Why Your Law Firm Needs a "Headless" CMS 

When you hear “headless,” what comes to mind? Points to anyone thinking “Ichabod Crane,” and more points to anyone thinking “RubyLaw.” 

Headless, in marketing technology parlance, refers to a separation between the presentation layer, aka the “front-end” (where content is presented), and the “back-end,” aka the Content Management System or “CMS” (where content is managed). 

As we’ve shared previously, “headless” is the future of legal marketing…and it’s a future that’s been RubyLaw’s present for some time. 

Nearly a decade ago, we set out to transform the legal marketing technology landscape by developing a cutting-edge, law firm-focused marketing Content Management System (CMS). At that time, we’d already implemented dozens of websites and document generation systems, constantly learning from our experiences. 

We created RubyLaw Content, the CMS module in the RubyLaw Content Lifecycle Management (CLM) platform, a “headless” CMS—although no one used that nomenclature then.

One of RubyLaw Content’s essential design requirements was to have an open data model, and a complete Application Programming Interface (API). This, what we call RubyLaw Connector today, enables RubyLaw Content to seamlessly integrate with other back-end systems in the legal marketing technology stack. As a result of having a bi-directional, REST-based API, RubyLaw Content became the first fully headless CMS in the legal marketing sector. We’ve since added support for GraphQL for content integration.

Unlike many newcomers to the “headless” world, RubyLaw was completely reengineered to support law firms’ present needs and to be flexible enough to support the future of law firm content management.

So, what are the benefits of going with a headless approach?

A headless solution allows firms to pursue comprehensive website rebranding and redesign initiatives without requiring a back-end rebuild. Provided your firm is using a solution like RubyLaw, you are saving considerable time and budget. 

Having the “front-end” disconnected from the “back-end” enables legal marketing teams to pursue endless design updates and refresh initiatives without considering the complexities of content migration or significant back-end development. There’s no need to “throw everything away” and start from scratch when you want to perform design updates, or even complete rebrands. Plus, having an open data model makes content accessible to third-party applications—both inside and outside of your law firm—giving you more power, flexibility, and opportunity.

Specifically, by having sufficient privilege and role definitions (as RubyLaw does), firms can allow for a wide range of contributors—human and AI-based—for core content management tasks. This could mean everything from having agencies write and publish directly to (and through) your website to expanding the touchpoints through which target audiences can consume your content.  

It also means extended support for microsites, external blogs, ancillary digital properties, and the production of brand-aligned, auto-generated documents across formats. 

Plus, RubyLaw—aka, the back-end—can be upgraded, managed, secured, and maintained separately from the public-facing website and similar components, giving firms more control and peace of mind. 

So, when you hear “headless” next time, don’t panic: With RubyLaw, it’s fine to “lose your head.”

RubyLaw Live: This Thursday, March 21 at 4pm ET

The March edition of RubyLaw Live will take place on Thursday at 4pm ET. 

RubyLaw Live is about learning new things, sharing ideas with fellow legal marketers, and having questions answered by our experts. It's also a time to preview new RubyLaw features or emerging trends. It is complimentary to all RubyLaw clients.

This month, our team focuses on updates in RubyLaw, specifically the more exciting features released during the first quarter of 2024. (We'll also share what's coming soon.) 

This event is open to RubyLaw Clients only.