How We Work
Every website project starts with a conversation and a proposal written for the firm. Dan leads the engagement through one coded design direction, coordinating the studio team, collaborative refinement, final approval, and launch.
From first call to launch
The scope and schedule change from project to project. The working sequence stays straightforward, and each decision is made on the website that will become the finished site.
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Before you hire Dan
Conversation and proposal
After you reach out, we schedule a Zoom call to discuss the firm, the people it serves, the current site, priorities, scope, and questions. Dan then prepares a comprehensive proposal that defines the site structure, responsibilities, included services, target schedule, and fee.
At this stage
- Zoom consultation
- Comprehensive written proposal
- Defined scope, responsibilities, schedule, and fee
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Project kickoff
Agreement and questionnaire
If you decide to proceed, both parties sign the agreement and the first 50 percent payment is due. Dan then sends a focused questionnaire about the firm, its clients, goals, competitors, content, and design preferences. It is detailed enough to be useful without turning kickoff into an unnecessary exercise.
At this stage
- Signed website design agreement
- Initial 50 percent payment
- Completed website design questionnaire
- Initial content and asset list
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When identity work is part of the scope
Logo first, when included
If the project includes a new logo, that work comes before the website. The approved identity establishes the visual foundation, including color, typography, and the tone that will carry into the site. When the firm already has a suitable identity, website work begins from those existing materials.
At this stage
- Approved logo when included
- Color and typographic foundation
- Production-ready brand files
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Initial website presentation
The first design is a working website
Dan does not begin with wireframes or present a menu of mockups. Based on the call, questionnaire, approved scope, brand, and content plan, he builds one initial design as a fully coded, password-protected website. That working site becomes the basis for the project.
At this stage
- Password-protected coded website
- Visual hierarchy and template system in working code
- Content structure shown in context
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On the working site
Review, content, and refinement
You review the initial website and send consolidated feedback. Dan implements the agreed modifications on the working site, and the design is refined within the approved scope until it is ready for final approval. When original writing is included, it is placed into the initial website and delivered in Word format for separate review at the same time.
At this stage
- Client review and consolidated feedback
- Agreed design and content modifications
- Written content in Word when included
- Completed responsive page system
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Before go-live
Approval, final payment, and launch
Once the firm approves the completed website, the remaining 50 percent balance is due before launch. Dan completes the final form, link, responsive, accessibility, metadata, structured-data, and migration checks, then moves the approved site to its live domain.
At this stage
- Final client approval
- Remaining 50 percent payment
- Pre-launch quality assurance
- Launch at the firm's live domain
Want a proposal based on your firm’s actual scope?
Request a Quote →After the site is live
Launch is the end of the build, not the end of the working relationship. Training, hosting, and continuing work are handled according to the approved proposal and the firm’s preferences.
Training
Dan can prepare custom how-to videos or meet by Zoom to show the firm how to make routine WordPress updates.
Hosting
Dan hosts the sites he builds on managed WordPress hosting. If the firm requires another arrangement, that is discussed before launch.
Continuing work
Ongoing content, design, and technical support are available under a separate retainer or written quote. Ongoing SEO campaigns remain a separate specialist engagement.
What can affect the schedule
The proposal sets the target schedule after the page count, content responsibilities, optional logo or writing work, functionality, and review path are clear. Work begins after the agreement, first payment, and completed questionnaire, and after the firm has provided the materials needed for Dan to proceed.
Delays in content, photography, access credentials, feedback, or approvals can move the launch date. If the scope changes, the effect on the fee and schedule is discussed before the additional work begins. The content strategy and writing page explains the writing responsibility split, and the pricing page explains how the scope is quoted.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a law firm website take?
There is no universal project length. The proposal sets a target schedule after the page count, content responsibility, optional logo or writing work, functionality, and approval path are known. The schedule begins after the agreement, first payment, completed questionnaire, and required starting materials are in place.
How much of our time will the project require?
The firm completes the questionnaire, provides accurate substantive information and requested materials, identifies who can approve the work, and reviews the working website at the agreed milestones. The time required depends on content readiness, the number of decision-makers, and whether the firm or Dan is responsible for each draft.
Do you use wireframes or present several mockups?
No. Dan develops one initial direction as a fully coded, password-protected website. It is based on the consultation, questionnaire, approved scope, brand, and content plan. The firm reviews that working site, and agreed changes are made there rather than moving through a separate wireframe and mockup sequence.
Do you write the website content?
Every website includes strategy, a sitemap, a plan for who writes each page, framing copy, editing, migration, and utility copy. Original practice pages, attorney biographies, firm stories, FAQ libraries, and articles are quoted separately. When original writing is included, it is placed into the initial website and also delivered in Word format for the firm’s substantive review and approval.
When are website design payments due?
The standard website design payment schedule is 50 percent after the agreement is signed and 50 percent after final approval, before launch. Separately scoped logo, writing, hosting, or support services are identified in the proposal and agreement for that project.
What happens after launch?
Dan can provide custom how-to videos or a Zoom walkthrough for routine updates. He hosts the sites he builds, although another hosting arrangement can be discussed before launch. Continuing content, design, and technical work is available under a separate retainer or written quote; ongoing SEO campaigns remain separate specialist work.
Start with a quote.
Share the essentials about your firm, where the project stands, and what the website needs to accomplish. The studio will respond with a clear recommendation on scope, schedule, and likely cost.