With the distinctive brand Thinkso developed in 2015, Bernstein Shur had already broken the mold for legal branding and taken the firm to new heights. A decade later, it reengaged Thinkso to design its new website and refresh its messaging.
The firm’s authentic personality, warm voice, and out-of-the-ordinary-for-big-law look and feel were still its key differentiators. Thinkso’s goal was to maintain that successful core while turning up the volume on sophistication, expertise, and competitive confidence via language and a delightful user experience.
“Bernstein Shur was ready for another big step forward. Thinkso, who had so successfully helped us reimagine our brand, was the natural choice for our new website and positioning us for our next chapter.” Julie Watson Boehme, COO, Bernstein Shur
An all new content strategy upgraded the main navigation and site architecture to streamline the user experience. The overall design approach emphasizes modularity and structure—a flexible, template-based system that brings clarity and cohesion to the site’s diverse content needs.
Candid photography of their lawyers and staff throughout the site conveys the firm’s warmth—and jumpstarts a relationship with prospective clients and recruits, right from the webpage.
With headlines that get your attention, the homepage tells a distilled, differentiated story of the firm’s philosophy and personality: a fresh and unexpected (in legal website circles) warm voice, humanity, and compelling authenticity.
While the layout is intentionally grounded and orderly to reflect the firm’s seriousness and credibility, we layered in subtle animations and parallax effects to keep the experience from feeling static.
We infused the site with direct calls to action to interconnect the site’s resources, guide visitors through the firm story, and improve lead generation. Opportunities to act on what you’re reading bring vitality to the experience and underscore Bernstein Shur’s personable and accessible culture.
The editorial is bold and provocative while maintaining the good humor and plainspokenness of the firm’s differentiated brand voice. Bernstein Shur message is confident and assured, clear and forthright, but always underpinned with respect and heart.
Attorney bio pages are the most visited pages on any law firm’s website—and too often a missed opportunity. To break the mold of the typical (and typically dull) attorney bio, we chunked the copy for easier scanning on the web, teased out the attorney’s personality as well as experience and expertise, and transformed what’s typically a dry, just-the-facts CV into a story—and a valuable sales tool.
The prescriptive content strategy and subsequent design template not only make the content easy to produce and digest, but also adds visual interest to the page.
Law firms and professional services marketing is often faceless, or relies on stock photography to articulate sophistication and seriousness. Throughout the site, we feature authentic, on-site photography that features real Bernstein lawyers and staff, skillfully balancing professionalism with personality.