What do general counsels look for first on a law firm website?

Within the first 90 seconds, a GC is asking: 'Have they handled matters like mine?' They scan for industry names, transaction types, and regulatory frameworks relevant to their business. If they see specific, recognizable deal descriptions or industry references in the first scroll — not generic descriptions like 'full-service corporate counsel' — they read further. If they see only superlatives and general capability statements, they leave.

Why is 'full-service' the wrong message for corporate law firm websites?

Because 'full-service' is the most common claim on every corporate firm website and the least persuasive to a GC. It signals breadth, not depth — and GCs are buying depth for their specific problem. The website copy that wins is specific: 'SEC enforcement defense for public companies and individuals,' not 'full-service corporate and securities law.'

How should corporate law firms present deal experience on their website?

Deal experience should be presented in a portfolio format that mirrors how investment banks present credentials. Each deal description should include: the type of transaction, the industry, the approximate size range, the specific legal challenges involved, and the outcome. Vague statements like 'representing clients in M&A transactions' carry no weight. Specific descriptions like 'represented acquirer in $85M acquisition of a SaaS company with complex IP licensing structure' demonstrate real experience.

Should corporate attorneys include client names on their website?

For most corporate firms, direct client identification requires consent and is often prohibited by confidentiality obligations. However, you can present deal descriptions without client names — 'represented a publicly-traded healthcare company in its acquisition of a clinical diagnostics startup' — and still convey the relevant experience. Industry names, transaction types, and matter descriptions are often sufficient for a GC to evaluate whether you have handled work like theirs.

What do GCs think of law firm attorney ranking and award badges?

With modest skepticism, mostly. Chambers rankings and AmLaw recognition carry some weight because GCs are familiar with the methodology. What matters far more is demonstrated experience in the specific practice area and industry the GC cares about. A Chambers Band 2 ranking in Corporate/M&A is useful context; a screenshot of a 'Top Attorney' award from an unknown publication is noise.

What General Counsels Look at on a Corporate Law Firm Website

She has been a general counsel for eleven years. She has managed relationships with thirty-plus law firms across two companies. She has been overpromised and underdelivered on enough occasions that she no longer reads the marketing language on law firm websites. She goes directly to the attorney bios. She wants to see: What did they actually do? For whom? In what industry? With what kind of complexity? If she cannot find specific answers to those questions in four minutes, she moves on to the next firm on the list. She is not alone.

The corporate law firm website that wins GC business is not the most visually impressive one. It is the one that answers the most specific version of the question a GC is actually asking: "Have these lawyers handled exactly the kind of matter I am facing right now, for companies like mine?" The website is a portfolio. Treat it like one.

What a GC Actually Does in the First 90 Seconds

Eye-tracking research and UX studies on professional services websites reveal a consistent behavior pattern among sophisticated buyers: they bypass the hero section, skip the generic value statements, and go immediately to the signals that answer their primary question. For a GC evaluating a corporate firm, that question is always a variation of "Is this firm the right fit for my specific problem?"

In the first 90 seconds, a GC typically:

Scans the homepage for industry names relevant to their company
Clicks on the most relevant practice area page
Looks for deal descriptions or case examples
Checks the lead attorney's bio for specific experience
Decides whether to read further or leave

BTI Consulting's research on corporate client evaluation shows that "specific experience in our industry or matter type" is the top factor GCs cite when selecting outside counsel — ranked above firm reputation, fee structure, and attorney rankings.

Why "Full-Service" Is the Least Persuasive Thing You Can Say

Open any corporate law firm website. Within the first paragraph, you will almost certainly find some version of: "We are a full-service corporate law firm providing comprehensive legal services to businesses of all sizes." This sentence appears on thousands of firm websites and communicates almost nothing.

Worse, "full-service" implies breadth over depth — which is exactly the wrong signal for a buyer with a specific, high-stakes problem. Every word of copy that communicates "we do everything" is a missed opportunity to communicate "we are specifically excellent at this."

"A GC who has been burned by a 'full-service' firm that turned out to have shallow expertise in her specific area is not impressed by full-service claims. She is looking for evidence of depth, not breadth."

The alternative is specificity. Instead of "full-service corporate counsel," write "M&A and private equity transactions for technology and healthcare companies." Instead of "employment law services," write "employment counsel for multi-state employers managing classification, wage-and-hour, and executive transition matters." The specificity repels clients you cannot serve well and attracts clients who see their problem directly reflected in your description.

How to Present Deal Experience That Closes GCs

Investment banks present transaction credentials in a specific format for a reason: it works. Corporate law firm websites should adopt the same discipline. A representative matters section should read like a portfolio, not a capability statement.

Each matter description should include:

Transaction type: Acquisition, merger, financing, restructuring, licensing
Industry: Healthcare technology, manufacturing, financial services
Size context: Even an approximate range gives the GC a sense of scale fit
Role: Whether you represented the buyer, seller, target, or lender
Specific complexity: The interesting legal challenge that made this matter non-routine

Generic (useless): "Represented client in acquisition of competitor company."

Specific (credibility-building): "Represented SaaS company acquirer in $47M acquisition of direct competitor, including resolution of overlapping customer contract obligations and negotiation of key employee retention arrangements for target's engineering leadership."

Attorney Bios That Work for B2B Clients

Attorney bios on most corporate firm websites are written for lawyers, not clients. They list bar admissions, educational credentials, speaking engagements, and publication titles. What a GC wants to know is: what have you done, and for clients like me?

Opening paragraph: Who you represent and what you do for them. This tells the GC immediately whether to keep reading.

Representative experience: Four to six specific matter descriptions. This is the most important section of the bio — more important than credentials, more important than publications.

Client industry focus: Name the industries you know deeply.

Credentials and bar admissions: Present, but not the lead.

Industry-Organized Practice Areas

Most corporate firm websites organize their practice areas by legal discipline: M&A, Employment, Corporate Finance, IP. This is how lawyers think about their practices. It is not how clients think about their problems.

Clients think: "I am a healthcare technology company and I need help with an acquisition." The most effective corporate firm websites organize by industry — healthcare, technology, manufacturing, financial services — and then show the legal services available to clients in each sector. This structure immediately signals to the GC that you understand their world, not just your own discipline.

Firms that organize at least part of their website by industry vertical report 40–60% higher engagement from GC-level visitors compared to practice-area-only organization, according to legal marketing industry analyses.

The Credibility Signals That Close GC Evaluations

Client testimonials with specific context: "We retained this firm for a Series B financing involving complex international investor structures. They navigated the regulatory issues efficiently and closed on time" is worth ten times as much as "Excellent firm, highly recommend."

Published thought leadership: A GC who finds several well-written client alerts or articles on their specific legal issue has evidence that the firm's practitioners are paying close attention to that area.

Responsive inquiry process: The website should make it easy to reach the right person quickly. A GC evaluating firms is often doing so under time pressure. A form that asks about the matter type and company context, routes to the appropriate practice area lead, and generates a response within a few hours signals the kind of responsiveness that sophisticated buyers value.