Short answer: A New Jersey lawyer website redesign almost always reinstalls the badge row, because the new theme ships with a logo strip and somebody fills it. New Jersey is the strictest state in the country on awards, honours and rankings, which makes an unexplained row of badges in a site-wide footer the highest-risk element on most New Jersey law firm websites — and a rebuild is the one moment you can remove it without anyone treating the removal as a decision. This guide sets out what to build instead.
Take the badges out of the new design and look at what is left. That is your actual trust content.
What New Jersey adds to a redesign
New Jersey governs lawyer advertising through Rules 7.1 through 7.5 of the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct, with the Office of Attorney Ethics and the Committee on Attorney Advertising operating under the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Its treatment of awards and comparative honours is materially stricter than most states’, and we cover it in the New Jersey attorney advertising rules guide. This guide does not state the current requirements, required wording or exemptions — confirm those with the Committee on Attorney Advertising or your ethics counsel.
Three things about a rebuild make this worse rather than better. Badge rows are template artefacts, so a new theme reintroduces the pattern by default. Image-based badges carry no text, so whatever description the rules call for has nowhere to live in the new design either. And because the row is generated site-wide, every page carries the claim — there is no such thing as putting it somewhere minor.
Decide it at the design stage, not after
The sequencing failure is familiar: a design is approved on aesthetics, the logo strip is part of the aesthetic, and compliance questions arrive afterwards when changing it means reopening an approved layout.
Tell the designer at brief stage that there is no site-wide award strip, and that recognition appears as described text on the bio page of the lawyer who holds it. That is a layout instruction, and it is far easier to give before the first mockup than after the third.
| Old site | Default rebuild behaviour | Better rebuild decision |
|---|---|---|
| Footer badge strip | Theme ships one, agency fills it | No strip; text on bios |
| Award logos on home page | Moved into a hero band | Replaced with described credentials |
| Certification buried in a list | Stays buried | Promoted, named, explained |
| No process content | Still none | Added while the site is open |
| No cost content | Still none | Added while the site is open |
| Stock photography | Newer stock photography | Real photographs, or none |
Six things that do the job a badge was doing
Every one of these is stronger with a reader than a logo, and all of them are text, which matters for a reason covered below.
Certification, explained. New Jersey certifies attorneys in defined fields through the Supreme Court of New Jersey, which makes it a checkable status rather than a purchased plaque. Name the certifying body and add the sentence explaining what it means. How certification must be described is set by the rules; confirm it.
A process walkthrough. What actually happens, step by step, in a matter of this type, with the delays and decision points named. Nothing signals competence like demonstrated familiarity, and almost no firm has this page.
Substantive writing in a narrow area. Twenty careful pieces on one topic prove more than any ranking.
Named, verifiable specifics. Courts appeared in, years admitted, counted volume of a matter type, published work, teaching, appointments.
Honest cost and timeline content. Publishing what something costs signals confidence more effectively than any badge, because it is the thing competitors will not do.
The awards you genuinely keep, written out. Name the awarding organisation, say what the selection process involves and what period it covers. That description is what makes it persuasive, and it is the direction the rules push you anyway.
The AI search argument for the same change
A badge is invisible to an AI assistant. It is an image, it carries no statement, and it cannot be cited. Everything in the list above is text, and text is what gets retrieved.
“Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney” is a retrievable fact. A logo is nothing. So the strict rule and AI visibility point the same direction, which is not a coincidence — both reward saying what you mean. A New Jersey lawyer website redesign is where you can act on that without a separate project.
One further rebuild note: North Jersey sits inside the New York media orbit and much of South Jersey inside Philadelphia’s, so many New Jersey firms are marketing alongside firms governed by different rules. Build to New Jersey’s standard, since it is the stricter one, and you are covered across the region.
New Jersey lawyer website redesign: frequently asked questions
Can I keep Super Lawyers badges after a redesign?
New Jersey treats awards and comparative rankings more strictly than most states, and specific requirements attach to how such recognition may be presented. Whether a particular badge or presentation is permissible is a question for the Committee on Attorney Advertising and your ethics counsel. This guide does not state the current requirements.
Where should awards go on a rebuilt site?
As a content matter, on the bio page of the lawyer who holds the honour, in text, with the awarding organisation and selection methodology described — rather than as a strip of logos repeated on every page by the footer template.
What should replace a badge row?
Described certification, a process walkthrough, substantive writing, verifiable specifics such as courts and counted volume, honest cost content, and any genuinely meaningful award written out rather than displayed.
Does New Jersey certify attorneys as specialists?
New Jersey operates a certification programme through the Supreme Court of New Jersey in defined fields, which makes certification a checkable status. How it may be described is set by the rules — confirm the current position with the Court or your ethics counsel.
How long does a New Jersey lawyer website redesign take?
Eight to sixteen weeks. Replacing badges with written trust content adds content work rather than build work, and it is the part of the project most likely to change how the site performs.
New Jersey lawyer website redesign: the short version
If you take one thing from this guide, take this: tell your designer, before the first mockup, that the new site has no site-wide award strip. That single instruction is easy to give at brief stage and nearly impossible to give after a layout has been approved — and it forces the useful question of what your site would say for itself without the logos.
Official source: the New Jersey Courts.
Legal Web Agency is a marketing agency, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Nothing here states New Jersey’s current requirements for presenting awards, honours or certification, or that any particular presentation complies. Confirm with the Committee on Attorney Advertising, the Office of Attorney Ethics or your ethics counsel.
Related reading: Law Firm Website Redesign: Complete 2026 Guide, plus New Jersey law firm website content and the New Jersey advertising rules guide.
