For many law firms, a website redesign begins with a relatively simple goal: modernize the firm’s online presence to better support business development efforts and ultimately improve the firm’s bottom line.

What often surprises firms is how quickly a website project expands beyond the marketing team.

A redesign may start with conversations about branding, design, and content, but before long it involves attorneys, leadership, IT, recruiting, intake, and administrative teams. What initially seems like a marketing-only initiative quickly becomes a project that can benefit, and therefore involve, the entire firm.

Modern website platforms have more functionality than ever. The challenge that raises is not technological, it is coordinating people, gathering content, managing approvals, and maintaining momentum while attorneys and staff still need to focus on client work.

The firms that get from ideation to website launch smoothly typically share two characteristics: a clear internal process and an experienced website partner who understands how law firms operate.

A Law Firm Website Project Touches More of the Firm Than Most People Expect

Marketing Teams Often End Up Managing Firm-Wide Coordination

In many firms, the marketing department serves as the central hub for a website project. While design and development may be handled by an external partner, marketing teams are often responsible for coordinating the many moving pieces required to keep the project moving forward.

This can include organizing timelines, gathering content, managing attorney outreach, coordinating vendor communication, consolidating feedback, and ensuring stakeholders remain aligned throughout the process.

As the project progresses, marketing professionals often find themselves balancing strategic responsibilities with project management duties. They become the connection point between leadership, attorneys, administrative staff, and external vendors.

To reduce this burden on internal marketing teams and keep projects on schedule, we encourage structured processes, clear communication channels, and defined milestones.

Attorneys Play a Critical Role in the Process

Attorneys play a critical role in website projects, contributing or approving biographies, practice descriptions, representative matters, thought leadership, and strategic feedback. They are answerable to clients and to their state bar authorities for everything on their website so their input is essential. Because attorneys are balancing client work, business development, and other responsibilities, website-related requests can naturally fall behind other priorities. Successful firms account for this reality by establishing decisionmakers, clear review processes, and realistic timelines from the outset.

Other Departments Frequently Become Involved

Website projects extend well beyond marketing. IT teams may review infrastructure and integrations, recruiting teams contribute careers content, intake teams help shape conversion pathways, and administrative staff assist with approvals and coordination. As a result, the website quickly becomes a firm-wide initiative rather than a standalone marketing project.

The Biggest Challenge Is Usually Coordination, Not Technology

When website projects encounter delays, technology is rarely the primary cause.

Most modern website platforms are capable of supporting the functionality law firms need. The greater challenge is often managing the flow of information, decisions, approvals, and content throughout the project lifecycle. An experienced law firm website partner anticipates the needs and obstacles of a project and proactively guides the firm toward a smooth and successful website launch.

Content Collection Takes More Time Than Firms Anticipate

If there is one aspect of a website project that consistently requires more time than expected, it is content collection.

Attorney biographies may be outdated, practice descriptions may vary in quality and voice, and contributors often provide information in different formats. Even when content exists, it typically requires editing, standardization, and approval before publication, making content collection one of the most time-consuming phases of a redesign.

Firms that navigate this phase successfully typically rely on structured content workflows rather than informal requests. Questionnaires, interviews, clear brand guidelines, editorial reviews, and organized approval schedules help transform what can otherwise become a lengthy and frustrating process into a manageable one.

Is Your Firm Set Up for a Smooth Website Project?

By now, a pattern has emerged. The biggest challenges in law firm website projects are rarely technical. They’re usually tied to content collection, stakeholder alignment, approvals, and keeping the project moving while everyone continues to focus on their day-to-day responsibilities.

The firms that navigate these challenges most successfully tend to have a few key things in place before the project begins.

Take a look at these essentials in our Website Project Readiness Checklist below:

Website Project Readiness Checklist

• We have clear goals for what the new website should accomplish.
• Leadership, marketing, and key attorneys agree on those goals.
• We have identified a project lead to keep communication organized.
• Everyone knows who has final decision-making authority.
• We have a plan for gathering biographies, practice area content, and other website materials.
• We have realistic expectations for review and approval timelines.
• Stakeholders understand the time commitment required during the project.
• We have a process for handling conflicting feedback and competing priorities.
• We have selected a website partner that understands how law firms operate.

How Many Boxes Can You Check?

If you found yourself hesitating on a few of these, you’re not alone. Most firms discover potential roadblocks only after the project is already underway.

That’s exactly why we created our Law Firm Website Readiness Assessment.

In just a few minutes, you’ll get a clearer picture of where your firm is well-prepared and where a few adjustments could help prevent delays, reduce internal friction, and create a smoother path to launch.

Take the free assessment here

A little preparation at the beginning of a website project can save weeks of frustration later. The firms that invest time in planning, alignment, and clear ownership often find that their redesign is far easier to manage than they expected.

Why Legal Industry Experience Matters in Website Projects

Most agencies know how to build websites.

What many don’t understand is that a law firm website project is more than just a design exercise. 

Attorneys are balancing client work, court appearances, business development, and firm management. Marketing teams are managing competing priorities. 

A website project often requires input from multiple stakeholders before anything can move forward.

A partner with legal industry experience understands the realities of running a law firm and can guide the project with less disruption to your team.

They understand:

• How law firms make decisions
• Common approval and review processes
• Legal marketing best practices
• Ethical and advertising considerations
• What prospective clients expect when evaluating a law firm online

When your website partner understands how law firms operate, your team spends less time managing the project and more time focusing on clients.

The result is a smoother process, fewer roadblocks, and a website that supports your firm’s reputation, growth, and long-term business goals.

Planning a Law Firm Website Redesign?

At LISI, we help law firms through every stage of a website redesign, from strategy and content development to project management, design, development, and launch.

Our goal is simple: reduce the burden on your team while delivering a website built to support your firm’s growth.

Contact us to learn how our approach can help simplify your next website project.