Your firm may already appear in lawyer directories you haven't looked at for a while. Meanwhile, a colleague has suggested several more. The useful question is which profiles will help someone find a firm that handles their issue, in the place where they need help.
Below is a shortlist of legal directories and referral resources, grouped by purpose, followed by guidance on practice areas and profile wording. For Google, Bing and the other broad business platforms, start with the guide to business directory listings and SEO.
General lawyer directories
Start with these when you want a profile that describes the attorney or firm, its practice areas and how to get in touch. Search for an existing entry before creating a new one.
- Avvo lets people search by practice area and location, and shows ratings and client reviews on lawyers' profiles.
- The Justia Lawyer Directory organizes lawyers by practice area and location; Justia says claiming, verifying and updating a lawyer profile is free.
- FindLaw is built around searches by legal issue, with categories such as injury, family law, defense and business law.
- Martindale-Hubbell lets visitors filter attorneys by practice area and location, and by peer and client reviews.
- Lawyers.com works for practices whose clients search by legal issue, or by a lawyer's name and location, with areas including family, criminal defense, immigration and bankruptcy.
Choose the directories that describe your work clearly. A family law firm might begin with profiles where divorce, custody and related matters are easy to distinguish. A business law practice should look at how the site presents contracts, corporate work and other services it actually offers.
Directories based on professional selection
These belong in a different group because recognition involves a selection process. They aren't simply another form to complete when adding a firm to directories.
- Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys through a selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research.
- Best Lawyers bases its recognition on peer review, with its own nomination and eligibility rules.
If an attorney holds one of these recognitions, use the organization's current wording and publication guidance when describing it. Keep recognition, professional membership and a directory profile distinct in your own marketing. They communicate different things to a prospective client.
State and local bar referral resources
Include the bar resources for the area where the firm practices. Two useful starting points are:
- The ABA's bar directories and lawyer finders, which points to state and local resources for people looking for legal help.
- The State Bar of California's certified referral-service directory, useful for California firms looking into local referral services; visitors can search the services by county, area of law and language.
The California page is a directory of referral services, rather than a place for a firm to submit a lawyer profile directly. Follow through to the relevant service and read its participation requirements. A public bar profile and membership of a referral panel should be handled as separate decisions.
Choose practice areas a prospective client will recognize
Use the matters the firm currently accepts as your starting point: personal injury, criminal defense and DUI, family law, immigration, bankruptcy, elder law or business law. NeotecMedia's legal industry services include general attorney directories and websites focused on particular practice areas.
Be specific inside those categories. For a family law practice, divorce and child custody may tell the reader more than a broad list of unrelated legal services. For elder law, describe the actual work undertaken instead of borrowing another firm's service list.
A profile line might read: Family law practice handling divorce, child custody and support matters, with initial consultations arranged by phone. Adapt the wording to the firm's actual services and arrangements. It should answer a prospective client's first question about fit.
Avoid adding every available category. Someone looking for a bankruptcy lawyer should be able to see that work clearly, without sorting through a description that appears to cover every area of law.
Give each profile enough detail to be useful
Include current contact details, the relevant office, a working website link and the practice areas handled there. For an individual attorney, add accurate professional credentials, jurisdictions and languages where the directory has suitable fields.
Distinguish a firm profile from an attorney profile. If several attorneys work at one office, don't give each the same generic biography. Explain the relevant work and qualifications without inventing differences or overstating experience.
Make the consultation route clear. If people should call before visiting, say so. If an inquiry form is the best starting point, link to the relevant page. A visitor shouldn't have to guess whether the profile's phone number goes to the right office.
Keep advertising rules and updates in view
The ABA's Model Rule 7.1 prohibits false or misleading communications about a lawyer or the lawyer's services. Its jurisdictional comparison charts show how jurisdictions modify the model rules. Have the responsible lawyer review the wording under the rules that apply to the firm, particularly claims about experience, credentials and results. This article is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
Keep the live profile URLs in one place and revisit them after an office move or a change in attorneys, services or contact details. One person should know how to request corrections. That is enough of a system to prevent old information from becoming everyone's unfinished task.
Start with a useful shortlist
Choose directories that suit the firm's practice and the way prospective clients look for help. Complete those profiles well before expanding the list.
For additional entries in directories organized by field, the directory listings page explains NeotecMedia's service. Keep the same standard wherever you list: a reader should understand what the firm does and how to ask about it.