THE 2006-07 INTERNET MARKETING ATTORNEY AWARDS
A Review of the 250 Largest US Law Firm Web Sites - 2006-07
2006-07 IMA Reviews For Small/Mid-Size Firms
  
Welcome to the 2006-07 IMA (Internet Marketing Attorney) web site reviews and awards, featuring thumbnail reviews and scores for each of the 250 largest law firms in the United States.
The format and structure of the 250 are the same as in 2002, 2003 and 2004-05. Using an industry-accepted list of the 250 largest law firms in the nation, every site was reviewed extensively on a random date between June 2005 and April 2006. An average of 20 minutes was spent surfing each site. Once again, due to the hundreds of hours that go into this project each year, new and/or improved sites completed after the IMA review will have to wait until 2008 (or beyond) for a recount. There will be no do-overs.
The top thirty scores receive awards in excellence for their web sites. The top ten are IMA-Platinum; second ten IMA-Gold, third ten IMA-Silver. p>
The general process was the same. The domain name used was the intuitive URL, the keyword search from MSN or a search on Google. Firms were selected randomly from the 250 list during the process. No more than 20 reviews were ever conducted on a single day. The daily average was five. Every effort was made to keep the evaluation consistent from start to finish.
A maximum of ten points in each of five categories determine the total score. It was nearly impossible to get a perfect "10" or a goose egg zero. Five, as you might guess, is solid, or average. The categories are as follows:
Design - Devoted to the "look and feel" of the site, not simply the graphics. This includes splash pages, home pages, internal pages and specialty sites. Some of the most effective designs had very little in terms of graphics, but was effective in layout, or download time, or structure.
Content - Weighing the quality, quantity and availability of firm knowledge. How detailed are your attorney biographies? Practice area descriptions? Publications? Does the site offer up unique materials? Is the site a resource, added-value, informative or sketchy brochure ware?
Usability - What good is a site if it is difficult to use? Usability includes a variety of components. The basic premise looks at how to find the data you are seeking. It starts with consistent navigation. There are site maps, a variety of depth in searching and search results, how content is related, easy to read, easy to print. There is the way a database, often for attorney biographies or publications, is set up and operates. Usability relates to the types of end-user your site might expect-client, prospect, referring attorney, corporate counsel, law student, lateral hire, journalist, consumer, business owner. Some sites made it clear that the site was only for recruiting. A few were targeted for consumers. Most of the Top 250 Law Firms needed a presence that was useful to all of the aforementioned. Putting myself into all of those shoes (of which I've basically been in during my professional career), is this site useful, would I come back, did I find what I needed??? Was the experience easy or hard?
Interactivity - As long as your site had a bunch of e-mail links, you could do no worse than a few points here. Some good on-line forms, even better. Interactive components help separate a web site from a static piece of collateral. It is one of the great beauties of the web. There were sites that allowed you to customize the site for yourself. Not enough made great use of on-line forms for subscriptions, contacts, seminar registration, purchasing services. A few had bulletin boards or list servs to participate in. Some invited you to participate in quizzes or puzzles or demonstrations. Any time the site interacts with the end-user, for learning, for trading information, or just to entertain, you are taking advantage of the medium.
Intangibles - What are they? Just that. They are the components that do not simply fit into one of the neat-and-tidy categories above. Granted, it was easily the most subjective category. Everyone got at least one point for just existing. They were points for the firm that has continued to achieve greatness on the web for years. Often it was firms with amazing specialty sites or site characteristics unique enough to gain some "extra credit." It could be as easy as smart domain name use, or taking advantage of other web sites or technologies. Others got a point or two for dealing well with a recent merger. In some cases, it was a sharp marketing effort highlighted on the site. As is the case in selecting a lawyer or law firm, it is often the "intangibles" that determine the decision. This year, in some instances, scores were affected by the market, city or practice-how you rate against similarly-situated firms. And firms were rewarded for fixing 2002 and 2003 and 2004 and 2005 screw-ups and scores dropped for failing to make corrections long overdue.
TOTALS - Obviously, there were lots of firms that tied in total points. In looking at your point totals, figure it this way. If you scored in the 40s, you are clearly top tier. In the 30s, an above-average display of web prowess. If you are in the 20s, you probably realize that you could do a lot more, and be a lot better, if you wanted. If in the tens, once again, shame, shame on you! If you are in the single digits, you probably do not care about how you scored any more than you cared about developing a web site. There were firms that clearly made the web a priority in business development. For others, still an afterthought.
THE REVIEWS - While a great deal of time and effort was put into thoroughly rating each site, the reviews are limited to brief synopses, generally pointing out the good, bad and ugly. Sometimes, I pointed out recurring themes or issues. On a few occasions, there was just nothing to say. Nobody wants to read a bouquet of flowers, and nobody wants to just read how horrible they are. What I hope people take away is two-fold. The firm itself will take note of what to build on and where to strengthen. The "digs" will be taken in stride. Over the last five years, many attorneys, web developers and other IMA fans thanked me for the free advice, the publicity and the devotion to help marketing in the still-very-green legal industry improve.
More than 150 "non-billable" hours and six months went into this project. The small, mid-size and international firm categories received hundreds of nominations. Every one was considered. Objectivity and fairness continues to be my holy grail. Firms that have people I personally adore sometimes got roasted; firms that have some folks I would not share a beer with won some awards. There was no financial interest in this project and no financial considerations were involved. Not working for, or with, any company associated with the selling or building of web sites, or working for or with any company that has "considerations" in regard to these law firms, I did not pull any punches.
THE SMALL/MID-SIZE LAW FIRM WEB SITE REVIEWS
The point system and award categories are the same. However, the process is slightly different.
The 15 firms reviewed were all nominated over the course of 2005 and 2006.
Nominations included the firm themselves, web developers and other interested parties. There were hundreds of submissions from around the country.
THE INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM WEB SITE REVIEWS
Basically, this list follows the same patterns as the aforementioned small/mid-size category. Hundreds of firms around the globe get nominated. IMA picks the top 15. The new international IMAs will be released in June 2006.
"International" is any firm outside the United States. Smart firms from Canada to Turkey, Israel to China submitted nominations. They range from boutiques to European mega firms.
Why still do the IMAs?
Hundreds of thousands of page views and thousands of visitors from around the globe read them. They are recognized as the benchmark of online business development analysis for law firms. Rarely a day goes by that I do not receive an e-mail or phone call (from all over planet Earth) asking about law marketing. Visitors know that this is the only site of its kind that they can fully trust.
Unlike others in the industry, IMA accepts no payola from companies selling web and marketing products and services to law firms. We do not allow banner ads, "moderate" for compensation, co-sponsor for-profit events, or anything of the kind. When working for law firms, I am expected to do what is in the best interest of the firm, without care or consideration of who you use and where you spend your money.
Prior to 2001 (for nearly five years), I was involved in the sale of web sites and marketing products, none of which I ever sold to a single friend or relative. I was prevented from presented truly objective advice and commentary. The Nifty Fifty list was as close to "true education" as I could come. The 50 has grown into today's IMA. With no ties or affiliations and an unwillingness to compromise myself by taking money from vendors for advertising or promotion, I can shoot straight. The awards are not designed to sell anybody anything. But, obviously, it has marketing and branding purposes for showing the thought process and strategies that I provide in marketing consulting and programs.
IMA has been referred to as the "consumer reports of legal" and an "industry watchdog." Unlike many awards and reviews, it is very complete. There is no dividing up sites among groups that look at a few (inconsistent results), no fee to submit (limited to pay for play), no marketers sucking up to friends, vendors sucking up to customers or obvious attempts to extort money to buy an award. These are not the Oscars. You can't take out a big ad telling me to vote for you. Some of the largest firms in the world proudly display the IMA award on its home page. It is the ultimate symbol of succeeding in online business development for lawyers.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to contact the IMA via e-mail, micah@htmlawyers.com or phone (856) 234-4334.
The IMA site is intentionally kept separate from the for-profit business, HTMLawyers, Inc. (www.HTMLawyers.com). Of course, the revenue-generating side would love for you to consider marketing programs and projects for your business. If you like the attitude, approach and process for reviewing sites, you might enjoy cutting-edge, strategic, budget-conscious law marketing for your firm from marketing attorney Micah Buchdahl.
A Review of the 250 Largest US Law Firm Web Sites - 2006-07
2006-07 IMA Reviews For Small/Mid-Size Firms
2002-2004 ARCHIVE: - Click Here for 2002-2004 Archive of Top 250 Law Firms, Small/Mid-Size Firms and International Firms.
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