WordPress Re-Theme In Place — 400+ Page Law Firm Site (SEO Preserved)

Summary I'm looking for a skilled WordPress designer-developer to redesign my existing site, cpollardlaw.com. This is a re-theme in place on the current WordPress install — same URLs, same content, SEO equity preserved. Not a rebuild or migration to a new platform. I want a modern, clean, mobile-first design that turns the site into a conversion engine while keeping an editorial, educational feel. For reference, I'm competing with Atticus.com and Pond Lehocky. Project scope — two parts: 1. Design system + templates. A cohesive visual system applied across four templates: home, practice area hubs (three pages total - can use same design), internal content page, and blog. Responsive, conversion-focused, editorial. 2. Rolling the templates across 300+ pages. This is the core of the project, not an afterthought. The new templates need to be applied and verified across all 300+ existing pages — spot checked. I will review all pages after the project and make necessary changes. Please quote this migration/QA work as a separate line item from the template design. About the current site: Built on WordPress, 300+ pages. Content depth and authority are already strong — the copy, case results, and practitioner detail are the firm's biggest asset. The problem is the design doesn't reflect that; it currently undersells the content. The positioning to protect and elevate: I'm a former insurance-defense attorney now representing injured workers. That "came from the other side" credibility is central and should come through fast. Design direction: Editorial style in the spirit of Atticus.com or Pond Lehocky— polished serif headlines paired with a readable sans-serif body. Content-first: educate and build trust, with consultation CTAs that feel like a natural next step, not a hard sell. Good to know: I use SiteCare for ongoing maintenance and site speed/performance — this role is the redesign itself, and the build needs to be performance-friendly for them to maintain (a lightweight custom theme is strongly preferred over a heavy page builder). I engage Kalicube for brand-entity work — you'll coordinate with them on anything affecting brand consistency. Ideal candidate: Strong portfolio of modern, content-heavy or legal site redesigns. Does both design and development (no design-to-separate-dev handoff). Clear process, good communicator, hits deadlines and budget. To apply, please include: 3–4 redesigns you've done (before/after a plus), ideally content-heavy or legal sites. Will you build a custom lightweight theme (e.g., Gutenberg/ACF) or use a page builder like Elementor? Why? Your timeline, and a cost estimate with the template design and the 400-page migration/QA spot check quoted as separate line items.