solicitors, is a London-based SRA-regulated law firm established in 1997. The firm undertakes legally aided and private work in all kinds of large, serious and complex cases including murder, organised crime, conspiracies, terrorism and spying cases.
The LMJ team first contacted us at the end of January 2022 after receiving a letter from the SRA stating that their website is not compliant with the SRA Transparency Rules (missing the digital badge).
The Challenge
First, the firm tried to contact the website’s original designer to ask for his assistance with adding the SRA’s digital badge.
Unfortunately, they last communicated when the website was designed in 2017 and was now unable to reach him.
The firm, therefore, decided to contact us asking for expert help.
During our initial conversation, we learned that the law firm did not have access to the back end of their WordPress site because the designer never provided them with the login details.
Without the login details, we couldn’t access the site and add the digital badge so we needed to find a way to get into it.
First, we tried to recover the password directly from the website’s host. However, because the designer used his own telephone number, memorable word, and private contact details to register ‘lmi-solicitors.com’, the partners weren’t able to prove their ownership of the domain to the host.
The partners were concerned they would be fined by the SRA for not being compliant with the Transparency rules, so we issued the domain name dispute with the host on the same day. Unfortunately, we weren’t given a clear timescale telling us when the dispute would be resolved. We had no idea when the website would be made available to us.
While discussing the options with the partners, we discovered that they own another domain ending with ‘.co.uk’, which they weren’t aware they had. This came together as a package with the business emails when the firm was being set up years ago. During the conversation, we found out that the firm’s IT providers may have access to this domain so we got in touch with them and asked if they could provide us with access to it.
This second domain ‘lmj-solicitors.co.uk’ was set up by Monday of the following week and was ready to publish on.
As the firm remained concerned about not being compliant with the SRA Transparency Rules, we decided that the best move forward will be to amend the website URL records on the MySRA portal and re-design the website from scratch on the ‘.co.uk’ domain. All while waiting for the ownership of the ‘.com’ domain to be transferred over.
Below are a few screenshots of the old website:
The Result
Our web design team started working on the new website at the beginning of February 2022 and completed it within a week.
We used the original design as a guide. However, we gave it a slightly more modern look and added more calls to action ‘CTAs’.
The new website features images of the city of London Magistrates’ Court, The Old Bailey and Southwark Crown Court as the firm requested.
Following the firm’s approval of the design, we asked the firm for their complaints procedure to ensure SRA compliance.
We also advised them about the SRA’s requirements relating to the solicitors’ profiles on the ‘our people’ / team page.
Once the SRA approved the change of the ‘.co.uk’ website address (on the MySRA portal), we added the digital badge to the footer.
The ownership of the ‘lmi-solicitors.com’ domain was transferred over to the firm on 17/02/22. Once this was completed, we applied a redirect on this domain so that when a visitor searches the ‘.com’ domain, they will automatically be taken to the ‘.co.uk’ site.
Website BEFORE Redesign
Website AFTER Redesign
More about marketing a criminal defence law firm
Marketing a criminal defence law firm in the UK can be challenging.
However, there are several strategies that can be effective in promoting your law firm’s services and building its reputation.
First, ensure you have a strong brand identity. A strong brand identity is crucial in differentiating your law firm from competitors. This includes a well-designed logo and website that convey your firm’s values, expertise, and unique selling points.
As most people nowadays search for services online, you should make sure your law firm is easy to find on the internet with SEO.
Ensure that your website is optimised for search engines, mobile-friendly, and provides relevant and useful information to potential clients. Use it to build awareness and engage with prospective clients.
Providing free resources, such as e-books, or offering free 15-minute consultations can also attract potential clients who are looking for legal advice and build trust in your expertise and services. Writing blogs and articles can establish your law firm as a thought leader in the legal industry, build credibility, and attract potential clients.
Did you know that positive reviews and testimonials from past clients can be a powerful marketing tool? Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on your website or third-party review sites like your Google Business Profile or Trustpilot. Positive reviews from past clients can help to establish trust and provide proof of your expertise and effectiveness.
You may also wish to consider participating in events such as legal conferences, seminars, and other industry events. Such events provide opportunities to network and establish relationships with other professionals in the legal industry which could lead to more referrals.
By adopting the above strategies, a criminal defence law firm in the UK can effectively market its services and build a strong reputation in a highly competitive industry.
A well-built website is an essential component of a successful marketing strategy for a criminal defence law firm. It shows:
- Credibility and Professionalism: A well-designed website gives your firm credibility and professionalism, making it easier for potential clients to trust your legal services. Your website is often the first impression a client will have of your firm, and a professional-looking website can help to establish a good first impression.
- Accessibility and Convenience: A website allows potential clients to access information about your law firm and its services 24/7, from anywhere in the UK. This accessibility and convenience can help to attract more clients who might not have otherwise been able to reach you.
- Branding and Differentiation: A well-designed website allows you to create a unique brand for your firm that differentiates you from other criminal defence law firms. Your website can showcase your experience and expertise, highlight your unique selling points, and provide a platform for sharing your firm’s story and values.
- Marketing and Client Acquisition: A well-built website can be a powerful tool for generating enquiries and converting potential clients into paying clients. Through your website, you can provide valuable resources, like blogs, articles or e-books, that attract potential clients and position your firm as an authority in your field.
- It’s cost-effective: Compared to other marketing channels, a website can be a cost-effective way to reach potential clients. It provides a platform for promoting your services, building your reputation, and engaging with clients without incurring the costs of traditional marketing channels like TV, radio, or print ads.
A well-built website is an important investment for any law firm looking to establish a strong online presence, build a brand, and attract more clients.
Creating content is certainly worth your time and effort, especially if you are looking to establish a strong online presence and attract more clients.
Content that is useful, informative, and relevant can help attract more relevant traffic to your website. This is because people are often searching for answers to their questions or looking for information about legal issues, and creating content that answers these questions can position your law firm as a credible source of information.
Creating content also builds your reputation. Creating high-quality content that showcases your expertise and knowledge can establish you as a thought leader in your industry. This can help to differentiate your law firm from your competitors and increase your perceived value.
Content marketing can also be a powerful tool for increasing engagement with your target audience. By creating content that is informative and useful, you can encourage people to share it or engage with you directly.
Furthermore, having content on your website may increase your search engine rankings. Search engines like Google favour high-quality content written by people, for people. By creating new content and optimising using SEO techniques, you can improve your website’s search engine ranking, making it easier for potential clients to find you.
Unlike other forms of advertising, content marketing can provide long-term benefits for your law firm. Content that you create today can continue to drive traffic to your website, build your reputation, and generate enquiries for months or even years to come.
In conclusion, creating content is certainly worth your time, as it can help to attract more traffic to your website, build your reputation, increase engagement, improve your search engine ranking, and provide long-term benefits for your law firm. However, to make the most out of it, you need to make sure it is optimised for search engines.
Reviews of your law firm are very important. Positive reviews from past clients can help to establish your credibility, build your reputation, and attract new clients.
If you don’t feel comfortable asking for them, follow these steps:
- Always provide a great client experience – clients may want to leave reviews of your services without you needing to ask for them.
- Ask for them directly – this is the most efficient way. If you don’t want to ask directly, after you have successfully resolved a case, consider sending a follow-up email to thank them for their business and ask if they would be willing to leave a review with a link.
- Automate it – Trustpilot can send an automated review request on your behalf.
If you get a negative review, follow our guidelines on how to handle a negative review.
It is generally a good idea to invest in both SEO and Google advertising (PPC) to promote your criminal defence law firm’s website.
- SEO and Google Advertising Complement Each Other: SEO and Google advertising can work together to provide better results. By optimizing your website for SEO, you can improve your organic search engine ranking, making it more likely that people will find your website when searching for relevant keywords. At the same time, by running Google ads, you can target specific keywords and demographics, ensuring that your website is visible at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant searches.
- More Visibility and Traffic: By investing in both SEO and Google advertising, you can increase the visibility of your website on search engine results pages, which can help to attract more traffic to your website. This is particularly important for a criminal defence law firm, as many people will search for legal services online when they need help.
- Greater Flexibility and Control: Google advertising provides a high level of flexibility and control over your marketing campaigns. You can target specific geographic locations, demographic groups, and keywords, and you can adjust your advertising budget and targeting settings at any time. This level of control can be particularly useful for a law firm, as you can target specific geographic areas where you provide legal services, and adjust your campaigns as needed to maximize results.
- Data-Driven Insights: Both SEO and Google advertising provide data-driven insights that can help you to better understand your audience, their behaviour, and their needs. By analyzing this data, you can adjust your marketing campaigns to better target your ideal clients and improve your overall ROI.
SEO and Google advertising can be valuable components of a digital marketing strategy for your criminal defence law firm. By investing in both, you can increase the visibility of your website, attract more traffic, gain more flexibility and control over your marketing campaigns, and gain valuable data-driven insights.
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