How to create a law firm website: a step-by-step guide

Step 1: define the site's goal and target clients

Before talking about design or tools, decide what the site is for. A lawyer setting up practice first needs to be identifiable and reachable. An established firm often expects something else: better-qualified appointment requests, job applications, or an image that reflects its repositioning.

Individuals or businesses: two different journeys

An individual arrives with a specific situation: a dismissal, a separation, a dispute with a landlord. They want to know whether you handle their problem and how to reach you, and they check several specific pieces of information before choosing a lawyer online.

A business owner is more likely to compare expertise and working methods. These two audiences expect neither the same pages nor the same tone.

Write down on one page your target clients, the three situations that lead them to look for a lawyer and the action you expect from them on the site. This document will be your reference for each of the following steps.

Step 2: choose and register a compliant domain name

Article 10.5 of the RIN requires the domain name to include the lawyer's name or the firm's name, possibly abbreviated. A purely generic domain, such as "avocat-divorce-paris.fr", is prohibited.

The same article only allows the name to be preceded or followed by the word "avocat" (lawyer), as in "dupont-avocat.fr", and prohibits domain names that generically refer to an area of law. A variant such as "dupont-droit-du-travail.fr" therefore falls outside what the text expressly allows: stick to your name, or have the variant approved by your bar council before buying it.

Check the name before you buy it. Changing it later is possible, but requires a planned migration with redirects, and visibility may fluctuate while Google processes the change.

Step 3: build the site structure

The site structure is the list of pages and how they are organised. For a law firm, it answers two visitor questions: "Does this lawyer handle my problem?" and "How do I contact them?".

The essential pages

One page per practice area

A "Expertise" page listing ten fields in ten lines helps neither visitors nor Google. Create a page for each area you actually practise: the situations handled, how you work, the lawyer who handles this type of case.

The RIN limits to three the main practice areas a lawyer may claim, and they must reflect actual, regular practice. This cap does not limit the number of pages: it only prohibits presenting the same lawyer as primarily active in more than three areas across the whole site.

Do you need a legal blog at launch?

Not necessarily. A blog is only worthwhile if you regularly publish useful, reviewed and dated articles. Five solid expertise pages at launch are worth more than a blog abandoned after three articles.

Step 4: write content that complies with professional ethics

The French bar's national rules (RIN), in particular Article 10, and Article 15 of the 2023 code of ethics govern how the profession communicates. These rules come on top of the obligations of any professional website.

Mandatory notices

Article 10.2 of the RIN requires you to make available your status as a lawyer, your identity, the firm's address, your contact details, your bar, the practice structure and, where applicable, the network you belong to.

Add the legal notices required on any professional website, adapted to your status: identity, contact details, registration, applicable VAT, host and publication director, as well as structure details for a company. If you contract with consumer clients, give the name, address and website of the relevant consumer mediator.

The RIN also prohibits any advertising banner or insert other than those of the profession, as well as links to sites that go against the profession's core principles. Check your outbound links before launch, then regularly.

These rules still leave room for persuasive copy. Precise copywriting that describes your clients' situations and how you handle them reassures without promising results.

Specialisation: a protected word

Specialisation claims, including the word "specialist", are reserved for lawyers holding a valid specialisation certificate. Without a certificate, talk about "practice areas". Attribute each claim to the lawyer who holds it: a firm does not become "specialised" because one of its partners is.

Displaying your fees

The CNB strongly recommends creating a "Fees" section. You don't have to show a price per case: explain how you bill (flat fee, time spent, additional success fee), what is included and any extra costs. A written fee agreement remains the rule.

If you carry out activities subject to regulated fees and charges, Article L444-4 of the French Commercial Code requires them to be displayed on the site.

Client reviews and testimonials

It is tempting to show testimonials or a Google reviews widget on the home page. For a lawyer, it is risky. The CNB guide on platforms (March 2020) reports an ethics opinion of 18 May 2015 that was unfavourable to including clients' praise on the lawyer's website.

This position may have changed: ask your bar council before adding anything. Also distinguish two situations: reviews published by a third party on a platform, and reusing them on your own site.

Client references call for the same caution. Professional secrecy covers your clients' names, so a logo or a named case study, common on business websites, is a real problem here.

Step 5: design a sober, reassuring site

The web design of a lawyer's website must first convey rigour. Readable typography, a restrained palette and real photos of the team and offices do more to build trust before the first contact than a spectacular animation. A consistent brand identity also helps you stand out from other lawyers using the same templates.

Take care of reading on a phone, with a contact option that is easy to spot. Also think about accessibility: sufficient contrast, keyboard navigation, clearly labelled form fields.

Step 6: choose the right technical solution

There are three families of solutions, and the right choice depends on your budget, your availability and the features you need.

The timeline depends on the scope, content preparation and how long you take to approve. Ask for a schedule that separates scoping, mock-ups, development, acceptance testing and launch.

A turnkey tool can be perfectly fine to get started. A "lawyer" template offered by a provider does not, however, guarantee that its copy and modules comply with professional ethics: review everything.

Professional secrecy also applies to the tool. Check that the site is served over HTTPS, that each person at the firm has their own account with strong authentication, that backups are made and tested, and identify the host as well as the tools that receive contact requests.

What to prepare before starting the project

• Contact details, bios and photos of each lawyer.
• Specialisation certificates and the list of areas actually practised.
• The person who approves copy within the firm.
• The features you need: simple contact, appointment booking, online consultation or payment.

If you sell online consultations, Article 19 of the RIN requires both lawyer and client to be identifiable: plan for identifying the parties, checking conflicts of interest and a suitable contractual process.

Before signing with a provider, ask three questions: who owns the domain name and the access? Will I be able to edit the content myself? What happens if I change provider?

Step 7: prepare SEO for Google and AI search engines

If your clients are local, target searches that combine your practice areas and your location, such as "employment lawyer Lyon". Adapt this priority to your actual clients, and check in Search Console which queries really bring you visitors.

Local SEO and Google Business Profile

Create and complete your Google Business Profile with the same name, address and phone number as on the site. Mention your city on practice area pages when proximity matters to the client: it is one of the most direct levers to generate consultation requests from your website.

Being understood by generative engines

ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews increasingly answer everyday legal questions. To make your pages easier to understand, give clear answers in the first lines, identify the author and date your updates. A GEO audit shows whether these engines already cite your firm, and on which questions.

These practices guarantee no citation. Google states that the fundamentals of SEO also apply to AI Overviews, with no special optimisation required.

A form that protects confidentiality

Ask only for what you need to call the person back: name, contact method, area concerned, a few lines on the subject. Avoid a free-text field that invites them to tell the whole case: that information would pass through your tools before you have even accepted the matter.

You can show a short notice below the form and link to a detailed privacy policy. Together they must cover the information required by the GDPR: controller, purpose, legal basis, recipients, retention period, rights and how to exercise them, complaints to the CNIL and any transfers. This information does not exempt you from securing the processing.

Also check which trackers your analytics, booking or map tools use. Those that require consent must stay blocked until the visitor agrees, refusing must be as easy as accepting, and the choice must be revocable. Some audience measurement tools are exempt under conditions, so a banner is not always needed.

Step 8: go live, inform the bar council and measure

The pre-launch checklist

• The domain name includes your name or the firm's name.
• The RIN notices and legal notices are complete and adapted to your status.
• No specialisation claim without a valid certificate.
• No promise of results, no comparison with other lawyers.
• Regulated fees and charges are displayed if they apply to you; a fees section is recommended.
• The form collects the minimum and the GDPR information is complete.
• Trackers that require consent are blocked until the visitor agrees.
• Links, buttons and form submission have been tested.
• Public pages are accessible to search engines: staging blocks have been removed.
• The sitemap is submitted and the main pages checked in Search Console.

Inform your bar council

Article 10.5 of the RIN requires you to inform the bar council without delay when the site is launched and whenever it is substantially changed, giving the domain names used. Some bars, such as Paris, have their own procedure: check with yours before launch.

The metrics to track from the first month

Set up conversion tracking that counts requests received by form and by phone, the pages that trigger them and the queries that bring you visitors in Search Console. Measure the volume of requests, never their content: case data has no place in an analytics tool.

How much does it cost to create a lawyer's website?

A custom website for an independent lawyer costs €6,500 to €13,000 excl. VAT at Gemeos. The price of a law firm website rises with the number of lawyers, practice areas, offices and languages, and with features such as appointment booking.

These budgets cover scoping, site structure, design, development, integration of the content you supply, testing and handover. Copywriting, translation and photos are priced separately, as is the ethics review of the copy, which remains the firm's responsibility.

Also plan for annual costs: domain, hosting or subscription, maintenance and optional tools, as for any website project. These benchmarks do not replace a quote based on your scope.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing a generic domain such as "meilleur-avocat-lyon.fr".
• Using a specialisation claim without proof, or extending it to the whole firm when it only applies to one member.
• Installing a reviews widget without asking your bar council.
• Showing client logos or names, in breach of professional secrecy.
• Leaving the domain and access with the provider alone.
• Asking for the whole case in the form before the first conversation.
• Forgetting to inform the bar council when the site is launched or substantially redesigned.

Key takeaways

Creating a law firm website means dealing with these rules from the scoping stage, not at launch. At Gemeos, we build them into the specifications of every law firm website: pages per practice area, RIN notices, a minimal form and local SEO.

FAQ

Is a lawyer required to have a website?

No, no rule requires a lawyer to have a website. If they open one, they must follow the profession's communication rules and inform their bar council.

How much does a lawyer's website cost?

€6,500 to €13,000 excl. VAT for a custom website for an independent lawyer, and €9,000 to €17,500 excl. VAT for a multidisciplinary firm. The price mainly depends on the number of lawyers and practice areas presented, the languages and features such as appointment booking.

Can a lawyer build their own website?

Yes, with a website builder or a CMS. They remain responsible for complying with professional ethics: domain name, mandatory notices, specialisation claims and informing the bar council.

Can you create a lawyer's website for free?

Yes, some website builders offer a free plan, but the address provided remains the platform's, which sits badly with the RIN requirement for a domain name that includes your name. At a minimum, plan for a personal domain name and check that the plan lets you display all the mandatory notices.

Which notices are mandatory on a lawyer's website?

Your status as a lawyer, identity, address, contact details, bar, practice structure and any network, as required by the RIN. Add the legal notices adapted to your status and, if you contract with consumers, the contact details of the consumer mediator.

Can you use the word "specialist" on your website?

Only if you hold the corresponding specialisation certificate and it is still valid. Without a certificate, talk about practice areas.

Do you have to declare your website to the bar council?

Yes: you must inform the bar council without delay when the site is launched and whenever it is substantially changed, giving the domain names. Some bars have their own procedure: check with yours.

Can a lawyer display client reviews on their website?

It is not advisable: the CNB guide of March 2020 reports a 2015 ethics opinion unfavourable to reusing clients' praise on the lawyer's website. Ask your bar council before installing a reviews module.

How long does it take to create a lawyer's website?

Preparing and approving your copy usually sets the schedule more than the technical work does. An independent lawyer whose content is ready moves much faster than a multi-office firm that needs translations: ask for a step-by-step schedule before signing.