Designing Web Pages for Professionals

This is an index of materials and essays regarding the design of web pages for attorneys and other professionals.  Each essay is numbered in the table of contents at the top of the page and then available in the expanded index below.  The sub-parts to the essays are directly available through the bullets.

Special Links

The Bottom Line On the Tools You Need To Create An Acceptable Web Page	Making Browsers Into Readers -- Click Through, Hooks and Bait
A Better Bulletin Board -- in use -- information	Useful CGI Scripts, Etc.

Table of Contents

1. Turning Browsers Into Readers: Click Through, Hooks and Bait
2. Web Site Design for Small Firms, An Initial Primer.
3. Creating Web Sites for Small Firms -- An Introduction With Examples.
4. Basic Web Sites for Lawyers.
5. Netiquette Issues
6. Updates to Web Page Design for Attorneys.
7. National Internet Service Providers for Small Firms.
8. The Right Tools.
9. Search Engine Tutorial for Web Designers (by Digital Cafe).
10. Electronic Magazine Index.
11. How "Real People" Find Web Pages.
12. Design Service Providers.
13. IWA Webmastering Resource Center (direct link)
14. Why you should hire a professional graphic artist.
15. Bottom of Page.

Index

1. Making Browsers Into Readers -- Click Through, Hooks and Bait
   • What "click through," "hooks" and "bait" are -- an Introduction
   • Why Hooks and Bait are Difficult and Why They Matter.
   • Common Problems
   • Final Comments
   • [return to table of contents]
     
2. Web Site Design for Small Firms, An Initial Primer (ILPN Article)
   • Introduction
   • Basic Site Structure
   • Design and Rationale for Each Level
   • Execution
   • Conclusion
   • Footnotes
   • [return to table of contents]
     
3. Creating Web Sites for Small Firms -- An Introduction With Examples
   • The four reasons to have a web site
   • Rough Outline of a Model Site
   • Other issues
   • This article contains examples that can be used as a template for a small law office's web page.
   • Post Script: Fonts -- How to Use, Abuse and Understand Fonts -- By a German Designer
   • [return to table of contents]
     
4. Basic Web Sites for Lawyers
   • The technology and vocabulary of web pages
   • Inexpensive Web Hosting Services
   • Sample Site
   • Side Box: National ISPs
   • Side Box: What about Macs?
   • Summary of PC Tools for Do-It-Yourselfers
   • Browsing Tour of Sites
   • Todd Stauffer's Tour of Sites
   • Tangible Resources (Books, etc).
   • Design Notes, the footer, my home page, etc.
   • Help I can recommend
   • Updates Only
   • [return to table of contents]
     
5. Netiquette Issues
   • Contact Netiquette
   • Link Netiquette
   • Truth / Advertising Netiquette
   • [return to table of contents]
     
6. Updates to Web Page Design for Attorneys.
   • Web Page Design
   • <Meta> Tag Issues/Search Engine Clues
   • HTML Editors// Do it Yourself Tools, Part II
   • HTML Editors available for download
   • Gimmicks
   • Sample Sites
   • ISPs/Hosting Services Notes
   • *New Developments In Search Engines*warnings*
   • [return to table of contents]
     
7. National Internet Service Providers for Small Firms.
   • [return to table of contents]
     
8. The Right Tools.
   • [return to table of contents]
   • WebReference.com
   • Web Garage
   • Fonts -- How to Use, Abuse and Understand Fonts
   • Trellix // ICQ Site // Typography on the Web
   • Free E-Mail Clients // Useful CGI Scripts, Etc.
   • A Bulletin Board -- sample in use -- information.
     
9. Search Engine Tutorial for Web Designers (by Northern Web).
   • See also A webmasters guide to search engines by Calafia.
   • And how to improve search engine indexing on your site [Hot Monkey]
   • Great materials and "extras" by Jim Rhodes The Art Of Business Web Site Promotion I use some of his material and free scripts (see some in action at http://adrr.com/ -- forms, etc. for download at http://adrr.com/adr7)
   • Finally, check your site on the search engines.
   • Comments 1/1/1998 -- Still true October 7, 1998
   • [return to table of contents]
     
10. Electronic Magazine Index (links to on-line magazines with Web related topics)
    • Mecklermedia's Internet.com (featured magazine)
    • http://www.poorrichard.com/ -- a great book.
    • [return to table of contents]
      
11. Perspectives From Other Lawyers on the Web 
    • [return to table of contents]
      
12. IWA Resource Center
    • [return to table of contents]
    • Useful Software: Linkbot (check your site's links)
    • Useful Software: http://deadlock.com/promote/ (promote your site)
    • Web Marketing Info Center
    • AOL Resource Center http://members.aol.com/klbertness
      
13. Public Domain Web Site Development Contract (Copy)
    • All the boilerplate and more.
    • More law http://home.earthlink.net/~ivanlove/
    • And even more law http://www.fplc.edu/tfield/ipbasics.htm
    • http://www.batnet.com/oikoumene/tacr.html
    • Drafting Vendor-Oriented Affiliate Agreements v 1.0
      
14. Design Service Providers -- People who would like to design your web pages.
    • [return to table of contents]
      
15. On-line ratings for Web Hosting Services
    • [return to table of contents]

• "Web Sites -- The number grows daily; now close to 1 million with the word "law" in them.  But, except for some sole practitioners with niche practices, most are not yet productive."  Legal Management, page 6, January/February, 1997.
  
• John P. Weil & Company
  
• "The value of a Web page for attracting new clients remains uncertain.  Atlanta, Ga., patent attorney Jeffrey Kuester, whose site "The Technology Law Resource" [http://www.kuesterlaw.com] recently was named the best lawyer home page by the National Law Journal, told BNA he has yet to acquire a single new client directly through his home page.  Whether or not that occurs, Kuester said, the site proved tremendously useful in several other ways:  educating and sharing information, hiring employees and consultants, and demonstrating his bent for technology to his highly educated and computer literate clientele."  Ibid.
  
• Web sites can be useful, relevant and beneficial to a lawyer's practice, but, a web site can not replace a lawyer's practice.
  
• State of the Legal Web April 2, 1997
  
• http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9706a.html -- A critical editorial.
  
• [return to table of contents]