Law firm website content is the set of words that decides whether a visitor calls: the half of law firm website conversion that writing, not code, controls.

Placement, forms and speed belong to the law firm website design and conversion guides; this page is about the words themselves.

What the words have to do

A prospective client arrives with three questions: does this firm handle my problem, how does hiring work, and what will it cost or how do fees work.

Most sites answer the first and skip the other two: in Clio's 2024 shopper research, only 30% of shoppers could easily understand the process of hiring a firm from its website, and only 14% could find pricing information.

The sample is a few hundred shoppers' judgments and it measures no conversion lift, but both gaps it names are writing gaps rather than design ones.

Copy that spells out the process (call, consultation, engagement letter) and the fee arrangement (contingency, flat, hourly) does work no template can.

Law firm homepage copy

In NN/g's 1997 study, 79% of test users always scanned new pages and only 16% read word by word, and a concise, scannable, objective rewrite scored 124% better on measured usability than the promotional original; the study measured usability, not conversions, and it is from 1997.

  • What the firm handles, in the words prospective clients use ("car accident", not "tort litigation")
  • Where the firm practices, named plainly
  • How hiring works, in three or four steps
  • What it costs, or how each fee arrangement works
  • Who the lawyers are, by name
  • One obvious next step: call, form, or booking

Ad landing pages carry the same copy job; the law firm landing pages guide covers them.

Practice area pages do the ranking and the detailed answering, so the homepage can stay short and oriented; the law firm practice area pages guide covers their anatomy.

Attorney website copy: bios and tone

Attorney website copy is where sites slip back into resume language: bar admissions, law review, third-person formality.

The case for a different tone: in Clio's 2019 survey, 39% of Gen Z and 40% of Millennial respondents said they are intimidated by lawyers, against 30% of Gen X and 20% of Boomers, and the subsamples are small.

First-person bios, short sentences and a plain description of what happens at the first consultation are the cheapest answer to that finding.

Keep every specific verifiable: years practicing, case types handled, jurisdictions served, and results written with the qualifying language below.

On credentials wording, Comment [9] to ABA Model Rule 7.2 says a lawyer is generally permitted to say the lawyer "concentrates in" or "specializes in" a field based on experience or training, subject to Rule 7.1's false-or-misleading standard, but many states have not adopted that comment and certification claims still need Rule 7.2(c), so check your state's text.

The attorney bio pages guide goes page by page.

Wording your state's advertising rules address

Website copy is advertising content: ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 (August 2010) says lawyer website content, including bios, results and client information, is a communication subject to Rule 7.1.

ABA Model Rule 7.1 says a lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services, including a statement that omits a fact needed to keep it from being materially misleading (rule text as of August 2018).

Model Rules bind no one until a state adopts them: per the ABA's July 2022 variations chart, 18 states were listed as "Same as MR" for Rule 7.1, while states including Florida, Texas and New York were listed with materially different text.

The comments add the nuance that matters for copy: Comment [2] says a literally true statement can still mislead if it omits a necessary fact, carries a substantial likelihood of an unfounded specific conclusion, or implies the reader must take action when none is required.

Comment [3] says an unsubstantiated claim about a lawyer's services or fees, or an unsubstantiated comparison with other lawyers, may be misleading if it is specific enough to suggest it can be substantiated, which is the hook that "best lawyer" and "lowest fees" claims have to answer to.

Florida's rule shows how concrete this gets: Rule 4-7.13 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar (as of October 1, 2026) prohibits advertising a prospective client could reasonably read as predicting or guaranteeing a result, and prohibits unverifiable characterizations of skill such as "the best", while its comment treats aspirational wording as generally permitted.

The comment's own examples: "I will get you money for your injuries" is impermissible, "I will pursue an acquittal" is permissible, and words like "pursue", "may" and "designed to" generally prevent violations.

Those are the comment's examples, not a safe list, and Florida's rule is not yours: confirm your site's copy with your state bar's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer; the law firm website ethics guide covers the site-wide questions.

Florida's Rule 4-7.13 comment: generally permitted

  • "I will pursue an acquittal", the permissible example in Florida's comment
  • Aspirational statements such as "my goal is..." and "dedicated to...", per Florida's comment
  • Words like "pursue", "may", "seek" and "designed to", which the comment says generally prevent violations

Wording the rules test

  • "I will get you money for your injuries", the impermissible example in Florida's comment
  • "The best", an unverifiable characterization of skill under Florida's rule
  • "Lowest fees", an unsubstantiated fee comparison under the Model Rule comments

Case results and the words around them

The Model Rule comments say truthful reports of past results can still mislead when they lead a reasonable person to expect the same outcome regardless of each case's facts, and that an appropriate disclaimer may preclude that finding, may, not does.

State rules get more specific: per the ABA's 2022 Rule 7.1 chart, Missouri and Montana require a "past results afford no guarantee" statement when results are advertised, and for testimonials South Dakota requires substantiation plus a disclaimer substantively similar to "This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guaranty, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter."

Placement: ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 says a disclaimer limits obligations only if it is understandable, properly placed, not misleading, conspicuous enough to be seen before the visitor proceeds, and not undercut by the lawyer's contrary conduct.

A footer nobody scrolls to is the opposite of "before proceeding"; the attorney advertising disclaimer guide covers placement and the past results advertising guide covers the rules on results.

Trust copy such as reviews, badges and accreditations carries constraints of its own, listed in the law firm website trust signals guide.

Keeping content current is part of the same opinion: it says website content should be updated regularly, and that naming current or former clients in promotional content requires their informed consent; the opinion dates to 2010.

A bio for a lawyer who left, an old address, a fee the firm no longer offers: stale copy is a leak no rule is needed to explain.

A rewrite pass for one page

Answer the three questions first

Problem handled, process, fees: plain sentences before any headline.

Cut for the scan

One idea per paragraph, subheads that state the point, the phone number within reach at every scroll.

Check every claim

Aspirational where the rules ask for it, verifiable everywhere else, results qualified, state text confirmed.

Measure against the old page

Calls, form starts and bookings over the same period, then what those requests became in intake.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a good law firm website?

Words that answer three questions fast: does the firm handle my problem, how does hiring work, and what will it cost. In Clio's 2024 shopper research only 30% could easily understand the hiring process from a firm's site and only 14% could find pricing, so those two answers are where most sites fall short.

What is a good legal disclaimer to include on a website?

One that is understandable, properly placed and not misleading: ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 says a disclaimer limits obligations only when it is conspicuous enough to be seen before the visitor proceeds. Required wording varies by state, so confirm yours with your state bar's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer.

Can my law firm's website promise results?

Wording a prospective client could reasonably read as predicting or guaranteeing an outcome is what the advertising rules test: Florida's Rule 4-7.13 prohibits it and its comment treats aspirational phrasing as generally permitted, calling "I will pursue an acquittal" permissible and "I will get you acquitted" impermissible. Your state's version controls.

Should attorney bios be written in first person?

Usually, yes: a first-person bio reads like the lawyer speaking, and Clio's 2019 survey found 39% of Gen Z and 40% of Millennial respondents said lawyers intimidate them. Keep the specifics verifiable: years practicing, case types handled, jurisdictions.

How often should law firm website content be updated?

ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 says website content should be updated regularly. Treat any bio for a lawyer who left, an old fee number or a stale results list as a leak, because the opinion treats site content as advertising subject to Rule 7.1.