A professional law firm letterhead does more than display your contact information; it reinforces your brand and builds trust with every document you send. Whether you’re a solo attorney or part of a larger practice, having a polished and consistent legal letterhead can leave a strong impression on clients, courts, and colleagues.
The good news? Creating a high-quality, customized attorney letterhead is easier than ever. With the right tools, templates, and design principles, you can craft a letterhead that reflects your professionalism and stands out.
To make it even simpler, we’ve included downloadable, modifiable legal letterhead examples you can start using today.
What’s the Importance of Professional Law Firm Letterheads?
A professional law firm letterhead is more than just a logo and contact details at the top of a page. It acts as a powerful branding tool that communicates credibility, trust, and attention to detail.
For personal injury lawyers, where reputation and client confidence are essential, your letterhead plays a key role in shaping first impressions.
Here are a few reasons it matters:
• It builds trust: A clean and consistent legal letterhead shows clients and colleagues that your firm is reliable and professional.
• It reinforces your brand: Every document you send reflects your law firm. A custom attorney letterhead ensures your communication aligns with your visual identity.
• It keeps your materials consistent: A well-designed law firm letterhead ensures all team members follow the same format in their correspondence.
• It adds polish to legal documents: Courts, insurance companies, and other attorneys take note of presentation. A quality legal letterhead strengthens your professional image.
Printed or digital, your law firm’s letterhead sends a message of professionalism and reliability to every person who receives it.
8 Free Law Firm Letterhead Templates
We created these downloadable templates for readers looking for a quick way to add their law firm logos and details. If you just want to change a template, you can be ready to print in a few minutes.
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You can download any of these 8 templates and easily update them with your own brand styling. Four of these templates are in Microsoft Word, and four are Canva templates. While Word is ubiquitous, Canva offers far more features for an appealing design.
We wanted to give lawyers the option to take advantage of this modern templating option.
We've also provided the templates in PDF format as well if you prefer to work with them in Acrobat.
If you're looking for something more custom, there are a few options to choose from. You can create your own letterhead using the tools and steps listed below.
What to Include on Your Law Firm Letterheads
There are three key parts of good law firm letterhead: your font, logo, and firm information.
The key is to ensure that each of these components is clear and easy to read. This ensures that your mail leaves a professional impression on anyone you send it to.
Font Choice
Ideally, your law firm font is consistent with the one you already use in your law firm marketing material. This ensures that all your digital and printed marketing materials look the same.
Your font should convey a professional image, too. Fonts that deviate from traditional options don't work well here.
A good font choice is easily read. Avoid fonts that look childish or whimsical, use a script style, or push the characters so closely together that it's hard to distinguish each one.
Many law firms choose a bolder font for their logo. The key for logo fonts is making sure it looks good alongside the main font for things on your letterhead, like contact information or taglines.
Logo Design
The best law firm logos:
- Use the law firm's chosen colors
- Mix imagery with text
- Are clean and professional-looking
Before uploading your logo to a letterhead logo design tool, make sure that the image quality is right for the job. Don't use an image that's too small. Check out previews to verify that nothing is too blurry.
Most logo designers will provide you with finished images in different formats like .PNG, .EPS, or .PDF.
Make sure all these are high resolution so they look great no matter where you put them. A reputable graphic designer can ensure that your logo looks professional regardless of its format.
Firm Information
Most law firm letterhead uses the same general information, including:
- The firm's address
- The firm's phone number
- The firm's website or other contact details
Even if this information is also readily available online, include it on your letterhead, too. If you make any changes to your logo or address, order new letterhead to avoid mistakes such as undelivered mail.
If you use consistent letterhead across the entire firm, that's all the info you need. If letterhead differs across departments or lawyers, you'll need a few letterhead variants.
Tools for Making Your Own Letterhead
There are plenty of tools that lawyers can use to create their own law firm letterhead with a little bit of work. You can use template libraries to upload your own materials. Then you can change details like fonts or colors so it's a perfect match for your law firm's brand identity.
Template libraries in online resources can save time because someone has already made all the design choices for you. But these design choices may not match your desired aesthetic.
Fortunately, templates are almost always easy to change. And it's definitely easier than starting from scratch. Tools like Canva, Microsoft Word, and Adobe Express all provide templates for business use.
Canva
Although a premium version is available, the free option in Canva still provides you with plenty of templates and a user-friendly interface. These templates are a great starting point for designing a letterhead for your law firm.
Start by visiting Canva's collection of letterhead templates. You can narrow it down by adding "law firm” or related terms to the filter bar.
Start with a blank version if you want to add all the design elements yourself. Or you can choose a template you can alter with your firm's logo, images, and colors.
The biggest benefits of Canva are that it's easy to use and mostly free unless you need premium elements like icons. The downside is that it's not entirely unique to your law firm since other attorneys might use that same template.
Find your font in the list to the left and you can then change colors or sizes as needed. You can also upload your own images for your logo by dragging and dropping.
You can change the colors to match your law firm's brand. You can also upload your own brand kit for the future.
Once you're finished with your design, you can download a print-ready version and a digital file. You can also return at any point to make changes to your letterhead.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is accessible for most legal professionals since they already use it on a daily basis for most tasks. Word is not as flexible as Canva or other modern design tools, but it can get the job done.
You can use templates inside Word or download some from the Internet for further customization.
Start by searching for "letterhead" in your list of templates and see what jumps out at you. If you don't find something you like, look online for law firm letterhead examples in Word.
Adobe Express
One other tool for quickly creating law firm letterhead is Adobe Express.
To get started, click on "create your letterhead now" to start adding relevant details.
Much like Canva, you can change colors, fonts, or placement on your letterhead with the toolbar on the left.
Once you make all the changes you'd like, download from the upper right corner.
While it's mostly free and easy to use Adobe Express, there are some downsides. Adobe Express doesn't have as many attorney templates to choose from as Canva does. It also offers far fewer free templates.
Attorney Letterhead Creation: 5 Tips and Tricks
Designing a professional attorney letterhead doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few key principles that can make your layout more effective and visually appealing. A strong letterhead reflects your legal expertise while making your firm instantly recognizable.
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind:
1. Keep it clean and uncluttered
Less is more. Only include essential elements: your name or firm name, logo, physical address, phone number, email, and website. Avoid adding unnecessary information like taglines, multiple office locations, or dense legal disclaimers right in the header.
Clean layouts are easier to read and give your communication a polished, professional feel.
2. Use professional fonts
The wrong font can make even the best law firm look untrustworthy. Stick to timeless, professional fonts like Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond, or Helvetica. These are commonly used in legal settings because they’re legible in both digital and printed formats. Be consistent with font sizes and styles throughout your documents.
3. Match your branding
Your letterhead should look like it belongs with your business card, website, and logo. Use your firm’s brand colors sparingly but strategically—perhaps in the firm name or as a divider line. This consistency strengthens brand recognition and presents a unified image to clients and opposing counsel alike.
4. Use margins and alignment wisely
A cluttered or unbalanced layout can make a document look rushed or unprofessional. Use equal margins on all sides and align your text and logo thoughtfully. Proper spacing makes your letterhead appear more structured and improves readability for the recipient.
5. Save in multiple formats
Don’t rely on just one version. Save your letterhead as a high-resolution PDF for printing and also create editable templates in Word or Google Docs for everyday use. This makes it easy for your team to apply the same letterhead across all internal and external communications.
Following these best practices will help ensure your attorney letterhead makes a strong impression—on clients, courts, and colleagues alike.
Printing or Uploading your Law Firm Letterhead
Now that you have your file together, it's time to print it or save it for repeatable use. Follow these steps to make sure anyone who needs to use it can do so easily.
Double Checking Your Letterhead for Printer-Friendliness
You might want to download a PDF and a Word version of your letterhead to use repeatedly. Using templates online is a great starting point. You can always return to make tweaks to the design if it doesn't look how you want it when you download it.
To get the best results, upload logos with 300 dpi or higher for law firm letterhead. Always save the final version in PDF form to make printing simple.
Choosing the Right Printer
The right printer can also influence the final product. If you need to print a lot of documents, laser printers work best, and their toner goes a long way. If you pick a black and white laser printer, you'll get great printed letterhead at high volume. This works best for law firms with black-and-white logos or letterhead.
If your letterhead uses other colors, you might need a laser color printer. Note that printing here is more expensive.
Inkjet printers are not recommended as they don't tend to produce high-quality documents.
You might also upload your design and ask for a test version at a local print shop or office supply store. Once you're happy with the original, you can order in bulk.
Uploading to Your Practice Management Software or Cloud Storage
Download any and all file formats you need for your practice management software. The most important format is typically PDF.
You might also save your download as a personal template in Microsoft Office or Word. That way, anyone in your firm who needs to can use it, change it, or print finished versions.
Creating vs. Outsourcing Law Firm Letterhead Design: What’s Better?
When it comes to designing your law firm letterhead, you have two main options: create it yourself using templates or design tools, or outsource the work to a professional designer. The right choice depends on your time, budget, and the image you want to present.
Creating your own letterhead can be fast and cost-effective. There are many online tools and legal letterhead templates tailored for law firms. If you have an eye for design or want something simple, this option gives you full control and flexibility. It’s especially useful for solo attorneys or firms that need something quick and professional-looking without a large investment.
Outsourcing the design, on the other hand, can elevate your firm’s branding. A professional designer can create a custom attorney letterhead that aligns with your logo, color palette, and brand personality. This option is ideal for firms that want to stand out, create a polished image, and ensure consistency across all printed and digital documents.
For most personal injury lawyers, the decision comes down to resources. If branding and first impressions are a priority, outsourcing might be worth the investment. If speed and simplicity are your focus, starting with a high-quality template can still deliver professional results.
Design Perfect Letterhead Now
Letterhead makes a solid first impression and should showcase consistent branding that matches things like your law firm's website design.
Running a law firm is a lot of work, but it's made much easier using tools, templates, and systems. Creating your own letterhead allows you to choose something perfect for your firm that you can reuse repeatedly.
Law Firm Letterhead: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a letterhead in a law firm?
A law firm letterhead is the official header used on legal documents and correspondence. It typically includes the firm’s name, logo, address, phone number, email, and sometimes a tagline or list of attorneys. It serves both a branding and professional purpose, helping to establish credibility and ensure consistency across communications.
How to make a letterhead for a law firm?
To make a law firm letterhead, start by including your logo, firm name, contact details, and any required disclaimers or licensing information. You can use design tools like Canva, Microsoft Word, or Adobe InDesign, or choose from editable legal letterhead templates online. Make sure the layout looks clean, professional, and matches your firm’s branding.
What is a firm letterhead?
A firm letterhead is a customized header placed at the top of official documents from a business or legal practice. For law firms, it acts as a formal identifier that reinforces brand identity and communicates professionalism in all written communications, from client letters to court filings.
What font is used in law firm letterhead?
Law firm letterheads typically use classic, professional fonts like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia for a traditional look. Some modern firms opt for clean sans-serif fonts like Helvetica or Calibri. The key is choosing a font that aligns with your firm’s brand while ensuring readability and professionalism.
