According to a recent study, a significant minority of solo practitioners have resisted getting a website. Here are five reasons why:
Too promotional: Many senior attorneys became professionals when self promotion was seen as unseemly. Advertising was considered unethical if not downright illegal. A website smacks of promotion and requires some engagement by the attorney. This is something they want to avoid like the plague.
Foreign world: Lawyers don’t like to be at the mercy of other professionals. Many of them are very suspicious of technology, particularly any new technology. The Internet doesn’t make sense to them because they don’t use it.
Uncomfortable with what to say: Attorney love to craft their language, use their skills of verbal precision to argue or explain a position. This is a painstaking process. To think about boiling down their practice, their livelihood into a few hundred words, seems impossible.
Worried about being visible: Many attorneys don’t want to attract unwanted attention. They don’t want to deal with legal issues for which they don’t have expertise. They are afraid that a website will lead to an onslaught of irrelevant emails they will forced to answer.
Doing fine, why rock the boat? Many solos had flourishing practices long before the Internet become the World Wide Web. They have made it this far, why bother?
But the fact is, increasingly even attorneys who get their business through referrals, need a website. It is seen as a sign that they are a legitimate business. Here is a link to my article about how to get up a website as painlessly and effectively as possible.
