Websites for criminal defense firms
It is 2am. His mother is on your website and she has never hired a lawyer before.
Criminal defense is almost never bought by the defendant - it is bought by a terrified family member with a first appearance in the morning and no idea what anything costs. We build defense firm websites for that person, at that hour.
Flat price. No contracts. You own everything.
Website design for criminal defense attorneys - DUI, drug charges, domestic violence, violent crime, white collar, and federal defense.
Defense firms who want retained clients rather than calls from people who cannot afford counsel.
The buyer is usually a family member in crisis, at night, paying a retainer up front. Nothing about that resembles a normal purchase.
Sites that never mention cost, cannot be reached after hours, and read as intimidating to someone already frightened.
Your website is written for a lawyer. The reader is a panicking parent.
She does not know what an arraignment is, what bond means, or whether she can afford you. Legal language at that moment reads as a closed door.
Nothing about money
Unlike injury work, defense is paid up front, and the family has no idea whether that is two thousand dollars or twenty. Total silence about retainers makes them assume it is out of reach and keep dialing.
Nobody answers at night
Arrests happen overnight and on weekends, and the family is making calls immediately. A firm reachable only during business hours loses those clients to whoever picked up at 1am.
It is intimidating, not reassuring
Dense legal writing, formal photography, and no explanation of the process. The reader is frightened and looking for someone who will make this understandable, not impressive.
A site that gets the call at the worst hour of their life.
Charge-specific pages
DUI, possession, trafficking, domestic violence, assault, theft, gun charges, and federal matters - each a real page, because that is how people search.
Retainer transparency
Honest ranges and how payment works. You do not need a price list, but silence costs you clients who assumed they could not afford counsel.
Immediate, discreet contact
Prominent phone with after-hours routing, plus text and form options for people who cannot safely make a call.
The process explained
What happens at first appearance, how bond works, what to expect over the next weeks. This content converts because nobody else writes it plainly.
Compliant credibility
Experience, trial record, and credentials presented within Florida Bar advertising rules, with disclaimers handled properly.
Spanish throughout
Full Spanish versions. In Miami-Dade a very large share of these calls come in Spanish, frequently from a family member.
The person hiring you is rarely the person in custody.
This is the thing most defense firm websites get structurally wrong. The defendant is usually in jail with no phone. The person on your site at 2am is a mother, a spouse, or a sibling - frightened, ashamed, unsure whether they are even allowed to help, and completely unfamiliar with how any of this works. They are not evaluating your trial record; they are looking for someone who will explain what happens next and tell them it can be handled. Content written for that reader - plain, calm, procedural - converts dramatically better than content written to impress other attorneys.
- ✓Plain-language explanations of arrest, bond, and first appearance
- ✓Guidance on what the family can actually do right now
- ✓A calm, human tone rather than adversarial marketing language
Some of these visitors cannot risk being seen contacting you.
Criminal defense carries stigma that injury work does not, and it shapes behavior in ways worth designing around. Visitors browse privately, are cautious about what appears on a phone bill or a shared device, and in domestic violence matters may be in the same household as the other party. Practical accommodations matter here: text as an equal contact option, a form that does not send an obvious confirmation email, and clear statements about confidentiality. These are small build decisions that materially increase how many frightened people are willing to reach out.
- ✓Text and form contact given equal weight with calling
- ✓Careful handling of confirmation messages and email subject lines
- ✓Confidentiality stated plainly and early
Silence about retainers costs you clients who could have paid.
Defense is bought differently than injury work - there is no contingency, and the family has to produce real money quickly, often while also posting bond. Because almost no firm publishes anything about cost, families assume the worst and call around until somebody gives them a number. Publishing honest ranges by charge type, explaining what a retainer covers, and mentioning payment arrangements where you offer them converts the people who were about to give up and request a public defender by default. It also saves your staff hours of calls that were never going to result in a retention.
- ✓Honest retainer ranges by charge severity
- ✓Clear explanation of what a retainer does and does not cover
- ✓Payment arrangement information where the firm offers it
Four steps, around your court schedule.
Scope call
Which charges you want more of and your jurisdictions. Flat price after.
Content and review
We draft charge pages in plain language; you review for accuracy and Bar compliance.
Build and revise
Preview link, your feedback, revisions until it is right.
Launch and hand-off
After-hours routing tested, tracking live, every login yours.
What our clients say about us
Amazing services, been working with Miami Web Lab for over 8 years and they have given me nothing but the best service, highly recommend working with them.
Miami Web Lab absolutely crushed it! If you need a website and don’t want to worry about the process, go to Miami Web Lab. They’re the real MVPs of the internet world.
MWL provided us with the technical expertise to quickly design and deploy our website. The personal touch his team provided is a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended.
Criminal Defense Website FAQs
How much does a criminal defense website cost?
Quoted flat after one call. Solo firm sites start lower; builds with extensive charge libraries and full Spanish versions cost more. You get the number before work begins.
Should we publish retainer ranges?
We recommend it, and most firms resist at first. Families cannot pay what they cannot estimate, and the ones who assume you are unaffordable simply never call. Ranges by charge type filter appropriately without committing you to a fixed price.
How do you handle Florida Bar advertising rules?
We build with them in mind - disclaimer requirements, careful handling of past results, and testimonial treatment. Your firm reviews and approves all content, but you will not be starting from a site that ignores the rules.
Can you set up after-hours call handling?
Yes, and in this practice area it is close to essential. Arrests happen overnight. We wire routing, answering service integration, and immediate acknowledgment so a 2am inquiry does not sit until Monday.
Will the site bring in cases?
It converts the people who reach it - producing that traffic is search rankings and paid channels, and defense search is driven almost entirely by specific charges rather than general terms.
Do we need Spanish?
In Miami-Dade, absolutely. A very large share of these calls come in Spanish and frequently from a family member who is more comfortable in it than the defendant would be.
More for defense firms
Ready for a site that answers at 2am?
Tell us which charges you want more of and where you practice. We will send back a plan, a flat price, and a launch date.