Website copywriting example for a law firm determined to stand out
This website copywriting example for a law firm shows what a website can be when lawyers know who they are and whom they want to attract.
When Ben Twomey established Twomey Dispute Lawyers (TDL), he knew exactly where the law firm was going. He:
- Had a clear vision for what differentiated his business from other law firms
- Knew exactly who his ideal clients were going to be
This meant he wasn’t looking for a website broad enough to capture (or at least not turn off) everyone in search of a lawyer on the Gold Coast. In fact, Ben was happy for his website to save him time by repelling the wrong people. That was all part of the law firm marketing strategy for TDL.
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How we got this law firm website to talk to the right clients
Our website copywriters in Sydney started our website research process by talking to Ben and some of his clients. We also lurked in online forums and discussions to get into the headspace of our target audience. How do they talk about their legal problems? How do they talk about their lawyers? How do they talk generally?
We learned that this law firm’s ideal clients are self-made businesspeople on Australia’s Gold Coast. What makes them successful is their ability to see the whole board and use every tool at their disposal to achieve the results they want. And they don’t suffer fools or bullshit.
These ideal clients are savvy entrepreneurs who value their time. They aren’t interested in drawn-out court cases or expensive legal fights if they can be avoided. They want their disputes solved as quickly and beneficially for them as possible. They want a lawyer who can do that for them, and they don’t need that lawyer to have shiny offices with ocean views.
1. Search engine optimisation from the top of the page on down
The headline and introduction above the fold on the law firm’s homepage isn’t fancy. But it doesn’t need to be, not for human readers or for Google.
For potential clients, this plain-speaking introduction gives them the confidence that they’re in the right place if they’re looking for lawyers on the Gold Coast who practise in these areas of law.
The simple introduction gives Google confidence, too. Words like “lawyers” “dispute”, “commercial litigation”, “specialist litigation” and “gold Coast” are what potential clients are asking for when they search Google. With these words all found at the top of the page, Google can send them to this website confidently. This is basic SEO copywriting.
2. Website copywriting that builds on the value proposition
Notice how the website copywriting supports the client’s unique selling proposition. People sucked into litigation know there’s more to the matter than what’s on the face of the dispute. That means they could end up fighting an unnecessarily long and expensive battle if their lawyer sees and responds to only the legal angles. Alternatively, when your litigator sees the whole picture and can formulate a strategy accordingly:
Our experienced litigators see the whole board.
There’s strategy: there are moves to select and counter moves to anticipate.
The copywriting on this law firm website uses the language of business — and litigation — as a game
As business-minded people, the client’s target market understands words like “strategy” and “counter moves”. So this is an example of copywriting language that speaks to prospects. Prospects see business as a game (albeit a serious one) and this is their language.
3. Building urgency in ideal clients
Getting expert law advice early gives you the best chance at a good result and resolution.
Website copywriting isn’t about exagerration or misleading statements. It’s about being persuasive to the benefit of both parties.
Urgency is a highly effective copywriting strategy designed to convert leads and drive sales. It triggers the “reptile brain” in humans, the part of us that’s driven by emotions and primal instincts.
Loss aversion is similarly primitive. Study after study shows that humans will go further to avoid loss than they will to achieve equivalent gain.
In this short piece of copy, we’re triggering urgency and loss aversion — act now (urgency) or you could lose an advantage (loss aversion).
Importantly, this isn’t cynical on the part of our lawyer clients Their clients genuinely do have the best chance of swift and favourable resolution when they get specialist advice early.
4. Painting a picture with words on a law firm website
Are you staring down the barrel of a dispute that has — or could — turn nasty?
You need a lawyer with rolled-up sleeves — and the resolve to stare down whatever the other side throws at you.
There’s a lot going on in this example of website copywriting — visual language, heightened emotion, relationship building
This is an example of highly visual and emotive website copywriting. The client is “staring down the barrel of a dispute”; the lawyer’s sleeves are “rolled-up”. And perhaps most importantly, lawyer are client are standing side by side, “staring down” whatever is thrown at them.
Our copywriters know from the copywriting research that almost no one sees litigation as “just business”. Litigation almost always feels personal. And litigation feels like a battle, which is why we chose this language. Because when you’re in a battle, you want a mate by your side, not a detached professional who doesn’t seem to care if you win or lose.
That’s why our copywriters use language that is down-to-earth and easy to understand. The website copy isn’t chockful of lawyer-speak. And because it’s plain English, it serves as proof that the client is going to get what the website promises: a battle-ready ally who isn’t going to look down on them. There’s no time to look down on someone when you’re shoulder-to-shoulder fighting a common enemy.
The lawyer’s signature at the bottom adds authenticity to the visceral copywriting. It resonates with prospects who aren’t interested in being a code on someone’s timesheet.
(If you’re a lawyer, this might not resonate with you; it might not be how you want to speak, but it is how this firm wants to speak — and it reflects how their clients see lawyers and the world.)
5. Copywriting that addresses client objections
The ideal clients for this law firm resent paying for their lawyers’ grandiose offices. These prospects known exactly who is paying for the lavish boardrooms, the water views and the barista coffees.
It’s not that this law firm’s clients can’t afford the trimmings; it’s that they resent being treated like mugs. Here, the copywriting addresses this and similar objections in a number of ways.
- The writing couldn’t be more straightforward — no attempt to bamboozle or treat the client like a mug
- The writing addresses the objection upfront — which is disarming. This isn’t how lawyers are expected to speak.
- By being so direct, the writng proves the law firm’s value proposition — high quality advice delivered in a way that doesn’t talk down to you
We might be litigation specialists on the Gold Coast, but you won’t notice our water views. (We don’t have them).
And you won’t feel lost in a boardroom suitable for a Security Council meeting. (Our meeting room seats a regular number of people.)
This law firm’s website is disarmingly frank and it says what the potential client is thinking, building a relationship and demonstrating the firm’s value proposition: they don’t look down on their clients; they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
The website copywriting addresses other common objections prospects have about lawyers:
- Lawyers are too slow
- Lawyers are not transparent enough
- Lawyers are always trying to upsell their services
- Lawyers enjoy using confusing jargon in an effort to sound important
One by one, our copywriters break down these arguments and demonstrate to prospects how our client is different from the other law firms.
Prospects will easily get a hold of our client because our client’s firm is geared for quick communication:
We can be responsive because we’ve designed our firm to attract top-flight litigators.
Note how the law firm’s website copywriting doesn’t just assert a quality (“We’re responsive”), it goes on to prove the assertion (“Because we’ve designed the firm” in a particular way, which is explained in the copy.)
Why do the best litigators choose to work at TDL? Because they don’t have to do things they have to do (and hate) at other firms:
That means our lawyers aren’t expected to upsell estate planning or conveyancing.
Not only does this statement help to prove the assertion that TDL is designed to attract the best litigator, but also is overcomes another objection that clients have: my lawyer is always trying to sell me another service.
The client isn’t going to confuse prospects with complex jargon and it shows in the straightforward language the website employs:
You need a lawyer who can steer a route around or through the problem. That route should be something your lawyer can lay out in plain English.
Again, this isn’t just an assertion. The writing on the website proves that these are lawyers who speak plainly.
6. Reinforcing the value proposition in a website
Like medicine, the law is broken into specialist disciplines.
You wouldn’t want your heart surgeon having a red hot go at your knee reconstruction.
It doesn’t get much more plain-spoken Australian than the second sentence here.
The website copy continues to build the value of what our client does. Our client is a specialist litigation practice that doesn’t take on cases involving other aspects of the law. They are experts in only litigation.
Beyond the plain-speaking, the copywriting uses a metaphor to make an important point easy to understand by comparing the practice of law to something that might be more familiar to the client: medicine.
Legal content marketing is another way of reinforcing a value proposition, which is why this firm has a blog optimised for search engines.
7. Website copywriting that builds trust
Arming yourself with expert advice early removes the risk of shooting holes through your own case. You maintain all your options, putting you in the strongest position.
Here’s some free legal advice to build trust
Certainly, it suits any lawyer for potential clients to call early (and often). However, that doesn’t change the fact that this advice is true. So here, the website copywriting is building urgency to move the prospect beyond procrastination. It’s also building a relationship with the reader: here’s some expert legal advice for free, and doesn’t it make sense?
8. Law firm copywriting that understands the client
We’re the right firm for you if you’re in a commercial dispute and you need a result — whether it’s a negotiated settlement or an outright fight.
Clients worry that the high fees involved in litigation are an incentive for lawyers to sabotage negotiated settlements
Another objection that prospects have is that litigators often want to take disputes to court, whether or not that’s in their client’s best interest.
Throughout the copy, our copywriters work to overcome the clients’ objections. Often, an objection will be tackled more than once — some stains take multiple squirts to get out.
Get in early with a no-obligation call
The call is free, and we’ll also talk openly about what your costs might be if you go ahead. No obligations. No surprises.
Our client isn’t going to pick prospects’ pocket from the moment they meet. Instead, they want to have a no-obligation conversation with prospects to determine if they are the right lawyers for the case. This runs counter to the objections that lawyers are quicker to put the flag down than taxi drivers.
At the same time, the website copy stays true to the promise made throughout of frank conversations with a trusted ally. It does this by not beating about the bush when it comes to cost. The website copywriting is completely transparent that there will be fees to pay if the relationship takes off. However, before that happens, prospects will benefit from a free consultation with a legal expert. (In the copywriting game, this is labelled “risk reversal”. In this case, the call is free so the prospect risks nothing by calling.)
9. Website imagery that builds trust
The pictures in the team bios illustrate the team at the law firm as down-to-earth, approachable people. This complements our client’s goal of presenting themselves in a relatable way.
Note also the use of a trust mark — the accredited specialist badge from the Queensland Law Society.
10. Writing lawyer bios that support the firm’s value proposition
Ben accepts that naming a law firm after yourself is fairly predictable for a lawyer. But beyond that, he’s building a law firm that confounds expectations.
In addition, he’s attacking the ways that law is practised. He’s attacking the inefficiencies that tie the hands of lawyers who want to give clients the best service.
This bio has a sense of humour, giving the reader a good picture of the man they’re going to meet, but it’s purposeful, too. The reader gets a sense that this is someone driven by something more than fees.
Here is an example of a bio that supports the company’s value proposition and brand message. Ben Twomey’s bio isn’t a dry rundown of his education and experience in law. It explains what he does for his clients and how he fits into the general vibe of his firm. The copywriting is bluntly honest about the way law firms are usually run. At the same time, the website copy demonstrates what the law firm does to stand out from the rest.
Ben’s clients find him easygoing and straightforward. The other side don’t tend to experience him in the same way because Ben thrives on getting a result.
Like the rest of the website, the copywriting is casual and laidback, while still presenting the client as the expert prospects want on their side in a legal battle.
11. Writing in plain English
Restore your reputation after defamation
Remove untrue or damaging content from the Internet
Receive compensation for untrue statements
The services page for law firms can sometimes read like a first-year law student’s lecture notes Our copywriters know that prospects don’t want to be lectured at. They don’t want a law degree themselves; they want to know if this law firm offers the solution to their problems. This is an example of website copywriting that lets prospects know this law firm has what they’re looking for — and this law firm isn’t going to baffle them, talk down to them or otherwise make them feel stupid.
12. Identifying a client’s pain points
Has someone said or written something about you that damaged your reputation or put your character in doubt?
Have you been publicly accused of something?
Or are you the victim of a malicious review on Google, TripAdvisor or elsewhere?
This is an example of website copywriting that empathises with the client’s problems. It shows you understand what prospects going through and stand in solidarity with them. When you read law firm websites, you’ll be surprised how little empathy they show for their clients. Or perhaps you wouldn’t.
13. Website copywriting that agitates
Your reputation is priceless, especially in a world where relationships begin as Google searches.
On the internet, a review, a news article or a webpage can still be causing you damage decades later.
Ouch. Wouldn’t that make you want to take up arms and fight?
The website copywriting raises the stakes for prospects to compel them to take action. The copy invites a conversation, but it’s also subtly agitating the pain for prospects. This builds a sense of urgency to solve the problem.
14. Using empathy to build a connection
Even if a story is true, it can be unfair and disproportionate that the old story is the first thing Google surfaces months or years after you fixed the problem.
Everyone deserves a second chance, but they won’t get one as long as old news is the first thing people find on the internet.
The website copy is empathetic. Even if what is said about you is true, the firm will work with you for a just outcome because it might be true, but that doesn’t mean it’s fair.
15. Applying desire in copywriting
Defamation law is complex, but it comes down to this: the law knows that words do hurt.
High-profile defamation cases involve famous names and play out in the media over weeks. This sort of coverage can make defamation law seem out of reach. Nevertheless, the majority of defamation cases involve ordinary people and businesses, and they are resolved out of the public eye.
This is an example of website copywriting that builds prospects’ desire for the service. Here, our copywriters convince prospects that seeking legal counsel for defamation isn’t going to be a waste of time. The law doesn’t look favourably upon people who defame others. That means the law will be on the side of the client if they’ve been defamed.
The conversational aspect of the website copy proves the law firm’s ability to have a straightforward conversation with its prospects. But just because the tone of the website copy is casual, that doesn’t mean that every sentence isn’t working hard to persuade the reader into action. Over and again, the website copywriting convinces prospects that they are understood. Their actions are justified. The law wants to help them. And if they pick up the phone, they’ll have a legal expert who’ll fight for them.
The results
If you have a vanilla-flavoured website, no one will be offended by it. How could they be? But you also risk being forgettable. As soon as your visitors click away, your site blends with the memory of the other firms they looked at.
This website is an example of a law firm deciding to add some spice. The firm knows that spice will be too strong for some people, but it also knows those are the wrong clients for this firm. So who cares? Because the right clients will stick to the site like iron shavings to a magnet. Those clients will feel like their home, and there are enough of those clients for this firm to thrive.
In the 18 months after launching the site, the firm outgrew two offices and it continues to grow, with new clients frequently citing the spice of this website as important in their decision to pick up the phone.
Does your business have a unique brand?
Having a strong brand personality is one of your greatest assets. If you’re looking for a Sydney-based copywriter who can effectively communicate your message to the right people, we’d love to hear from you. (Although we’re in Sydney, we’ve advised and written for Magic Circle firms, national law firms, Melbourne firms, Sydney firms, Brisbane firms and, as you know, firms on the Gold Coast.)
Website design
Screenshots in this website copywriting example show Taleist’s copy in web design by IMTBN.