Restructuring Success: PSZJ’s Bankruptcy Law Firm Website Redesign
PSZJ Website Redesign
Overview
Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones (PSZJ) is a powerhouse in bankruptcy law, known for guiding businesses through financial turbulence and complex restructuring. With a track record of handling high-stakes cases, they’re the go-to firm for companies looking to get back on their feet.
Discovery
Their problem? Their website wasn’t keeping up.
Outdated design, clunky navigation, and an ancient CMS made updates a hassle—limiting its effectiveness as a marketing tool.
The site’s look and feel didn’t reflect PSZJ’s status as a top-tier bankruptcy law firm. The design was outdated, making it visually unappealing and lacking the modern, polished aesthetic expected from an industry leader. Navigation was cumbersome, with users struggling to find relevant information quickly, which created friction for potential clients and referral partners.
On the backend, their outdated content management system (CMS) made it difficult to update content efficiently. The system was rigid, requiring unnecessary steps for even minor updates, and lacked flexibility for growth, meaning new features and pages were challenging to implement. As a result, key content often remained stale, making it harder for PSZJ to highlight recent successes, industry insights, and thought leadership—ultimately weakening their online presence.
To fix this, we took a deep dive into PSZJ’s needs and goals. We kicked off the process with stakeholder interviews, speaking directly with firm leaders and marketing professionals to understand their challenges, priorities, and vision for the new site.
Next, we conducted a detailed site audit to analyze the existing website’s structure, content, and technical performance. This audit identified pain points like slow load times, outdated code, poor mobile responsiveness, and content gaps that needed to be addressed.
Finally, we performed a competitive analysis, studying how other leading bankruptcy law firms structured their websites, presented their expertise, and engaged with visitors. This gave us valuable insights into best practices and opportunities for differentiation, ensuring PSZJ’s new site would not just meet industry standards but exceed them.
before
UX Strategy
From there, we got to work. Armed with insights from our research, we set out to build a website that not only looked great but functioned seamlessly for both visitors and the PSZJ team.
One of the biggest pain points for PSZJ was their outdated CMS, which made content updates frustratingly complex. To solve this, we conducted a CMS discovery audit, evaluating different options to find the best fit for their needs. We prioritized a system that was user-friendly so their internal team could easily update content without needing a developer, flexible allowing them to add new pages, blog posts, and updates effortlessly, and scalable – so the site could grow alongside the firm without requiring a full rebuild down the line.
We mapped out a new site architecture, ensuring that information was logically structured and easy to navigate. Instead of overwhelming visitors with dense legal jargon, we focused on clarity, simplicity, and engagement—creating a site that felt welcoming rather than intimidating.
To define the visual direction, we created moodboards that explored different typography, color schemes, and layout concepts. We aimed for a balance of sophistication and warmth, avoiding overly corporate or rigid aesthetics.
To add a layer of modernity and engagement, we also planned for subtle animations — small but intentional movements that guide users through the site without feeling distracting. These interactive elements help create a dynamic experience, making the experience feel smooth and intuitive.
Finally, we conducted an imagery exploration to select visuals that complemented PSZJ’s brand identity. Rather than generic stock photos, we focused on imagery that conveyed stability, trust, and expertise—reinforcing the firm’s role as a trusted partner for businesses in financial distress.
Build
Given PSZJ’s need for a website that could evolve with them, we built a custom WordPress theme that balances flexibility, ease of use, and performance.
Unlike off-the-shelf themes that can be restrictive or bloated with unnecessary features, this custom-built solution was tailored specifically to PSZJ’s content needs, branding, and functionality goals.
The admin interface was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that PSZJ’s marketing and legal teams could easily update content, add new practice areas, and publish articles without requiring developer assistance.
We implemented a sleek and modern layout that prioritizes clarity and accessibility. The typography, color scheme, and spacing were carefully selected to ensure readability and professionalism, giving visitors a sense of confidence in PSZJ’s expertise.
A crucial part of the redesign was improving internal navigation through strategic cross-linking. Doing this ensured that relevant content is interconnected, so visitors can easily discover related practice areas, case studies, and attorney profiles without unnecessary clicks.
With more people accessing websites on mobile devices than ever, the new PSZJ site was built to look and function flawlessly across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
However, a law firm’s website isn’t just about looking good—it also needs to be discoverable. We implemented SEO-friendly programming to increase PSZJ’s visibility in search engine results, helping potential clients find them faster. This included clean, semantic HTML to improve search indexing, optimized site speed and performance to enhance user experience and ranking potential, and keyword-friendly page structures to align with industry-specific search queries.
Test & Launch
Before launching the new PSZJ website, we conducted a comprehensive testing phase to ensure the site performed flawlessly across all devices, browsers, and screen sizes.
Since law firm websites serve a diverse audience—including business owners, corporate executives, and legal professionals—every detail needed to be polished, intuitive, and technically sound.
We tested the site on all major browsers and verified performance across multiple operating systems. We manually tested all interactive features to ensure smooth performance, usability, and accessibility compliance. Once testing was complete, we made final refinements based on feedback from stakeholders and internal testing.
It was time to prep for the launch of the redesigned website, and so we lined everything up for a seamless launch, and pushed the redesigned site live!
Closing Thoughts
The new PSZJ website mirrors their real-world leadership, combining modern visuals with a seamless user experience. Every detail, from responsive design to intuitive navigation, is crafted to reflect their industry authority and commitment to care and excellence.
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