I recently looked at about fifty different law firm websites while researching for a client. Try this: open a homepage, then another, then another, and another, and another…
You’ll see a skyline—timelapse blurred or bathed in corporate blue. A tagline like “Strategic Counsel. Proven Results.” Or “Results Matter.” Maybe a rotating carousel of victories, a serif headline, and somewhere beneath the fold, a news section that hasn’t been updated since last quarter.
It’s not wrong. It’s just… identical. Mind-numbingly identical.
For an industry built on precedent, it’s understandable. But from a business perspective, it’s nuts (and I mean that as a professional term). When every firm says the same thing the same way, differentiation is impossible—not just visually, but strategically.
This isn’t bad design. It’s intellectual poverty—where a firm’s visual and verbal expression fails to match its sophistication. And in a market where clients have more choices than ever, this sameness has real consequences.
The Business Cost of Blending In
Consider what happens when a general counsel needs outside counsel for a complex transaction. They know the tier of firm they need. They have a shortlist of five to seven firms with comparable credentials, similar rankings, and overlapping practice strengths.
Now they visit each firm’s website. Same skyline. Same language about “strategic counsel” and “proven results.” Same empty conference rooms—and partner bios that read like they were written from a template.
In the absence of a clear distinction, the decision often defaults to existing relationships or—increasingly—price. When you look interchangeable, you become interchangeable. And interchangeable services command commodity pricing.
This dynamic is particularly acute in lateral hiring. Today’s lateral partners and senior associates research firms extensively before engaging. They’re not just evaluating compensation and platform—they’re assessing culture and vision. A website that looks like it was designed by committee suggests a firm that operates by committee. The most entrepreneurial talent—often the talent you most want—seeks firms that demonstrate the confidence to be distinctive.
The Forces That Keep Everything the Same
Risk Aversion Masquerading as Professionalism
Law firms are risk-averse by nature. That’s their value—clients hire lawyers to identify and mitigate risks others miss. But when that same mindset shapes brand expression, it creates a different kind of risk: the risk of irrelevance.
A partner reviews the proposed website: “What if this bold color alienates conservative clients?” Another questions whether an unconventional layout seems unprofessional. Each concern compounds into design paralysis.
But here’s what’s rarely discussed in those meetings: What about the risk of looking exactly like your competition? What about the conservative clients who also value innovation and want to know their law firm can think creatively? What about the opportunity cost of all the clients who can’t remember which firm is which because everyone’s website blurs together?
The most risk-averse choice isn’t always the safest choice. When everyone zigs together, sometimes the riskiest thing is not zagging.
Websites Built to Placate, Not Perform
Many law firm websites aren’t designed to persuade. They’re designed to survive internal politics—existing in careful neutrality that placates every practice group while serving no one well.
Watch any large firm’s website redesign meeting. Litigation wants equal billing with corporate. Tax insists their new hire needs prominence. By the time everyone’s concerns are addressed, the website has become less a strategic tool and more of a peace treaty.
But websites aren’t org charts—they’re business development tools. Every moment spent navigating internal hierarchies is a moment not spent addressing client needs. Every compromise that adds another layer of complexity is another reason to leave the site.
The most successful professional services websites start with a different question: What does our audience need to know, and in what order? They organize around client problems and solutions, not internal structure. They recognize that the website’s job isn’t to make every partner feel equally represented—it’s to convert visitors into clients.
The Compound Problem of AI-Generated Sameness
Let’s discuss the credential clichés—phrases that feel substantial but mean nothing. “Client-first.” “Results-driven.” “Strategic counsel.” These aren’t messages; they’re linguistic security blankets.
This problem is about to get exponentially worse. As marketing teams increasingly turn to AI tools for content generation, they’re feeding these tools a diet of undifferentiated content. The output? More of the same, but faster. When every firm’s content reads like it came from the same machine—because increasingly, it did—the race to the middle accelerates.
Here’s what happens next: Search engines and AI-powered tools that potential clients use for search will have an even harder time distinguishing between firms. Your SEO investment becomes less effective. Your thought leadership becomes invisible in a sea of similar content. Your digital marketing ROI declines even as you spend more.
The firms that will win in an AI-mediated world are those with distinctive voices that can’t be replicated by machines trained on everyone else’s content.
What Sophisticated Design Actually Means
Let’s be clear: distinctive design doesn’t mean flashy. It doesn’t mean abandoning professionalism for the sake of being different. It means making deliberate choices that align with your strategic position.
Consider two approaches: Firm A claims to be innovative and forward-thinking. Their website uses the same template as fifty other firms, the same stock photography, the same tired language. The disconnect between message and medium undermines their entire proposition.
Firm B claims the same innovation. Their website demonstrates it through clear information architecture, thoughtful use of data visualization for complex concepts, and case studies that actually explain their innovative approaches. The medium reinforces the message.
Who would you call?
Design, like legal advice, reveals how you think. When your expression lacks sophistication, clients wonder what else might be lacking. They may not consciously analyze your typography or color choices, but they absorb the overall impression: Does this firm pay attention to details? Are they presenting complex information in interesting ways? Do they have the confidence to stand behind their convictions?
The Alternative Legal Provider Wake-Up Call
While law firms debate whether their shade of blue is professional enough, alternative legal service providers are eating their lunch on routine matters. These providers often have websites that clearly articulate their value proposition, explain their process, and demonstrate their difference.
They’re not worried about looking “too different.” They’re worried about winning business. And increasingly, they are.
The same dynamic is playing out with the Big Four. Their legal services arms don’t look like traditional law firm websites. They look like modern professional services firms that happen to practice law. They emphasize efficiency, technology, and clear pricing—messages that resonate with cost-conscious clients.
Every year that law firms cling to sameness is another year that alternative providers define what innovation looks like in legal services.
A Path Forward
The solution isn’t to throw out everything and start over. It’s to make strategic, deliberate choices that align your brand expression with your business objectives.
Start with these questions:
What do you do differently? Not aspirationally, but actually. Do you have a unique service delivery model? A particular expertise that goes deeper than anyone else’s? Make that the centerpiece of your brand, not an afterthought.
Who is your ideal client? Not “Fortune 500 companies” but the specific decision-makers who value what you uniquely offer. What do they care about? What problems keep them up at night? How do they make decisions? Design for them, not for your partnership.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid? This isn’t about being reckless. It’s about identifying where fear, rather than strategy, is driving decisions. Are you using that tired skyline photo because it’s effective or because it’s safe? Are you using generic language because it resonates or because it won’t offend?
How can you test and learn? Start with microsites for practice groups or recruiting. Test different approaches with specific audiences. Build evidence for what works. It’s easier to sell success than theory.
The Competitive Reality
Your firm is not interchangeable. But if your brand expression is, you’re asking clients to work harder to understand your value. In a world where attention is scarce and options are plentiful, that’s a big ask.
Design is how you demonstrate leadership without saying a word. It’s the quality of your typography that suggests attention to detail. It’s the clarity of your information hierarchy showing how you organize complex ideas. It’s the sophistication of your imagery—choosing visuals that illuminate concepts rather than fill space—that shows you think beyond the literal. It’s the confidence to use white space while others fill every pixel with anxiety. These aren’t superficial choices—they’re demonstrations of the same capabilities clients hire you for: clarity, confidence, and the ability to distinguish what matters from what doesn’t.
The legal industry faces unprecedented pressure. Alternative providers are redefining client expectations. Technology is commoditizing routine work. Clients have more choices and less patience. In this environment, every touchpoint matters. Your website isn’t just a brochure—it’s often the first demonstration of your thinking.
The firms that thrive will be those that recognize digital presence as one crucial tool among many—and use it effectively. They understand that in a field where everyone claims exceptional expertise, the ability to “show, not tell” might be the key differentiator.
The choice is yours. But while you’re debating what shade of blue feels professional enough, your competitors—and entirely new categories of competitors—are redesigning what legal services look like.
And your clients are noticing.
Lynda Decker leads a team at Decker Design that focuses on helping law firms build differentiated brands. This post was originally published on Lynda’s LinkedIn newsletter, Marketing without Jargon.
Header image by Zuzana Rainet for Unsplash+.
The post Why Do All Law Firm Websites Look the Same? appeared first on PRINT Magazine.