Fully Integrated Web/Blog: A Law Firm Website

We’ve received a lot of inquiries concerning our post last week concerning the launch of our new website.  As noted, we are a Traverse City, MI law firm. Our new website is part traditional “brochure” web pages describing our practice areas and includes nine distinct vertical blogs within niche practice areas.  Some people have noted that they could not distinguish between the blog pages and the traditional “brochure” pages on our website.  To help break things down further, here are the practice area pages with relatively static information about our legal practice areas:

• Internet Law:  Internet lawyers representing technology companies and brick and motar companies requiring internet law expertise. 
• Trademarks, Trademark Infringement, Copyrights and Patents:  Trademark, copyright and patent protection on technology and online issues.
• Domain Disputes and Cybersquatting: Protecting your domain names against cybersquatters, typosquatters and other third parties unlawfully using your brand on the internet.
• General Counsel Services:  Providing general counsel services to both small and large companies on flat fee defined-deliverable basis.
• Complex Litigation Attorneys:  Trademark infringement, copyright infringement, patent infringement, commercial disputes and mass tort injury litigation.
• About Traverse Legal
• Site Map

Our niche blogs which discuss the latest cases, information and issues within various practice areas, are found here:

• Internet:  Internet Lawyers and Information Technology Update
• Trademark:  Trademark Infringement, Registration and Monitoring
• Piracy:  Cybersquatting Issues Under the UDRP & ACPA
• Monetization: Domain Name Portfolio Issues
• New Media:  Copyright Infringement, DMCA & Defamation Issues
• E-Commerce:  E-commerce, Contracts, Affiliate Marketing, Licensing and Deal Making
• Trade Secrets:  Non-Competes, Trade Secret Attorneys & Idea Protection
• Governance: Director, Manager & Fiduciary Liability
• General Counsel:  Outsourced GC Services

Because blog pages are easier to update, we have kept our attorney and staff pages as blog pages:

• Attorney Enrico Schaefer
• Attorney Mark Clark
• Attorney Brian Hall

Note that the home page at www.traverselegal.com pulls in the latest three posts from each of our niche blogs creating dynamic content.  We believe that it is no longer necessary for attorneys to host their blogs as separate websites, distinct from their primary law firm website.  While it used to be true that blogs were considered to be personal.  There is simply no reason to isolate and cast to the background your professional blog.  In many instances, your professional blog receives much more traffic than your static web page.  By failing to incorporate the same basic design as your website, you fail to capitalize on the great marketing, biographical and contact information which is found on your traditional website.  The time has come for your website and blog pages to contain the same design template as a fully integrated web 2.0 website.

Traverse Legal is proud to have launched one of the first fully integrated website/blogs of any law firm.  If anyone is aware of any other law firm that has fully integrated the design of their website onto their blog, or vice versa, let us know.  We would love to take a look. 

Comments

[Grant D Griffiths]

We have been doing just this for our clients. Works great.

[Enrico S]

Grant: I was just checking out your website. I had no idea you were working to bring other lawyers into the blogosphere. Congratulations. I have to say that integrating a blog into a website seems like such a simple little thing. However, the nuance can result in incredible gains. Instead of being an expert who has a personal weblog, you become a thought leader sharing your expertise within the context of your law firm's primary marketing tool, the law firm website. Taking a blog from a "journal" format to a more formalized publication format has been revolutionary for us in terms of client generation.

Keep up the great work and we'll see you around the blogosphere.

[Jeffrey C. Neu]

We have been doing this since about last October. Much more formal I think than your sites, and not nearly as robust, but it works so far.

[Enrico S.]

Jeffrey: Great web site. Very impressive. Isn't it interesting that the smaller niche firms offer much more on the web than many large firms and most medium sized firms?

[Jeffrey C. Neu]

Yes, I always find that odd, because generally speaking small firms can't compete resource wise. I've been a big follower of your firm/blog though, (started with your blog and now with your firm) and kudos to you as you are on a very solid path (as you well know).