Essential Content Your Criminal Defense Firm’s Webpages Must Include
Criminal defense is a particularly challenging segment of law that covers cases where individuals or companies are being charged with criminal activity on behalf of the local or federal government, often with very high stakes. Given the severity of the situation and the potential consequences of losing such a case, the defendants in these situations are usually experiencing a great deal of stress and fear. They often have difficulty finding someone they can trust. It is the job of a criminal defense attorney to find a way to work with the defendant and effectively determine the strategy that is in their best interest. Not only does this require an extensive knowledge of local and federal law, as well as years of experience in the field, it also requires the ability to build trust with your client.
Building upon this relationship is certainly a valued skill, but often perceptions of lawyers are created before meeting in person. Instead, clients often base their opinions on first impressions gleaned from legal websites. Overall, clients are way more likely to seek legal representation via Internet searches instead of relying on personal recommendations. When dealing with criminal defense cases, this is even more likely, as clients may feel shame or fear regarding their situation, making them feel like they’re unable to talk to the people in their personal life about their legal needs.
This is why it is absolutely critical for criminal defense attorneys to invest time and resources in the creation of a well designed, accessible, authoritative website detailing their services. The website then serves as an initial point of contact. The ideal criminal defense website will answer any immediate questions potential clients may have, expand upon your law firm’s level of skill and experience, and provide an accessible method of contact.
What to include?
Regardless of what areas of law you practice, you’ll want your new legal website to accurately represent the law firm as a whole. Your website’s homepage should offer a brief introduction that establishes you as a leading provider of legal services. At the same time, an additional “about us” page can elaborate further on your team members and their various qualifications. Details regarding your specific services should then be directed to your practice area pages.
Practice area pages are an excellent tool to communicate your relevance and value to clients by providing concrete context. For instance, an individual who has recently been in an automobile accident might be wondering whether or not legal assistance is necessary. Building a practice area page explaining how a lawyer can assist in such a situation can help communicate why hiring an attorney is absolutely indispensable. The same applies to situations the require working with a criminal defense lawyer.
That being said, not all practice area pages will look the same, as they should be tailored to convey the appropriate information. As such, you might be wondering what to include when creating your criminal defense practice area page. That’s why we’ve compiled a list detailing essential information to incorporate into your website.
Address the Most Pressing Question
Criminal defense cases are high-stress situations. As such, the very first thing clients will want to know is what they should do immediately after they or someone they care about has been arrested. While legal advice cannot be provided via a public online platform, you can describe what is involved in the process, in addition to detailing what steps are generally best to take in the aftermath of such an event. This sort of information serves multiple purposes. It helps address the client’s concerns, lower their stress level, and make them more receptive. It establishes you as a credible, knowledgeable source of information. Perhaps most importantly, it creates the foundation for a future working relationship.
Demonstrate Your Expertise By Clarifying Unknown or Misunderstood Information
The first step in proving you are a credible, trustworthy source is to answer the questions your clients are already asking. The second is answers to questions they have yet to ask. Often, much is misunderstood by the public regarding the world of law, which is why they depend upon legal representation to ensure fair treatment. One aspect that is often misunderstood is what rights a person has after they’ve been arrested. Just because a person has been formally accused of a crime doesn’t mean they automatically have to submit to everything demanded of them. Still, fear or anger towards authority can make them reluctant to speak up on their own behalf.
Your practice area page is the perfect place to remind potential clients of what general rights they have after being arrested while reinforcing that, as an attorney, part of your job is to defend those rights and ensure that they are upheld at all times.
Highlight the Differences Between a Public Defender and a Private Defense Firm
Given that defendants can be assigned a public defender if they don’t already have legal representation, it might be difficult for them to understand why they should bother hiring a private defense firm to handle their case. This is generally born out of a lack of information concerning the differences between the two. Most potential clients are aware that public defender services are provided free of cost, while private attorney services must be paid for. However, they may not be aware that public attorneys general have excessively heavy caseloads, making it difficult for them to prioritize individual cases. On the other hand, private attorneys are able to devote all their attention to their clients. They will be readily available to answer any questions or concerns throughout the entirety of the process. Clients might also be unaware of the sorts of resources a private defense firm may have at their disposal, such as access to private laboratories, which can go a long way towards strengthening their position.
Organizing all of this information in a way that is easily accessible to clients while differentiating your law firm from other criminal defense practices in the area can be a monumental task. At RizeUp Media, our team of experts has years of experience delivering polished website content. In addition to ensuring that every essential piece of information is included on your website, everything we create is done so in accordance with best SEO practices, increasing the amount of exposure for your law firm and helping you meet your goals. For more information on our services, contact us via our online form, or call us at 866-806-8543 today.