International law firm Steptoe needed to contemporize its aging digital presence. With more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in the U.S., Asia, and Europe, achieving this target would be complex.


Having successfully persevered with its existing website for more than a decade, Steptoe required external expertise to guide the modernization process forward. The firm selected Right Hat and RubensteinTech to design and implement the new Steptoe.com, with RubyLaw as the solution to power the website and other business development processes.


While all projects are unique, three aspects of this engagement merit attention. First, as a global firm with locations on three continents, Steptoe required multi-lingual support to extend content to local audiences in markets like Beijing and Brussels. Second, as a producer of rich media content, including The CyberLaw Podcast and other well-regarded publications and insights, the firm wanted a platform to maintain and support its ambitions. Third, with a commitment to make its content highly accessible, Steptoe wanted to ensure the highest standards of compliance for the new website.


Together, Right Hat and RubensteinTech collaborated with Steptoe to elevate the design aesthetic while delivering on all requested functionality. The new Steptoe.com includes RubyLaw Smart Search Level II, which helps to surface content across media and languages with unparalleled speed. The firm-wide News section includes a special feature that lets users selectively highlight content—whether matters or announcements—on all pages of the site, serving visitors with information deemed important to the firm. It also includes the RubyLaw Binder module, enabling visitors to grab, save, and export pages for various uses. With WCAG 2.0 compliance, the new Steptoe.com makes content even more accessible to all audiences. Finally, with RubyLaw Microsite Generator, the Steptoe team can spin-out new “mini websites” from within RubyLaw, without external assistance. This capability accelerates Steptoe’s processes for posting and promoting new content, while strengthening the firm’s ability to compete.