Hardwicke

Hardwicke is a set of barristers’ chambers in London. In 2012 they decided they wanted to replace their old website with something which would help them to stand out from other chambers and position themselves as client focussed and friendly. On the basis of its previous work with companies in the legal profession, PilotBean was selected to design and develop the new site.

At the outset, PilotBean was concerned to learn as much as possible about Hardwicke and its requirements. The team facilitated the internal conversations and helped the Hardwicke barristers to understand how they wanted to present themselves, how they wanted to structure the information and what the audience would be for the site. PilotBean helped Hardwicke to look at the site from the user’s point of view so that navigation, content and language was as user-focussed as possible.

Early on, PilotBean recommended the that Hardwicke should break away from the industry norms by making use of a vibrant colour palette alongside stylish photographs of members of the Hardwicke team throughout the site. PilotBean organised a photo shoot which also means that Hardwicke now has a consistent library of staff portraits that can also be used across print media.

The website uses a responsive design which means that it automatically adjusts according to the size of the user’s screen whether it be a mobile phone, tablet or computer making the site accessible to a much wider audience, especially when people are on the move.

PilotBean also helped Hardwicke to see new opportunities presented by technology which hadn’t been in the original plans. The website now includes a client intranet which allows documents to be shared quickly and securely between barristers and clients. Using the PilotSend module, Hardwicke can now manage the design and sending of emails from within the same content management system with one click, a newsletter is simultaneously published on the site and sent out by email. Automatic management of email lists within the system has saved a huge amount of staff time, and the marketing team can see the results of email campaigns in real time.

Social media is also integrated into the site so that users can share content with their own networks quickly as well as keeping in touch with news from Hardwicke across many different channels.

The response to the new site from within the chambers has been very positive, and Hardwicke is already planning to work in partnership with PilotBean to enhance the site and deliver an even better service to its clients.