Law blog design – Does it Matter?

I‘ve been exchanging notes with a New York lawyer the last couple days regarding the design of his blog. Though his blog is drawing a lot of traffic, there has not been a corresponding rise in business.

We’re going to talk about some other things that can help, but I’m suggesting we discuss redesign of the blog to upgrade its feel. More professional for a little more sophisticated audience.

Then this morning the lawyer mentioned Darren Rowse’s post from tomorrow (it’s Saturday in Australia), ‘Blog Design – Does it Matter?’

On the one side are some bloggers who argue that design is secondary and not that important as it’s content that is what draws people to a blog and keeps them there. This camp often argues that with a lot of people reading blogs these days through RSS that design is less important as people rarely see it.

On the flip side we have the argument that design is very important because it creates a first impression in the mind of potential readers and that it’s around this first impression that many readers base their decision about whether they will subscribe.

My own theory fits more with the second argument – although it’s not absolutely everything in my mind.

I’m in the second camp as well. I don’t buy the concept of proving to folks that I can practice law by spending less than anyone. Looks matter.

I hear in some solo marketing listservs that ‘I’m practicing law in my house, I don’t need a nice office, I don’t have law firm assistants, I don’t go to expensive conferences, and I have a free or low cost blog from Blogger or Typepad. I’m spending less than any lawyer in my community, life’s great.’ Uh?

You went to 4 years of ungrad, 3 years of law school. Tons of tuition. Left 3 years of earnings on the table while you were in law school and your friends were out working.

You’re in a profession where you are asking people to trust you with their utmost confidential information. You’re practicing law where people expect professional dress, offices, and competent and caring support staff. And you’re trying to prove you can practice for nothing?

Folks, we’re lawyers. We’re in business. There’s a price to pay be a lawyer and to be in business. To be a better lawyer and get better work, it’s going to take a few bucks. That’s okay, it’s an investment. An investment in yourself, which is the best investment you can make.

What’s better? To pay $2,500 for tuition, air, and hotel to go to a national conference with leading lawyers each year or to sit watching $75 CLE’s on your computer? If you need to pull out the credit card with the 0% interest for a year, so what? You get 3 of those cards a week in the mail. If you can’t pay that conference off in a year from your practice, you’ve greater problems than we’re going to discuss here.

When it comes to marketing do you want to save four or five thousand dollars and forgo doing the work you love for the clients you’d enjoying having? Sure it causes you to swallow hard. What spending decision doesn’t?

As lawyers, there is a cost to doing business. And in the case of blog design, first impressions do matter. Step up to the plate and be a professional.