Valuable .law domain requirements announced

Valuable .law domain requirements announced

Minds + Machines – registry for the new .law and .abogado domains have announced eligibility requirements for second level domains in .law and .abogado.

These top level domains are due to be launched in 2015, and are set to be in high demand amongst legal professionals.

The .abogado (meaning “lawyer” in Spanish) and .law domains will be restricted to licenced solicitors and law firms. This could prove a prime opportunity for bogus law firms to acquire URLs featuring the titles and branding of legitimate firms. However, Minds + Machines have assured applications and renewals will be scrutinised as a way to ensure the applicants’ licences are valid up to date.

In order to qualify for either of these domains, firms must be providing legal services, with a practicing partner or equivalent being a fully licenced solicitor. A challenge procedure will be in place for those who are deemed no longer eligible.

At this time, other legal professionals are unable to register for the domains.

The rules and restrictions for each of the domains are soon to be updated and will be released prior to the launch next year.

The standard pricing structure for the domain registrations will primarily include solicitor titles or law firm names. However, more generic terms such as services or geographical locations, will be charged for at a premium rate.

Antony Van Couvering, CEO of Minds + Machines, says, "Our goal for .law and .abogado is to create an Internet home for those who are qualified and licensed to practice law.  If someone sees a website with a .law or .abogado domain name, they will know that the owner is a lawyer. If it doesn’t have a .law or .abogado ending, there’s no way to know who’s behind the domain name."

Minds + Machines will be carrying out checks with professionals across the world, to ensure rules and procedures in place are adequate.

To keep updated with the current status of the .law and .abogado domains, please visit the Minds + Machines website.

Georgia Owen

Georgia is the Content Executive and will be your primary contact when submitting your latest news. While studying for an LLB at the University of Liverpool, Georgia gained experience working within retail, as well as social media management. She later went on to work for a local newspaper, before starting at Today’s Conveyancer.

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