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Back in 2002, when Intendance reviewed its first legal website, using 20 checks to assess a website gave us a good indication of how the site measured up against its peers. For its latest report — Intendance Fast 50 Solicitors’ Websites 2006: Who is Winning and Why? — the company made 73 checks.

This broadening of the scope of our scoring system over the past five years can in part be explained by an increasing awareness of what constitutes a good web-site — only this year Intendance extended the scope significantly by collaborating with branding design specialist Philosophy — but the development of the scoring system also reflects the evolution of legal websites themselves.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, legal websites have to work harder to achieve that all-important end: true differentiation from competitors.

In the report foreword, Tony Williams, former managing partner of Clifford Chance and founder of Jomati Consultants, writes: "Law firm websites have changed almost beyond recognition over the last 10 years. There is an increasing recognition that a firm’s website is often the first point of contact used by potential clients, trainees and other recruits when considering a particular firm. As a result a website needs to reflect the personality, depth and culture of the firm."

As its title suggests, the Intendance report sets out to establish which firm, out of a sample of 50 of the fastestgrowing large law firms in the UK, has the best website and why.

Websites were assessed under four categories:

. content — the information contained within the site;

. usability — how easy it is to access this information;

. design — how well graphics are used to present the information; and

. marketing — how effectively the firm uses its website to differentiate itself.

From the in-depth analysis of each category, a set of best practice principles can be derived and applied by any firm that wishes to get the best out of its website.

Appreciating that to group 50 firms based purely on turnover growth will tell only part of the story, this year Intendance also analysed the website scores by subdividing the sample into recognised sub-groups — the magic circle, the chasing pack, City mid-tier, smaller City, national and regional firms.

To complement the website analysis, Intendance invited each firm in its sample to complete a questionnaire. The aggregated responses offered an insight into the online strategy of these firms, including what they spend on their web-site, who gets involved, where internal communication works and where it falls down and what the future holds for the firm’s website. Combining these external and internal views gives a unique and detailed perspective on how law firms are, or should be, making best use of their websites.

National firm Wragge & Co was Intendance’s overall website winner. The firm scored consistently well throughout all categories, although it achieved first place only for content, sharing the top spot with mid-tier City firm Charles Russell. Herbert Smith took first prize for usability, SJ Berwin scooped the design prize and Simmons & Simmons came out top in marketing.

Intriguing findings

Detailed analysis is featured in the report but, like last year, this year there is almost no correlation between excellence of web-site and the rate of increase in turnover. However, unlike last year, correlation of website performance with size of firm, in terms of fee earners, is slightly stronger. In other words, it appears as though the bigger firms are leading the way.

The questionnaire responses revealed some intriguing findings, among them the revelation that people make more of a difference than money to the ‘success’ of a website, but partner support for the web-site team is crucial. This level of correlation — the strongest found in this survey — pinpoints top-level interest and support as among the key foundations of an effective and successful website.

Looking at the wider picture, twothirds of respondents to the survey agreed that their website is not realising its full marketing and communications potential — considerably more than when the same question was asked in the 2005 survey. Nearly half the respondents extended this frank attitude to an agreement that their firms are not yet sufficiently focused on the opportunities offered by the internet to streamline business processes.

When considering the evolution of law firms’ websites, few would disagree that the trend among the profession as a whole is away from the basic, brochure-style site to the more interactive, marketing site that engages visitors more effectively and convinces them to make a return visit.

As website audiences — be they existing or potential clients, potential recruits, other lawyers or other interest groups — become more sophisticated, those firms serious about using ‘online’ tools have sought to be more creative with their websites. They have realised that the medium is ideal for adding value to the firm’s services, be it through online tools or expert editorial and, in so doing, differentiates the firm from its competitors.

Watching developments

There is a general maxim that the business community should look to the consumer market to identify the cutting-edge technologies that it could adopt. By watching developments in the business-to-consumer marketplace, clues to the future (and possibly current) expectations of a firm’s website audience can be identified.

One of the most interesting areas to watch is the mechanism of content delivery. Slowly but surely, ideas borrowed from the consumer market are appearing on legal websites. Not necessarily in the UK yet, and not necessarily in the public domain either, but some firms are already making use of new technologies and concepts such as podcasting, blogs, wikis and Really Simple Syndication, to name but four.

Looking at developments offline, the outcome of the Clementi report — and the subsequent legal services reform being pushed through by the Government — heralds a new era in the legal profession. Although the responses to the report questionnaire suggest that the waves caused by the Clementi report have calmed somewhat, many commentators believe that the reforms will impact significantly on how the profession conducts business.

Some firms will feel less impact, but there is no doubt that many others, especially those at the ‘commoditised’ end of the legal services spectrum, are bracing themselves for a seismic shock.

In conclusion, different firms will respond to different pressures, but the findings of our latest report reveal hard evidence that the legal profession is sharpening its act online. Firms must continue to work hard to show that their websites add value to their core services and the need to differentiate will remain paramount. But with a clear, thoughtful online strategy, much can be achieved.

James Tuke is head of Intendance Research, a division of Intendance.

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