Writing for law firms can be difficult if you don’t have any experience with the requirements of the industry. Laws that limit how a law firm can market itself, citations for legal statutes, legal research, and more all come into play when crafting authoritative legal content for law firms.
In today’s Bizwrite spotlight, we’ll cover the basics for creating legal copy that drives action, while adhering to best practices necessary for producing legal content.
Laws for Law Firm Marketing
Just in the last fifty years, law firms were granted the ability to market their services. In fact, prior to the 1970s, most states did not allow for any advertising or marketing for law firms. But with the landmark case of Bates v. Arizona, the Supreme Court would set the precedent for attorney’s being able to advertise – citing First Amendment rights and a legal term known as “commercially protected speech“.
Even so, lawyers are held to very high ethical standards and their marketing efforts are likewise governed. Depending on the bar for the given state of practice, restrictions can be in place that limit how a law firm can market themselves. Some states bars will require that any marketing material carry a very visible warning that the message is for advertising purposes.
1. Tell the Truth
First and foremost, legal marketing can’t say anything that’s not true or misleading. The premise is, would a rational person looking at the firm’s content be mislead in any way by what they’re reading? If so, the legal content should be rewritten to conform better with the governing state board’s rules for ethics.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
In any legal content, you can’t make the reader believe that they’re going to get millions and millions for their particular case without adding some form of disclaimer. Firms can definitely highlight winning cases but need to add something like what you see in a weight loss commercial i.e. “results not typical”; meaning, most clients don’t win piles of money.
Legal content writing needs to inform and direct in a factual way. When the content fails to set realistic expectations, it can be found to be in violation of ethics rules.
3. Avoiding “We are the Best…” Statements
Some state boards absolutely do not allow a law firm to make the self-proclamation that they are the best at such and such. Saying “we are the best family law firm in Florida” can be seen as misleading and unverifiable, even if you are, in fact, the leading family law firm in all of Florida. Instead, look for industry awards and publications that let you showcase your firm in a readily-verifiable manner and also in a way that speaks to the professionalism of the firm.
Bizwrite helps craft award submissions for companies across the country. To do so successfully, we search for relevant and engaging business and civic organizations (think a “book of lists” or business journal entry) and create award submission copy that truly highlights a firm’s strengths. Once you’ve been recognized, you can freely advertise this accomplishment e.g. “Proud to be voted as the Best Place to Work in Florida. Our firm is like family and our people are our greatest asset…”
4. Never Claim to Be an “Expert” or “Specialist”
Almost all state boards have ethics rules against this specific assertion as it can be misleading. Even if the law firm you’re writing for is a recognized leader in their practice area, you simply cannot say that they are the expert in a particular area. This fact would be hard to verify and misleads the reader into believing something that might not be entirely true.
Rather than saying expert, highlight whatever certifications or recognitions the law team has from their state board. Most lawyers have advanced certifications that can be extolled upon at length. As with any digital content writing, make sure to link back to the state board.
Researching and Citing Legal Statutes
Whenever you’re researching for any legal content, you need to make sure you are not passing on “bad information”. Just going to a competitor’s site and rewriting what they wrote can end up costing you more than just leads if you’re continuing to perpetuate incorrect information. Instead, choose authoritative sites like “.gov” or “.edu” and research actual case precedent and statutes.
When you make an assertion in the writing and can link back to the actual state statute that comes into play, you significantly elevate the authority of the legal content. You’re also demonstrating to your reader that you understand their situation enough to be able to steer it to the applicable laws that your firm can use to start building a winning case. Potential clients want to see that their law team knows what they’re doing and legal content is just one more way to attract these visitors to particular practice areas or CTAs.
Getting Legal Content Writing Help
Whether you’re a marketing agency or a law firm, having a content writer experienced in legal content writing is a real asset for crafting compelling copy that adheres to the guidelines issued by the state bar. Our team continues to craft authoritative content for law firms that helps drive more leads straight to the firm’s practice areas. Contact our team today to get started with contract-free legal content reliably delivered to your team in a fast and professional manner.