If you’re running a law firm website on WordPress, you’ve likely encountered the limitations of standard WordPress fields. Whether you need to display attorney profiles, case results, practice area details, or client testimonials in a specific format, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is the solution that transforms your website from basic to extraordinary.

At InterCore Technologies, we’ve been building custom legal websites since 2002, and ACF has become an indispensable tool in our development arsenal. This comprehensive guide will show you everything you need to know about leveraging ACF for your law firm’s digital presence.

What is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)?

Advanced Custom Fields is a powerful WordPress plugin that extends the default WordPress editor by allowing you to add custom fields to your content. Think of it as giving your website a custom database tailored specifically to your law firm’s needs.

Core Capabilities

• Custom Field Creation: Add any type of data field to your posts, pages, custom post types, users, taxonomy terms, and more
• 30+ Field Types: From simple text fields to complex relationship fields, image galleries, and Google Maps integration
• Conditional Logic: Show or hide fields based on user selections, creating dynamic forms
• Flexible Layouts: Build complex, repeatable content blocks without coding
• Developer-Friendly: Clean, well-documented API for custom implementations

For law firms specifically, ACF means you can create standardized attorney profiles, showcase case results with consistent formatting, display practice area information uniformly, and manage client testimonials with complete control over every detail.

Why Law Firms Need ACF

Law firm websites have unique requirements that generic WordPress themes simply can’t address. Here’s why ACF has become essential for legal marketing:

Consistency Across Your Website

Every attorney profile, case result, and practice area page should follow the same professional format. ACF ensures consistency by providing standardized input fields, eliminating the risk of formatting errors or missing information.

Better SEO Performance

Structured data is critical for modern SEO. ACF makes it easy to implement schema markup for attorney profiles, case results, reviews, and local business information. This structured approach helps search engines understand your content better, leading to enhanced search visibility.

AI Optimization (GEO)

With our expertise in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), we’ve found that ACF’s structured data approach significantly improves how AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude understand and reference your law firm’s information. The clean, organized data structure makes your content more discoverable in AI-generated responses.

Easier Content Management

Your marketing team shouldn’t need to know HTML or CSS to update attorney information or add case results. ACF provides intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that make content management straightforward for non-technical staff.

Scalability for Growing Firms

As your firm grows, adding new attorneys, practice areas, or office locations should be seamless. ACF’s flexible architecture scales effortlessly, whether you have 5 attorneys or 500.

Getting Started with ACF

Installing and configuring ACF is straightforward, but proper planning ensures you build a foundation that serves your firm for years to come.

Installation Process

1. Download ACF: Visit the WordPress plugin repository or the official ACF website
   • Free version: Available in WordPress Plugin Directory
   • Pro version: Purchase from advancedcustomfields.com
2. Install the Plugin: Upload via WordPress admin or install directly from the plugin repository
3. Activate ACF: Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
4. Create Your First Field Group: Navigate to Custom Fields → Add New in your WordPress dashboard

Planning Your Field Groups

Before diving into field creation, map out your content needs:

• Attorney Profiles: What information do you need for each attorney? (Name, title, photo, bio, contact info, credentials, practice areas)
• Practice Areas: How should practice area pages be structured? (Overview, services offered, related attorneys, case results)
• Case Results: What details matter for case results? (Case type, settlement amount, date, description, related practice areas)
• Testimonials: How will you display client reviews? (Client name, rating, testimonial text, date, associated attorney)

At InterCore Technologies, we’ve developed standardized field group templates for law firms that cover 95% of typical use cases, saving weeks of planning and development time.

Essential Field Types for Legal Websites

ACF offers over 30 field types, but law firms primarily use these essential ones:

Text & Content Fields

• Text Field: Single-line text for names, titles, phone numbers
• Text Area: Multi-line text for short descriptions or addresses
• WYSIWYG Editor: Full rich text editor for attorney bios or practice area descriptions
• Number: Numeric values for case settlement amounts or years of experience
• Email: Validated email fields for attorney contact information
• URL: Website links or social media profiles

Selection Fields

• Select Dropdown: Choose from predefined options (e.g., “Partner,” “Associate,” “Of Counsel”)
• Checkbox: Multiple selections (e.g., bar admissions, practice areas)
• Radio Button: Single selection from multiple options
• True/False: Yes/no toggles (e.g., “Featured Attorney,” “Accepting New Clients”)

Media Fields

• Image: Attorney headshots, office photos, practice area imagery
• File: PDF documents like resumes, publications, or case studies
• Gallery: Multiple images for office tours or event galleries

Relationship Fields

• Post Object: Link attorneys to their practice areas or case results
• Relationship: Create connections between different content types
• Taxonomy: Automatically populate with categories or custom taxonomy terms
• User: Associate content with specific WordPress users

Advanced Fields (Pro Version)

• Repeater: Add multiple instances of a field group (perfect for education history or awards)
• Flexible Content: Build complex page layouts with drag-and-drop content blocks
• Gallery: Enhanced image gallery with more control
• Clone: Reuse field groups across different content types

Advanced ACF Features

Once you’ve mastered the basics, these advanced features unlock ACF’s full potential for law firm websites.

Conditional Logic

Show or hide fields based on other field values. For example, if an attorney is marked as “Partner,” additional fields appear for “Equity Partner Status” or “Practice Group Leadership.”

Use Cases for Law Firms:

• Display “Trial Record” fields only for litigators
• Show “Bar Admission Date” fields when a jurisdiction is selected
• Reveal “Speaking Engagements” section only if an attorney has presentations

Location Rules

Control exactly where your field groups appear. You can target:

• Specific post types (attorneys, practice areas, case results)
• Individual pages or posts
• Page templates
• Taxonomy terms
• User roles (show different fields to administrators vs. editors)

Flexible Content Builder

The Flexible Content field (ACF Pro) enables you to create page builder-like functionality. Perfect for practice area pages where content structure varies:

• Text blocks with images
• Attorney team sections
• Case result showcases
• Testimonial carousels
• Call-to-action sections
• FAQ accordions

Options Pages

Create global settings pages for firm-wide information like:

• Main office address and phone number
• Social media links
• Emergency contact information
• Footer content
• Google Analytics tracking codes

This centralizes critical information so you only update it once, and it appears throughout your entire website.

ACF Blocks

With the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg), ACF allows you to create custom blocks. This combines the flexibility of ACF with the intuitive interface of block-based editing.

Popular ACF Blocks for Law Firms:

• Attorney Profile Card
• Case Result Highlight
• Practice Area Grid
• Testimonial Slider
• Contact Form Section

ACF Pro vs Free Version: Which Should You Choose?

Deciding between ACF free and ACF Pro depends on your firm’s specific needs and growth plans.

Free Version Features

The free version includes:

• All basic field types (text, textarea, number, email, URL, password)
• Content fields (WYSIWYG editor, oEmbed, image, file, gallery)
• Choice fields (select, checkbox, radio, button group, true/false)
• Relational fields (link, post object, page link, relationship, taxonomy, user)
• jQuery fields (color picker, date picker, time picker)
• Layout fields (message, accordion, tab, group)
• Conditional logic
• Location rules

Pro Version Additions

ACF Pro adds these powerful features:

• Repeater Field: Essential for listing education, awards, publications
• Flexible Content: Build complex, repeatable page layouts
• Gallery Field: Enhanced image galleries with better control
• Clone Field: Reuse field groups efficiently
• Options Pages: Create global settings pages
• ACF Blocks: Build custom Gutenberg blocks
• Priority Support: Direct access to the ACF team

Pricing Comparison

ACF Pro Pricing (2025):

• Personal: $49/year (1 site)
• Freelancer: $149/year (10 sites)
• Agency: $249/year (unlimited sites)

Our Recommendation

For most law firms, we recommend starting with the free version to test ACF’s capabilities. Upgrade to Pro when you need:

• Repeating fields for education, awards, or publications
• Custom page builder functionality
• Global options pages for firm-wide settings
• Custom Gutenberg blocks

The $49/year investment for a single site is minimal compared to the time saved and professional results achieved.

Best Practices for Law Firm Websites Using ACF

After implementing ACF on hundreds of legal websites, we’ve identified these critical best practices:

1. Plan Your Data Structure First

Before creating fields, map out your content architecture:

• What information is mandatory vs. optional?
• How will fields relate to each other?
• What will your display templates look like?
• How will content be filtered or searched?

2. Use Clear, Descriptive Field Names

Field labels should be immediately understandable to non-technical staff. Instead of “text_1” use “Attorney First Name” or “Practice Area Description.”

3. Add Instructions for Your Team

ACF allows you to add instruction text to each field. Use this feature to guide your marketing team:

• “Upload a professional headshot (minimum 800x800px)”
• “Enter biography in third person, 150-200 words”
• “Select all jurisdictions where attorney is admitted”

4. Implement Validation Rules

Require critical fields and validate formats:

• Make attorney name and photo required
• Validate email addresses automatically
• Set minimum/maximum character counts for bios
• Ensure phone numbers follow proper formatting

5. Optimize for SEO and Schema Markup

Structure your ACF data to feed directly into schema markup. At InterCore, we integrate ACF with our advanced SEO strategies to automatically generate:

• Person schema for attorney profiles
• Organization schema for your firm
• Service schema for practice areas
• Review schema for testimonials
• LocalBusiness schema for office locations

6. Create Reusable Field Groups

Use the Clone field (Pro) or duplicate field groups for common elements like contact information, social media links, or office locations that appear in multiple contexts.

7. Maintain Consistent Naming Conventions

Establish naming conventions for field keys:

• attorney_first_name
• attorney_last_name
• attorney_headshot
• attorney_biography

This makes templates easier to maintain and debugging simpler.

8. Export and Version Control

Regularly export your field groups as JSON files. This allows for version control, easy migration between development/staging/production environments, and disaster recovery.

9. Optimize for Performance

When working with large numbers of fields or posts:

• Use object caching (Redis or Memcached)
• Implement lazy loading for images
• Only load fields you actually need in your templates
• Consider using ACF’s local JSON feature for faster field group loading

Common Use Cases for Law Firms

Here are the most impactful ways law firms use ACF:

Attorney Directory System

Create a comprehensive attorney profile system with:

• Professional headshots with consistent dimensions
• Full attorney biographies
• Bar admissions and court admissions
• Education history (using repeater fields)
• Professional associations and memberships
• Awards and recognitions
• Publications and speaking engagements
• Practice area associations (relationship fields)
• Direct contact information
• Social media links

Practice Area Management

Structure practice area pages with:

• Practice area overview (WYSIWYG)
• Services offered (repeater or flexible content)
• Related attorneys (relationship field)
• Relevant case results (post object)
• Industry-specific imagery
• Practice area FAQs
• Related blog posts
• Custom CTAs for consultations

Case Results Showcase

Display case results professionally with:

• Case type/category
• Result amount (with option to hide specific amounts)
• Case description
• Date resolved
• Associated practice areas
• Handling attorneys
• Featured case toggle
• Client testimonial (if available)

Client Testimonial System

Manage testimonials with:

• Client name (with privacy options)
• Star rating
• Testimonial text
• Client photo (optional)
• Associated attorney
• Practice area
• Date
• Featured testimonial toggle
• Video testimonial (file upload)

Office Location Pages

For firms with multiple offices:

• Office address fields (street, city, state, zip)
• Phone number
• Fax number
• Email address
• Office hours (repeater for each day)
• Google Maps embed coordinates
• Office photos (gallery)
• Attorneys at this location (relationship)
• Parking instructions
• Accessibility information

Blog Post Enhancements

Add metadata to blog posts:

• Author selection (if different from WordPress user)
• Estimated reading time
• Related practice areas
• Related attorneys
• Featured article toggle
• Custom CTA for article
• Key takeaways section
• Additional resources (repeater)

Landing Page Builder

Use Flexible Content to build custom landing pages for specific campaigns or practice areas with drag-and-drop sections like:

• Hero sections with custom headlines
• Benefit lists with icons
• Attorney showcases
• Process/timeline sections
• Testimonial carousels
• FAQ accordions
• CTA sections with contact forms
• Statistics/achievements displays

Frequently Asked Questions About ACF