Sheet CS-01 / Brief and challenge The problem

Brief and challenge

The brief

EverydayLegal offers legal drafting, document review and legal advice for everyday problems: employment issues, unpaid debts, tenancy disputes and contracts. The lawyer needed a site built entirely around the copy they supplied, one that takes an anxious first-time visitor from “I think I have a legal problem” to a submitted request.

The challenge

Most people don’t know what their legal problem is called, and legal websites usually assume they do. A law practice also cannot accept a matter blindly: it must check for conflicts of interest before anyone shares sensitive details. The site had to feel calm while respecting those obligations.

Sheet CS-02 / Key decisions 3 details

Start with what happened.

Three decisions that shaped the build: what I chose, why, and what it replaced.

Let visitors start in their own words

Decision

Entry points written as the visitor would say them: “I need a document drafted”, “I’m not sure”.

Why

Most visitors can’t name their legal problem, so a service list would stop them at the first click.

Instead of

A catalogue of services named in legal terms, the usual pattern on law firm sites.

Constraint

Every word had to come from the lawyer’s supplied copy.

EverydayLegal hero with plain-language entry points
Fig. D1The hero leads with two plain-language ways in, so nobody has to name their problem first.

Check for conflicts before asking for details

Decision

A two-step intake: step 1 asks what kind of help is needed and carries the chosen service forward; sensitive details come only after the conflict and suitability check.

Why

The practice must rule out conflicts of interest before anyone shares the details of their case.

Instead of

Asking for the full story on the first screen.

Constraint

A professional obligation, not a design preference.

EverydayLegal intake form, step 1 of 2: What do you need help with?
Fig. D2Step 1 of 2 asks only what kind of help is needed. Personal details wait for the check.

Show the fee before the commitment

Decision

“You’ll know the fee before work begins” is repeated at every decision point, backed by a values section on plain language, clear scope and clear fees.

Why

An anxious first-time visitor needs to know the cost before committing to anything.

Instead of

Leaving fees to the pricing page alone.

EverydayLegal values section: plain language, clear scope, clear fees, lawyer-led
Fig. D3The values section turns the fee promise into four plain commitments.
Sheet CS-04 / Ownership Who did what

My role

I did

UX, information architecture, visual design, custom WordPress theme, Gravity Forms intake

The client

All website copy, the legal process behind the intake, and fee structure

Fig. 04The full page. Hover to scroll through it.