Fast Fifty 2008 ...and the winner is...

Allen & Overy

The following is an extract from the 2008 Fast Fifty report, Part Two: "Who is Winning and Why?". Click here for information about the report and to register for a free 18-page sampler.

Allen & Overy's website puts in a very strong performance across the board. Based purely on the online experience, A&O comes across as professional modern law firm with a global reach and the services to match. In short, the website represents exactly with the sort of firm A&O is: a major world player, and one of the notable Magic Circle.
 
A closer look at the site

The site provides a great deal of information enhancing the firms’ high profile reputation, such as awards won, research publications, and case studies to show depth of experience. Featuring information on CSR policy also boosts the firm’s perception

A&O’s strength in the content category lies in its high level of online services designed to help streamline a variety of legal processes, which ultimately benefits the client. As well as these complex services, a dedicated client extranet and ‘alumni’ section add to the functionality of the content

Usability…

The navigation, page structure and page layout all help give the visitor easy access to the information they need, and also enable easy assimilation of the content. Menu subcategories are logical, and good menu labelling allows the user to identify the content of the subcategory without confusion.

The use of cross-referencing links in the main body text (e.g. from biography to articles) enhances the user's experience.  Although the website clearly indicates the visitor’s location on the site the use of breadcrumb navigation would help visitor orientation.

Design…

At first it might seem that the site’s design is nothing exceptional, but when viewed in detail its quality emerges. Great attention is paid to subtle design elements: font sizes, horizontal lines and the use of colour to highlight sections of text all grab the attention and break the monotony.

Marketing…

The site is successful at communicating the firm’s strong corporate identity. The homepage is an effective gateway to a very pleasant online experience, though some of the branding loses its way as you delve deeper into the site. Based on the online experience, the firm comes across as a high-profile firm at the vanguard of its sector.

Focus on Allen & Overy’s graduate microsite

Allen & Overy’s graduate microsite is worth a special mention. The approach Allen & Overy have adopted on the site gives the firm a very personal feel. The reputation of the firm and its breadth of work are illustrated comprehensively, but it is the staff themselves that are used to promote the firm in a beneficial light. The homepage of this microsite focuses immediately on current trainees and other staff in order to illustrate rapidly the varied working life candidates can expect at the firm.