Michael L. Goldblatt is Associate General Counsel of Tidewater Inc. of New Orleans. Thousands of law firms of all sizes have launched web sites,including more than two-thirds of the National Law Journal 250 largest U.S. firms. Selecting a host is a critical step in the creation of a law firm web site, and firms should be aware of the variety of site-hosting options. Online service companies Companies like America Online and CompuServe offer web hosting at no additional charge to their members. These web sites afford law firms economical opportunities to experiment with site content, design and layout, but foreclose the opportunity to select distinct domain names.
Some firms use such sites to supplement stand-alone sites maintained on separate servers.
The main attraction is that they provide design and programming services in addition to furnishing web space on their servers. A number of companies, including Webcom, Hiway Technologies and Interland, specialize in web hosting. A list of such companies is published by the Ultimate Web Host List . Consultants and Design Professionals Computer consultants and web-design professionals can help a firm to select an appropriate host, and some consultants offer hosting services themselves. Like ISPs,consultants and design professionals range from one-person locals to large, national companies.