Eurojuris International offered national chapters the opportunity to adopt the same layout for their different websites. As several members are considering it, here are a few keys to understand the reasons why it could help you maximise your advantages as part of the network.
There is a new website ready for Eurojuris Germany to be put online soon, and it emulates the style of the Eurojuris International website – something EJ has been offering to its members lately. This is an offer that EJ Germany was prompt to accept.
For Christian Veh, EJ, responsible for EJ Germany, “The idea is to emphasise the feeling of being part of a network. In my opinion, and in the opinion of the board of EJ Germany, it is important to point out the international connection – this is what Eurojuris is about!” It is a symbol, but an important one today, as the first contact people make with a company is mostly through their website. “Offering this layout is one of the possibilities at Eurojuris and it is a way to point out the feeling of belonging to the same structure”.
There are other reasons. According to Christian, “There is also a cost factor: it is much more affordable than having our own layout designed. This website has already proven its efficiency and thus we know what to expect.”
Christophe Marfoutine is, amongst other responsibilities, in charge of IT at Eurojuris International. “There is of course an advantage in terms of harmonisation”, he says. “We heard reports that customers didn't recognise Eurojuris from one country to another because the websites were too different. Lawyers themselves sometimes also wondered if it was their own network they were clicking on! But there is something even more important: databases”. The Eurojuris website includes a large database with the contact details of all the lawyers in the network, which is the most important tool that Eurojuris can provide to its members. “Technically,” explains Christophe, “It is much more efficient to have one single database that every national website can use, rather than one database per country. It means one update for everyone, guaranteeing that no-one has an obsolete database. The last advantage is to favour communication between countries: news published here will be read there, and so on.”
Last but not least, Christophe guarantees the security of the website. “We live in a world where it has become a hobby for some people to hack any website they can. We have a strong security system in ours – it is the same technology used by the White House!” If the quality of the layout was not enough to convince associations to get the same website, perhaps they will consider sharing their security system with Obama...
Do you have new projects in your local Eurojuris chapter? Do you have comments on how to manage your presence online? Please share your experience with us at journalist@eurojuris.net
