Where Each Photo Belongs on a Criminal Defense Website
A firm can spend a full day with a good photographer and still end up with a website that feels cold. The pictures are fine. They are just in the wrong places, cropped badly for phones or used as decoration where a visitor needed something specific.
On a criminal defense site, every photo has a job. The visitor is usually scared, often reading late at night on a phone, and trying to decide whether this lawyer is someone they could talk to. A photo either helps with that decision or gets in the way. This piece goes page by page through where photos belong and what each one should do.
The first screen on the homepage
The top of the homepage on a phone has room for very little. A headline, a short line about what the firm does, a call button and perhaps one image. If there is an image, it should be a real lawyer from the firm, looking at the camera, in decent light.
Stock pictures of gavels, scales and courthouse columns tell the visitor nothing they did not already know. A person facing a charge already knows it involves a court. What they do not know is who will be standing next to them.
Test how the image crops on a narrow screen. A wide group photo that looks good on a desktop often shrinks to a strip of tiny faces on a phone. A single portrait or a tight shot of two partners usually survives the crop better.
Attorney bio pages
Bio pages get heavy traffic on defense sites, often from people who already found the firm and want to check out the person. Two photos tend to work here. One is a clean headshot at the top. The other is a less formal shot further down, such as the lawyer at a desk, in a conference room or talking with a colleague.
The second photo gives the reader a sense of how the lawyer carries themselves. Keep it plain. A posed shot of a lawyer pointing at a law book looks staged to most people.
Make sure the headshot on the bio matches the one on Google Business Profile, directories and the bar profile. When a client sees the same face everywhere, it quietly confirms they have the right person.
Charge pages
Charge pages are where many visitors land from search, and they are mostly text. A large photo at the top pushes the useful information below the fold on a phone, so it usually does more harm than good.
If a charge page has a photo, place it beside or below the section that introduces the lawyer who handles those cases. A small portrait with a caption such as the lawyer's name and how long they have practiced criminal defense works well. Avoid images that show handcuffs, police lights or anything that dramatizes the arrest. The reader has lived through that already.
The contact page
The contact page is the last step before a call or form submission. A photo of the office entrance or reception area helps people who plan to visit in person. It tells them what to look for when they arrive and makes the place feel less unknown.
Pair it with clear text about parking, the floor or suite and whether consultations happen in person, by phone or by video. If the firm has more than one office, show each one.
Team and about pages
A team page should show everyone a client might deal with, including paralegals and intake staff when they agree to it. Many clients talk to intake before they ever meet a lawyer. Seeing that person's face can make the first call easier.
Use the same background, lighting and framing for every team portrait so the page looks consistent. Mixing a professional headshot with phone selfies makes the firm look disorganized.
Plan these images before the shoot day. A good checklist is a shot list for your defense firm's next website photo day, which covers the angles and setups worth capturing.
Technical details that affect every placement
A few technical habits keep photos from slowing the site or causing layout shifts:
- Export images at the size they display, not at the camera's full resolution.
- Use modern formats such as WebP where your platform supports them.
- Set width and height attributes so the page does not jump while images load.
- Lazy-load images below the first screen, but not the main image at the top.
- Write alt text that describes the person or place plainly.
Check the bar rules in your state before using any photo of a client, a courtroom or a person who is not part of the firm. Some states have specific requirements about dramatizations and about images that could mislead.
You can find more examples and ideas in the collection of photography guides for defense firm websites.
Questions about photos on a defense website
Do I need professional photos, or will good phone pictures work?
Modern phones can take usable photos in good light, but a professional photographer gives you consistent lighting and framing across the whole team. For headshots and the homepage, the difference is usually visible.
How often should firm photos be updated?
Update them when a lawyer's appearance changes noticeably, when the office moves or when new team members join. Outdated photos can confuse clients who meet the lawyer in person.
Can I use photos of the local courthouse?
Usually, if you took them or have the rights to them and they are not misleading. Check your state bar's advertising rules, and avoid images that suggest an official connection with the court.
SBD Marketing works only with criminal defense firms, one firm per city. It helps them with website design, SEO for the charges they defend, visibility in AI search and SEO audits.