---
type: plan
project: leaguelaw
title: Examples shortlist — reference sites for the client to rank
status: DRAFT v1 complete — internal, awaiting Rian's review before anything goes to the client
created: 2026-08-21
anchor: .logs/planning/design-direction.md
---

# Examples shortlist (direction gate, step 1)

**Why this exists:** the client asked, in writing, to be sent "a couple of
examples online" he can rank *before* design starts (`design-direction.md`).
His ranking becomes the agreed direction — "sedan, sports car, SUV or truck" —
before any mockup. This is the client-facing deliverable of the direction
phase; this file is the internal working version.

## The four hard criteria (from the client's email)

| # | Criterion | What "pass" looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Contact at top** | phone visible in the header at real size, no scrolling, tap-to-call |
| 2 | **Practice areas immediately clickable** | services as simple clickable zones above the fold — "yes that's my issue" |
| 3 | **No hero imagery** | no large intro photo / slider / video dominating the top |
| 4 | **Modern but not showy** | clean, sharp, organized, a little different — no visual drama |

## Scoring

Each candidate is scored ✔ / ~ / ✘ per criterion from the **live homepage,
fetched and read** (never from memory). Shortlist target: 6–8 sites that pass
(≥3 of 4, always including no-big-hero), **plus one deliberately TOO PLAIN and
one TOO STYLED bookend** so the ranking shows where the client actually sits.
Expect the triage-first pattern to come from outside law (insurance,
healthcare, government, trades) — that is the differentiation argument.

## Already checked — excluded

| Site | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| conductlaw.com | ✘ | buries the phone, practice areas need scrolling |
| velkeilaw.com | ✘ (closest) | same two failures; closest on text-forward / no-big-hero |

## Candidates

_(research in progress — filled from verified fetches; every row needs
evidence per criterion and a one-line plain-language "why it's here" that can
go to the client as-is)_

### Law firms that pass

_Verified 2026-08-21 by live fetch AND headless-Chrome render at 1440×900
(~150 sites screened, ~100 rendered). Screenshots of the finalists are in
`prototyping/examples-shots/` (`tall_armstrong.jpg`, `tall_cooplegal.jpg`,
`tall_turnerfreeman.jpg`, `tall_birchall.jpg`, `tall_hornecoupar.jpg`,
`tall_riceharbut.jpg`, `tall_ksw.jpg`)._

| Site | 1 Phone top | 2 Zones above fold | 3 No hero | 4 Modern-not-showy | Why show the client | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **armstronglegal.com.au** | ✔ large tel "1300 038 223" top-right | ✔ practice bar + checkerboard of 5 practice tiles directly under header | ✔ the tiles ARE the top | ✔ clean, organised, a bit corporate | almost literally the layout Darren described — phone top-right, "which one is my problem?" grid first, no banner | **PASS (best)** |
| **co-oplegalservices.co.uk** | ✔ tel pill top-right (medium size) | ✔ 7 practice areas as the main nav + 8 service cards under a one-line headline | ✔ headline + sentence, then cards (small photos in cards) | ✔ clean white, contemporary, Trustpilot strip | proves a menu-first homepage can still look current; he may want the phone bigger | **PASS** |
| turnerfreeman.com.au | ✔ header button "13 43 63" | ✔ full-width practice bar under header + "How can we help you?" cards | ~ navy text panel with a dimmed photo behind (subordinate) | ✔ tidy, businesslike | the practice bar under the header is exactly the "clickable zones" idea; ask whether a dimmed photo is acceptable | NEAR-PASS |
| birchallblackburn.co.uk | ✔ "0800 614 722" (medium) + call-back button | ✔ 7-item practice bar + 5 service tiles | ✔ headline beside a small photo collage | ~ modern-ish, slightly busy | same structure as wanted; shows the risk of small images creeping back | NEAR-PASS |
| lyonsdavidson.co.uk | ~ small top-bar text | ~ two big doors (Business / Personal), detail in dropdowns | ✔ small tinted panel | ✔ quiet, corporate, a touch plain | the two-door version of the idea; good for discussing phone size | NEAR-PASS |
| **hornecoupar.com** (Victoria, BC) | ✔ prominent "Call 250 388 6631 · Toll Free…" under nav | ✘ nav item only; fold = headline + one lawyer portrait slider | ✔ typographic headline, cut-out B&W portrait — no scenery | ✔ distinctive, sharp — a genuine "a little different" | the text-first look done by a LOCAL estates firm Darren may know; lacks only the zones | NEAR-MISS (3/4) |
| rhelaw.com (Vancouver) | ✔ tel pill | ✔ five "See Personal Injury / See Class Actions…" buttons on first screen | ✘ LARGE lighthouse photo | ✔ | instructive: "these five buttons, minus the postcard photo, IS the brief" | NEAR-MISS |
| ksw.bc.ca (Fraser Valley) | ✘ | ✘ dropdown only | ✔ serif headline + abstract circles, no photo | ✔ the best BC "modern, organised, a little different" tone found | a visual-tone reference only; structure needs phone + tiles added | NEAR-MISS (2/4) |

**Instructive fails (don't re-check):** leighday.co.uk (phone + text banner, no zones) ·
stephensons.co.uk (big phone, red text hero + form, "For you / For business" only) ·
slaterandgordon.co.uk, thompsons.law, boltburdonkemp.co.uk, expresssolicitors.co.uk
(phone + practice bar under header, THEN a photo hero — the nav-bar pattern is
common in UK consumer firms) · hamiltonduncan.com (practice bar, tiny phone, bridge
photo) · vogellawyers.com (marketed "minimalist", actually a photo slider).
**Dead ends:** "best law firm website" roundups and design galleries are ~95%
photo/video heroes; elite "minimalist" firms (Cravath, Wachtell, Susman, Kellogg
Hansen, Lenczner Slaght) have no header phone and no tiles; BC/Island regional
firms checked (Pushor Mitchell, Doak Shirreff, FH&P, Porter Ramsay, Lindsay
Kenney, North Shore Law, Pearlman Lindholm, Heath Law, SLL, Johns Southward,
Acheson) are essentially all scenic heroes — which is the differentiation
argument in one sentence. Unverifiable: Maurice Blackburn, Slater & Gordon AU
(state modals), Axess Law (walled), Hueston, Littman Krooks (bot checks).

### Outside law — triage-first patterns

_Verified by live fetch 2026-08-21. Rian's hypothesis holds for government
portals and legal-information nonprofits; it does NOT hold for trades and
insurance brokers (they put a phone in the header but also a hero photo/video)._

| Site | Sector | 1 Phone top | 2 Zones above fold | 3 No hero | 4 Modern-not-showy | Why show the client | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **usa.gov** | gov portal | ✔ 1-844-USAGOV1 in top bar | ✔ "How do I…" tasks + ~20 category tiles | ✔ | ✔ plain cards (USWDS) | the cleanest proof that phone-in-header + task list + category grid needs no photo at all | STRONG |
| **gov.uk** | gov portal | ✘ (search is the front door) | ✔ 15 plain-text category tiles under search | ✔ | ✔ the benchmark: one typeface, zero decoration | a homepage that is *only* "which of these is your problem?" | STRONG |
| **www2.gov.bc.ca** | BC gov | ✘ (search) | ✔ 15 icon-labelled category tiles first | ✔ | ✔ flat icons, blue/white | local precedent Darren will recognize; icons + short labels scan in 2 seconds | STRONG |
| **clicklaw.bc.ca** | BC legal info | ✘ (search "What can we help you find?") | ✔ 8 icon cards incl. "Wills, Estates & Planning" | ✔ (line-art icons only) | ✔ white space, restrained | a legal-topic tile grid a firm could adapt practice-area-for-practice-area | STRONG |
| **stepstojustice.ca** | ON legal info | ✘ (search) | ✔ one plain sentence, then 14+ topic icons | ✔ | ✔ sober multi-column grid | one sentence replaces a hero; the topic grid *is* the homepage | STRONG |
| **citizensadvice.org.uk** | UK advice | ✘ (search) | ✔ 9 problem categories + popular tasks right below | ✔ | ✔ bold type, colour blocks, no photos | category list + "most-asked questions" = triage plus reassurance, no imagery | STRONG |
| peopleslawschool.ca | BC legal info | ✘ (phone far down) | ✔ 11 topic cards | ~ cards carry small photos | ✔ warmer/softer | the warm middle path if a text-only page feels cold | USEFUL |
| nhs.uk | healthcare | ~ "call 111" block near top | ~ category tiles + "Manage your health" tasks | ✔ | ✔ white/blue, text-forward | a prominent "call us" block + task list above the fold, trust-first tone | USEFUL |
| calgary.ca | city portal | ✔ "311" linked in header | ~ search-first; categories in an expandable menu | ✔ | ✔ | "311 for your legal issue" framing — phone + search, zero imagery | USEFUL |
| worksafebc.com | insurer/regulator | ✘ | ~ category nav + popular links; "I Am a…" audience menu | ✔ | ✔ corporate-clean | a second triage axis: "I'm an executor / employee / business owner" | USEFUL |
| healthdirect.gov.au | health info | ✔ 1800 022 222 prominent | ~ nav + symptom checker | ✔ (one flat illustration) | ✔ | phone at real size + a guided "what's my issue?" tool | USEFUL |

**Checked and failed (don't re-check):** icbc.com, bchydro.com, healthlinkbc.ca,
ontario.ca, toronto.ca, seattle.gov, service.nsw.gov.au (all: good tiles/phone
but a hero image above them) · legalaid.bc.ca, legalaid.on.ca (no hero, but
phone not in the persistent header — second-tier behind Clicklaw/StepsToJustice)
· tenants.bc.ca (header phone, no hero, but dropdown nav not tiles) · trades:
mrrooter.com, rotorooter.com, jims.net (header phone + video/photo hero) ·
insurance: westlandinsurance.ca, cooperators.ca, bcaa.com (phone but hero/video)
· irs.gov, consumerprotectionbc.ca, lawsociety.bc.ca, ageuk.org.uk, lawhelp.org.
**Could not be fetched (unverified, not claimed):** canada.ca, servicecanada.gc.ca,
vancouver.ca, mayoclinic.org, ssa.gov, servicesaustralia.gov.au, moneyhelper.org.uk,
citizensinformation.ie, servicebc.gov.bc.ca.

### Bookends

_Verified by live fetch 2026-08-21. Chosen so BOTH bookends pass the client's
functional rules (phone top, services listed/clickable, no big hero for the
plain one) — his ranking of them then isolates taste, not compliance. Note:
the famously spartan wlrk.com has been redesigned (now has a hero) — out._

**Too plain — pick: rayslawoffice.com** (Law Office of Ray Kowalczewski, Kansas
City; estate planning / probate / small business)
- Observed: table-layout XHTML page, default fonts, left text-link menu, 3
  images total, no hero; "Call 913-310-WILL (9455) to Schedule an Appointment"
  as the headline CTA (repeated in nav + footer); services as headings + bullet
  lists. Legitimate, working, licensed, disclaimers present.
- Why it's the bookend: obeys every one of the client's rules with literally no
  design effort — if he ranks it low we learn "plain still needs craft"; if he
  ranks it high, "modern" matters less to him than he said.
- Alternates: **kellogghansen.com** ("plain by prestige" — an elite litigation
  boutique that refuses design: logo, text nav, news list; phone footer-only,
  practice areas nav-only — fails his above-the-fold rule, which is itself
  diagnostic) · **cravath.com** (same austere family, slightly more polished) ·
  **wittelawoffice.com** (dated-but-trying; between Rays and a modern template
  if Rays feels too extreme).

**Too styled — pick: cagoldberglaw.com** (C.A. Goldberg, NYC victims'-rights /
Big-Tech litigation)
- Observed: full-bleed autoplay background VIDEO hero + a second Vimeo lightbox,
  tagline "We believe if somebody hurt you, somebody must pay.", bold display
  type, editorial photography, testimonial carousel; phone (646) 666-8908 in the
  header + 3 tel: links; six clickable practice-area cards.
- Why it's the bookend: satisfies the functional rules (phone top, practice
  cards) but wraps them in exactly the cinematic video-hero drama he says nobody
  is impressed by — and it is well-made, not tacky. If he ranks it high, his
  "no hero video" rule is softer than stated.
- Alternates: **michlesbooth.com** (styled AND loud — PI-marketing flavour:
  video hero, "INJURED? Don't Be A Victim Twice!", case-result dollar figures,
  badges; pairs with Goldberg to separate "dislikes motion" from "dislikes
  salesy") · **hafnialaw.com** (quiet, elegant agency-grade drama — looping
  skyscape video, scroll-driven sections; tests whether he objects to motion
  itself or only to hard-sell theatrics; phone footer-only).
- Also verified, weaker: bicklawllp.com, quinnemanuel.com, lanierlawfirm.com,
  arnolditkin.com.

## Recommended deck — 5 + 2 (proposal for Adi + Rian, not sent)

Chosen to spread across the *axes* the ranking should reveal (structure · tone ·
how far "no imagery" can go · local recognisability), with each one's
plain-language line ready to go to the client as-is:

1. **armstronglegal.com.au** — "Phone top-right, your five practice areas as a
   grid you click first, no banner — the closest existing site to what you
   described."
2. **co-oplegalservices.co.uk** — "Same idea, but showing a menu-first homepage
   can still look current and friendly."
3. **usa.gov** — "Not a law firm on purpose: phone in the top bar, 'How do I…'
   tasks, then every category — and not a single photo. How far would you go?"
4. **clicklaw.bc.ca** — "A BC legal site that lays out legal topics as simple
   icon tiles — 'yes, that's my issue' — including Wills & Estates."
5. **hornecoupar.com** — "A Victoria estates firm: no scenery, typographic,
   sharp and a little different — the *tone* side of the question."
- **Bookend, too plain: rayslawoffice.com** — "Every rule you gave us, with no
   design at all — is this still OK?"
- **Bookend, too styled: cagoldberglaw.com** — "Phone up top and practice
   cards, but wrapped in a full-screen video — the 'fancy' you said nobody is
   impressed by. Still a no?"

Alternates if Rian wants swaps: turnerfreeman.com.au (practice bar + dimmed
photo — tests "how small is small enough"), gov.uk / www2.gov.bc.ca (tile
grids), stepstojustice.ca, ksw.bc.ca (BC tone), michlesbooth.com /
hafnialaw.com (styled bookend variants: salesy vs quiet motion).

## Open decisions (for Adi + Rian)

- **Client-facing format:** a simple served ranking page, a PDF, or the
  League Law project in Scout (Darren is already lead there and the review
  game exists) — decide once the list is solid.
- **How many to send:** the client said "a couple"; 6–8 + 2 bookends may be
  too many for a quick-and-easy ask — consider 5 + 2.
  **UPDATE 2026-08-21 (Rian, via Adi): 5 is too many — maybe 3.** Re-cut the
  deck to ~3; decide whether the two bookends survive at that count (or fold
  one bookend in as one of the three); one short line of wording per example;
  the whole ask under ~5 minutes and framed so the client feels involved.