Immigration and Refugee Law: the brief, point by point
The need that shaped most of the build was proving the lawyers are barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand. The second was access to every member of staff, which became a working staff directory.
See the demo (immigration-and-refugee-law.preview.ceasmith.com) ↗
- They asked
Make it obvious that the lawyers are barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand.
We builtA credential plate section on the home page and again on the About page: Barristers and Solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand between two hairlines, with a claret italic and. The same title sits in the footer tagline and every practice page lede.
- They asked
Let visitors reach every member of staff working at the firm.
We builtA staff directory headed Everyone working at the firm, on the home page and on its own People page. It filters by All, Visa cases or Refugee cases. Our staff is in the main nav and Meet the staff is the hero's second action.
- They asked
Make it easy to contact a particular person at the firm.
We builtEach directory profile expands and offers Enquire with this person, which opens the Contact page with that person already chosen. The form also asks for the matter: Visa case, Refugee case or Something else.
- They asked
Look professional, official, serious and friendly all at once.
We builtA paper ground, ink text, one deep claret accent, Spectral serif headings and hairline rules. There are no shadowed cards, no stock photos of people in suits and no blue corporate palette. A stone colonnade photo gives weight without faces.
- They asked
Appeal to people from the Middle East who need an immigration or refugee lawyer.
We builtThe home h1 reads Visa cases and refugee cases, in the hands of qualified lawyers. Someone scanning for visa or refugee help finds both in the first line. The credential has its own section instead of taking over the h1.
The thinking behind it
The build rests on the brief and on three kinds of New Zealand law firm and legal body sites.
A well-set magazine page: serif display, hairline rules, a narrow reading measure and no boxes. The formal title of a New Zealand lawyer is set like an engraved plate, on paper, in one deep claret. Spectral carries the headings and Schibsted Grotesk the body text.
The signature moment
The credential plate: Barristers, then and Solicitors, then OF THE HIGH COURT OF NEW ZEALAND, between two ink hairlines. It is set in light Spectral at display size with a claret italic and, beside a tall framed colonnade photo. The hairlines fade in. The same plate appears on the About page.
What we looked at
What we tookIt states the specialist focus in the first line, so the home hero opens with the two services: visa cases and refugee cases.
What we tookThe same structure here: practice pages plus a People page, because every member of staff was to be reachable.
What we tookThe formal title becomes the visual anchor: the credential plate, set like an engraved plate in the exact words of the title.
The build sheet
Colour
Type
Spectral for headlines, Schibsted Grotesk for reading.
Pages
- Home
- States visa cases and refugee cases in the h1, shows the credential plate and the staff directory.
- About
- Explains the barrister and solicitor title and repeats the credential plate.
- People
- The full staff directory with filters and profiles.
- Practice pages
- One page per service, each opening with the firm's qualification.
- Contact
- Enquiry form with matter choice and a staff picker.
Search built in
- Page title pattern: Immigration and Refugee Law | Visa cases and refugee cases
- Meta description names barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand handling visa cases and refugee cases
- Structured data on the home page uses the LegalService type
- An llms.txt summary file is published
A free demo website we built for Immigration and Refugee Law before they had paid anything.
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