As you hear all about blogs, all
you need to know is that it has been more than two years since
Visalaw started theirs. Just check the old IMAs and Nifty
Fifty. In other words, there are leaders and followers.
Siskind Susser has always been a leader in the online world.
Numerous immigration lawyers and firms have tried to duplicate
everything from creating a massive e-mail newsletter following
to figuring out how to practice virtually. Along the way, this
firm has become one of the largest immigration firms in the
nation. Yet, unlike many firms, the commitment to the web has
never lost steam. They manage to update the site practically
daily—if not more. And talk about interactivity. If you meet
someone that has anything to do with immigration law and they
have not been to this site, they are either incompetent or
liars. Everyone knows them. And without the web, they would
not be who and where they are in the industry.
In the small/midsize firm
category, it is a lot more difficult to move into the IMA
award rankings because a bunch of these firms did not create a
great site and then sit back and wait. P&W’s presence has
been updated in look, feel and functionality to stay ahead of
the curve. Little touches like the “send this page to a
friend” (which operates a little different from the standard
“e-mail this page”) add to the experience. The updating is
insane—with about a half-dozen changes on the morning of this
review. Like Visalaw, Yourlawyer has not lost a step.
The flash-based design focuses
on the firm’s three main practice groups. The look and the
ability to put a spotlight on those core practices are
effective. If you are looking for a “careers” section that is
different and refreshing, this is the place. Behind the
scenes, the site can pump content into print materials as
well. The right combination of design elegance and content
balance—in a way that is user-friendly. An excellent online
effort by a firm that continues to grow.
When I saw the “Tom’s of Maine”
logo and a link to details of their recent acquisition by
Colgate, I knew the firm was still on the ball online. There
is nothing like reading the Wall Street Journal and then
visiting a site and seeing a firm’s involvement in a related
news item. I’m still in love with the site’s organization and
structure. It is just clean, smooth and easy to use. I also
particularly like their ability to back up messages. For
example, they say regional, national and international—which a
lot of firms say—but show details of the practice in regard to
each. The bulk of content is current, although a few
publications need a swift kick.
With about 100 attorneys, they
are much more mid than small, but the firm has created a
presence that does a great job in some key areas. For
starters, they have managed to integrate a number of blogs
into the site. This integration can be seen through practice
pages, articles, client alerts and press mentions. Many firms
blog, few integrate to take full advantage of the medium. Much
of what makes this site enormously successful in terms of
search engine recognition and end-user effectiveness is the
crafty development mind behind it. IMA has sent a bunch of
firms to Justia. I highly doubt you’ve met someone who knows
more about legal and online than Tim Stanley—the brains behind
Justia. All I know is that he knows more than I do—and I never
say that. Never. Stark has a mix of practices that are tough
to balance in terms of marketing, but they’ve managed to do it
better than most.
