Reimagining Cole Schotz
Client: Cole Schotz LLP
Type: Corporate, Legal Services
Role: UX/UI Designer (at North Street)
Team: Designer + Developer + Brand Lead
Platform: Web
Not your typical law firm site. Not your typical users.
Cole Schotz wanted to shake off the traditional law firm image. Their previous site felt outdated, overly corporate, and hard to navigate — especially on mobile. Key content like bios and practice areas were hidden behind clunky structures, and the overall UX didn’t reflect their modern, people-first approach.
What needed to change?
→ Build a site that feels modern, sleek, and user-first
→ Improve access to attorney bios, contact info, and key practice areas
→ Create a backend that’s easier to manage and scale
→ Elevate the firm’s visual presence to match their reputation
The procces
Discovery → Research → Design → Test → Refine
→ Ran a full audit of the existing site to uncover UX pain points, drop-offs, and buried content
→ Mapped user journeys for clients, referrals, potential hires, and even adversaries — all with different goals
→ Reorganized the site architecture to be intuitive and role-based
→ Wireframed key templates like attorney bios, practice pages, and News + Insights
→ Prototyped key flows like bios, filtering, and content hubs — and refined them with team feedback to ensure clarity and scalability across dozens of content types.
→ Delivered a responsive, scalable design system focused on clarity, accessibility, and content flexibility
Research & Discovery
Getting the full picture before solving the puzzle.
We kicked things off with a deep discovery phase — gathering stakeholder input, reviewing analytics, and running a full audit of the existing site. The goal: understand how users were navigating the current experience (and where they were dropping off).
Then I jumped into
→ A competitive sweep of peer firms like Lowenstein, Gibbons, Cleary, and McCarter
→ Benchmarking UX patterns for attorney bios, practice areas, and insight content
→ Analyzing SEO + Google Analytics data to surface user behavior, bounce rates, and missed opportunities
→ Reviewing internal Typeform responses from 15+ stakeholders across departments
Competitor Analysis
Before diving into design, we explored how other top law firms structure their digital experience. We analyzed sites like Lowenstein, McCarter & English, Cleary Gottlieb, and Sidley Austin — looking at everything from navigation patterns to attorney bios, imagery choices, and CTA clarity.
What We Compared
To make informed design decisions, we ran a focused peer analysis of top firms like Lowenstein Sandler, McCarter & English, Cleary Gottlieb, and others. We mapped out 10+ UX categories — from homepage hero layout and imagery choices to navigation patterns, content depth, and how attorney bios and services are presented.
This gave us a clearer view of where Cole Schotz stood — and where it could lead. While many competitors relied heavily on stock visuals, generic layouts, and buried key pages, we saw the opportunity to bring structure, personality, and clarity to the forefront.
What Stood Out
Our deep-dive revealed areas where Cole Schotz had room to grow — and where the competition was already stepping ahead
📱 Mobile Experience
The site leaned heavily on desktop layouts — but nearly 20% of traffic came from mobile. Interactions weren’t touch-optimized, and key elements like navigation, filters, and bios lacked fluid responsiveness.
🖼 Imagery & First Impressions
Competitor sites often defaulted to stock photos or abstract cityscapes. Cole Schotz mixed generic and conceptual visuals, but lacked consistent, human-centered photography — a missed opportunity to build warmth and trust.
✉️ Conversion Touchpoints
Despite being content-rich, the old site had no standout CTAs, and lacked a mailing list or direct conversion strategy. Compared to competitors with newsletter sign-ups, gated content, or contact prompts, this was a major opportunity.
🔍 Content Depth & Findability
While peers like Gibbons and McCarter clearly labeled their practice areas and insights, Cole Schotz buried key info behind dropdowns or vague page titles. Bios were there, but not always discoverable through direct user paths.
Where we saw opportunity
With a clear list of UX gaps and business goals in mind, we saw the redesign as more than a visual refresh — it was a chance to rebuild how users find the right attorneys, explore the firm’s capabilities, and connect with confidence.
Here’s what we focused on
Elevating attorney bios into clearer, more discoverable entry points
Restructuring practice areas and services for faster, role-based navigation
Improving mobile usability across layouts, filters, and content presentation
Refining the visual system to feel cleaner, more modern, and uniquely Cole Schotz
This set the direction for a new Cole Schotz — clearer, sharper, and built to inspire trust from the very first click
Key User Journeys
We mapped out core user journeys to guide our UX structure — from potential clients exploring the firm for the first time to referral sources looking for quick attorney info. These journeys directly influenced navigation, content structure, and page priority.
Understand firm culture and opportunities
Goal: Review attorney and firm credibility
Homepage → Careers → DEI & Culture → News/Insights → Practice Areas
The Opposing Counsel
Goal: Review attorney and firm credibility
Homepage → Practice Area → Bio Page → Accolades → News/Matters
The Referral Source
Goal: Quickly access attorney bios, contact info, and notable work
Homepage → Search → Attorney Bio → Publications/Speaking Engagements → Contact Info
The Potential Client
Goal: Learn about the firm’s capabilities, value, and experience
Homepage → Practice Area → Attorney Bio → Representative Matters → Contact Form
The Existing Client
Goal: Explore additional services or learn more about their team
Homepage → Practice Area → Attorney Bio → News/Insights → Contact Info
Simplifying the Structure
After reviewing analytics and internal feedback, we restructured the site’s navigation to reduce friction and align with how people actually browse. The new IA brings key pages like bios, practice areas, and careers to the surface — while simplifying dropdowns and improving flow across devices.
Now, visitors can explore the firm by who they need, what they need, or where they’re going — all backed by a lean, scalable layout behind the scenes.
Who We’re Designing For ?
Jordan, 38
Looking to evaluate the firm’s capabilities and reputation. They need quick access to practice areas, bios, and relevant experience — all backed by a clean, trustworthy first impression.
Referral Source
Goals: Jordan often refers clients to firms he trusts. He needs to quickly evaluate an attorney’s qualifications and feel confident enough to make a recommendation without hesitation.
Frustrations: He finds it frustrating when bios are buried under multiple layers or lack the context he needs, like key wins or focus areas. The more time it takes, the less likely he is to refer.
Needs: A direct and easily shareable path to attorney bios — including credentials, recent work, and contact info — helps him recommend Cole Schotz confidently and quickly.
Elena, 34
Potential Client
Goals: Elena is exploring firms for a potential partnership and wants to feel assured from the start. She’s looking for proof of expertise, clarity around services, and a sense of professionalism.
Frustrations: She often feels overwhelmed by law firm sites that rely on jargon or generic messaging. If she can’t quickly understand what the firm does and who she’d work with, she leaves.
Needs: Clear entry points to practice areas, confident messaging, and detailed bios that highlight real experience — all framed in a way that builds trust from the first click.
Marcus, 26
Job Seeker
Goals: Marcus is early in his legal career and wants more than a job — he’s looking for a firm where he can grow and contribute. He’s scanning for a culture that aligns with his values.
Frustrations: He’s turned off by vague careers pages or a lack of insight into what it’s actually like to work there. If the culture feels like an afterthought, he’ll move on.
Needs: A careers section that feels human and real — showcasing diversity, mentorship, values, and what makes Cole Schotz different from every other firm out there.
What We Focused On
To guide design decisions, we mapped priorities at the intersection of what users needed, what stakeholders wanted, and what could be realistically built.
Now
The must-haves — critical to launch, high user impact, and realistic to ship.
Restructured attorney bios with filters and direct contact
Clean IA separating Practice Areas vs. Industries
Optimized mobile experience (navigation, reading flow)
Revamped Careers section (values, DEI, and job listings)
Centralized News & Insights hub for leadership content
Later
Nice-to-haves — ideas flagged for post-launch, with more time or dev support.
Attorney-to-attorney cross-linking
Client-facing resource hub
Insights newsletter builder
Saved bios or “starred” contacts for returning users
API integrations with job boards or CRM
Next
High-value enhancements that support growth and engagement.
Improved on-page filtering and bio search
Flexible layout system for future team/industry adds
Streamlined content submission workflow (for admins)
DEI microsite or spotlight area
Enhanced event listings with registration integration
Setting the Visual Direction
Our design direction aimed to elevate the brand without overwhelming it — clean, confident, and built for trust. We focused on clarity, hierarchy, and flexibility to support a wide range of content, from attorney bios to press mentions.
The look had to feel sharp and premium for potential clients, but still approachable for job seekers and referrals. Every component was designed to feel cohesive — whether viewed on a desktop monitor or a mobile device in a courtroom hallway.
Before the Redesign
The legacy site felt dense and disconnected. While the content was all there, users had to dig through layered menus and outdated layouts to find what they needed.
What wasn’t working:
🧭
Cluttered Navigation: Key sections like Professionals, Services, and Careers were buried or repeated across nested menus. Users lacked clear entry points.
🎨
Inconsistent Visuals: The site had mismatched fonts, outdated stock imagery, and no visual hierarchy—making it hard to scan and trust.
📄
Text-Heavy Pages: Pages like Diversity and Inclusion or The Firm were packed with dense paragraphs, often without any supporting visuals or structure.
🧩
Fragmented Experience: There was no unified system or style—each section felt like its own microsite, with different tones, formats, and layouts.
📱
Low Mobile Usability: Layouts weren’t optimized for mobile browsing—text blocks overflowed, and interactions required pinch-to-zoom.
Low-fidelity wireframes we proposed
To kick off the design phase, we created wireframes that helped align structure before styling. These low-fidelity layouts focused on clarity, usability, and content hierarchy — giving the client a clear sense of flow without visual distractions.
The goal was to validate layout logic and page purpose, not pixel-perfect design. These wireframes also helped get early feedback from stakeholders and test real user flows — especially around attorney bios, practice areas, and career exploration.
Building Legal Foundations with Precision
The homepage sets the tone for Cole Schotz’s unique blend of professionalism and personality. With sharp visual hierarchy, simplified navigation, and strategic content placement, it quickly orients users — whether they’re seeking counsel, exploring firm values, or browsing thought leadership. It’s built to inspire confidence, not just clicks.
Industries, Made Understandable
The Industries section simplifies how users explore Cole Schotz’s specialized areas of focus. Whether you’re in advertising, healthcare, or cannabis law, each page clearly outlines the firm’s experience, key professionals, and relevant insights. We designed it to feel digestible yet deep — giving users just enough detail to feel understood, and confident enough to take the next step.
The People Behind the Practice
The Professionals pages showcase the firm’s most valuable asset — its people. Built with a searchable grid, location filters, and modern black-and-white portrait styling, the page balances function with a strong sense of identity. Each bio card links to a detailed, skimmable profile, giving prospective clients and collaborators the clarity they need, fast.
Smart, Fast & Finger-Friendly
The mobile view strips away friction. Optimized filters, stacked content, and thumb-friendly CTAs make it easy to browse, tap, and connect on the go. Whether users are searching by name or exploring by practice, the experience stays consistent — polished, snappy, and built for business.
What We Learned from Rebuilding a Law Firm’s Experience
This wasn’t just a redesign — it was about making a complex digital ecosystem actually work for the people using it. After digging into user behaviors, outdated patterns, and business needs, here’s what truly shaped our decisions:
🧭 Clear paths matter more than deep content
Even though the firm had rich information, users couldn’t get to it. Whether it was potential clients, job seekers, or referral partners — they all needed fast access to bios, services, and credibility signals. We brought those paths front and center.
📱 Mobile experience had been an afterthought
Old layouts broke on mobile — critical CTAs were buried, filtering was clunky, and content didn’t adapt. We restructured with mobile-first patterns, making search, reading, and contact frictionless across screens.
🧠 Information hierarchy needed a reset
From attorney bios to practice pages, there was too much text and not enough structure. We rewrote and restructured key content so users could scan faster, understand relevance, and take action.
🧱 Consistency = confidence
The old site was fragmented: different tones, visuals, and layouts across sections. We unified the visual language — typography, hierarchy, spacing — so users felt grounded no matter where they landed.
Impact & Insights
After launch, we closely tracked how users engaged with the new experience — especially how attorneys, clients, and referral sources navigated through the site.
The results were clear: users stayed longer, found the right attorney faster, and spent more time exploring capabilities and thought leadership. A cleaner architecture and modernized design finally made the site feel like the firm it represents.
