In the criminal justice system, websites will be needed by district attorneys who leave their jobs to start law firms. These are their stories.
Every year, scores of lawyers working in public service make the decision to leave the government and set up private practices. Former prosecutors – AUSAs and ADAs among them – as well as those working as public defenders – make the decision to leverage their skills, experience and entrepreneurial spirit to create a new law firm.
Many will go it alone as solos, or, in our experience, most will join up with other lawyers to set up boutique law firms. The newly-minted partners may come from the similar backgrounds such as prosecutors’ offices, or may also include lawyers jumping ship from a large firm, or even a solo or two, to seek the advantages of working as a group.
DLS Design has served scores firms in this category. In our experience, the average size for this type of firm is about four lawyers at startup. While we are not privy to the details of our clients’ thought process, it appears the firms want a combination of backgrounds for a stronger team, and a sense of diversity when they open their doors. Some follow a modest growth pattern, and others blossom into larger firms over time.
Where have our clients come from?
Our clients, past and current, have come from a wide range of backgrounds, including AUSAs from the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District of Columbia or other parts of the country; ADAs from District Attorney’s Offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and other counties of New York; Counsel with New York City or State Departments such as NYC’s Department of Investigation, New York State’s Department of Financial Services, NYC’s Rackets Bureau or other positions; as well as lawyers coming from the US Department of Justice, including the Frauds Section or work as Independent Counsel.
And on the defense side, we’ve launched projects for private-practice lawyers emerging from the Federal Defenders of New York, the Legal Aid Society of New York, and similar offices in different parts of the country.
You are entitled to an attorney website
If you are leaving public service to start a new law firm, you will have a lot on your plate: planning on and selecting office space, insurance, (and employees – if not now, somewhere along your timeline). For many boutique law firms, planning your marketing efforts, and the design of a website in particular, come at or near the beginning. After all, expressing the nature of your practice and services will be key to winning business. It translates directly to the structure and design of your site. In fact, more than one client has suggested that their website was the template for the practice itself.
Relatedly, you’ll need to decide **who** should design your website. There are several types of vendors, including large legal service providers that offer some level of website design alongside other services; in some cases these websites come with restrictions that seem odd, for instance the absence of clickable email links in attorney bios. Obviously, if you are reading our blog, you will know that we would be interested in hearing about your project.
Benefits of working with a boutique web designer
DLS Design has been designing websites and branding for law firms for a long time. We can draw on long experience with former prosecutors becoming private practice lawyers. And, we know how to simplify what may look like a complex process, the design and implementation of a law firm site. Attorneys appreciate this because their work also depends on simplifying complex cases for their own clients.
We’d be happy to tell you about our disciplined creative process, and the steps in launching your new firm’s website and brand identity. At its core, this involves simple steps:
– learning about your firm
– showing you design concepts
– helping you organize content
– building the website
– launching the website
– promoting the website
We can also assist in helping you find a good domain, and registering it.
As an independent design studio, we tend to identify with boutique law firms. Of course we are not lawyers, but entrepreneurially speaking, we are alike in appreciating the flexibility of having our own business. When need be, we can all take advantage of the agility to make decisions quickly, and value our freedom from limitations that might be imposed by a larger organization. This informs our approach to helping launch a small law firm, whether started by former prosecutors, or any type of lawyer.
For more information, or to reach out to us, please email us us or fill out our contact form.