The "What Happens Next" Page Every Law Firm Practice Area Needs
Most people visiting a law firm website have never done this before. They don't know what a consult costs, how long a "matter" takes, or what they're supposed to bring. 💖 That uncertainty is often the actual reason someone closes the tab instead of calling — not price, not even trust in the firm, just not knowing what happens if they pick up the phone.
What most firms get wrong
Practice area pages usually describe what the firm does, in legal terms — "we handle conveyancing," "we act in family law disputes" — and then jump straight to a contact form. There's no bridge for someone who's never bought a house or been through a parenting matter and genuinely doesn't know what happens between "I call you" and "it's done." Without that bridge, the enquiry form is asking someone to commit to an unknown process, which is a much bigger ask than it needs to be.
The "what happens next" page structure — add this to each key practice area page:
Step 1: First contact
[What happens on the first call or email — what you'll ask them]
Step 2: What we need from you
[Documents or information required to get started]
Step 3: Typical timeframe
[A range, with the caveat that actually drives it]
Step 4: What we do
[Plain-English description of the actual legal work involved]
Step 5: What you can expect from us
[Communication cadence — how often you'll hear from the firm and how]
Step 6: How it wraps up
[What the end of the matter actually looks like for them]
How to actually build this
Interview your own staff for the real steps
Ask the solicitors and paralegals who actually run these matters what really happens — not the theoretical version from a training manual, the version that plays out on a normal file.
Name actual timeframes, as ranges, with the caveat that drives them
"It depends" tells a visitor nothing. "30–60 days, depending on finance approval" tells them exactly what to watch for.
Write step titles the way a first-time client would search
Not "retainer commencement" — "getting started." Not "matter finalisation" — "how it wraps up."
Put it high on the page
Above the reviews, above the bios — right after the intro. This is what people are actually looking for when they land on a practice area page.
Mistakes to avoid
- Describing the legal work instead of the client's actual experience
- No timeframes at all — just "it depends," with nothing else offered
- Burying the process three clicks deep instead of linking it from the practice area page itself
- Using one generic process page for every practice area instead of tailoring the real steps per area
- Overpromising a specific date or timeframe that creates a complaint later if it's not met
Frequently asked questions
Should timeframes be exact or ranges?
Always ranges. Legal timeframes depend on factors genuinely outside your control — courts, other parties, financiers — and a firm that states a specific date risks a complaint the moment it isn't met. A range with the driving factor named is both more honest and more useful to the reader.
Does this replace an FAQ page?
No — different job. The process page answers "what happens if I start," the FAQ answers individual questions people have before they decide to start. Most firms benefit from having both.
Should every practice area get its own dedicated process page?
Ideally, but it depends on the firm's size and traffic. Prioritise the three or four practice areas driving most of your enquiries with a fully tailored page, and use a lighter, templated version for lower-traffic areas rather than spreading the same effort thin across fifteen pages.
Where should the page send people at the end?
A clear, specific call to action for that practice area — "book a conveyancing consult," not a generic "contact us" that dumps every enquiry type into the same form.
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