== Legal ==
Contributors: Fasterthemes
Tags: blog, custom-background, custom-colors, custom-header, custom-logo, custom-menu, featured-images, footer-widgets, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready, right-sidebar, two-columns, editor-style
Requires at least: 5.6
Tested up to: 6.8
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 3.0.0
License: GNU General Public License v3 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Legal is an editorial-grade WordPress theme for boutique chambers, white-shoe firms, and modern legal practices. Refined Fraunces typeface, oxblood italic accents, an app-feel mobile bottom-bar, six configurable practice tiles, an editorial counsel grid, and a sophisticated split engagement section.

== Description ==

Legal is a complete editorial theme for serious law practices. The 1.0 release is purpose-built — no jQuery, no Bootstrap, no icon fonts — focused on credibility, speed, and conversion.

Features:

* Editorial Firm Home page template with hero, marquee, practice tiles, ledger, counsel, testimony, and engagement sections.
* All seven sections are opt-in via the Customizer — nothing is rendered until the user configures it.
* Six configurable practice tiles, with optional URL per tile.
* Counsel grid for up to four members, with image, role, bio, and link.
* Ledger section automatically pulls from your latest posts — use posts to publish public matters or notable cases.
* Sophisticated engagement section: editorial letterhead on the left, retainer card with gold spine on the right.
* App-feel mobile bottom-bar nav (configurable via the Mobile menu location).
* Schema.org LegalService JSON-LD for SEO on the firm home and front page.
* Block editor styles match the front end exactly.
* Custom block colors and font sizes.
* Inline SVG icons. No icon font.
* Vanilla JavaScript. No jQuery on the front end.
* Mobile-first responsive design.
* Translation ready.
* WCAG-friendly contrast and focus states.

== Installation ==

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme.
2. Upload legal.zip and activate.
3. Visit Appearance → Legal for the quick-start guide.
4. Create a new page and assign the "Firm Home" template.
5. Settings → Reading → A static page → Front page → choose your firm page.
6. Customize via Appearance → Customize → Legal Theme Options.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I show the editorial firm homepage? =
Create a Page, assign the "Firm Home" template, and set it as the front page. Then open Appearance → Customize → Legal Theme Options and fill in the sections you want — each one is opt-in.

= How does the Ledger section work? =
The Ledger pulls your most recent posts. Use posts to publish public matters, case notes, or notable wins. The number of posts shown is configurable in the Customizer.

= Can I hide a section I do not want? =
Yes. Every section on the Firm Home page has a "Show" checkbox in its Customizer panel. Uncheck it to hide. Sections also stay hidden when you have not added any content to them.

= How do I add a logo? =
Use Appearance → Customize → Site Identity → Logo. The default brand block uses your site title's first letter as a monogram if no logo is uploaded.

= Are custom post types included? =
No. Per WordPress.org guidelines, custom post types belong in plugins, not themes. Legal uses the standard Posts → Ledger flow so your content stays portable if you ever change theme.

= Where is the Pro plugin? =
Visit Appearance → Legal → Get the Pro Plugin. Pro adds premium editorial skins, a one-click demo importer, light/dark mode controls, fifteen Google Font pairings, mega-menu support, Schema.org Pro, and priority support.

== Changelog ==

= 3.0.0 - May 04, 2026 =
* Version bumped from 1.0.0 to 3.0.0 to supersede the legacy 2.x Legal theme on WordPress.org. No 2.x release will ship from this rebuild.
* Practice tile arrows: replaced the Unicode `↗` glyph (which Safari and Chrome on macOS/iOS render as a blue emoji square) with a clean inline SVG. Arrows now render in gold across all browsers and operating systems.
* Footer credit line: switched from JetBrains Mono to Fraunces serif. Color softened to bone-white with explicit link styling — the inherited oxblood was muddy on the dark plate.
* No functional or template changes; CSS and markup polish only. Direct upgrade from 1.0.0 is safe.

= 1.0.0 - May 04, 2026 =
* Complete rebuild from the ground up.
* New design system: Fraunces serif headlines + Inter body + JetBrains Mono monospace.
* New Firm Home page template with seven opt-in editorial sections.
* New mobile bottom-bar navigation.
* New engagement section with editorial letterhead and retainer card.
* New counsel grid with monogram fallback for missing portraits.
* New ledger section pulling from posts.
* New customizer panel: header, hero, marquee, practice, ledger, counsel, testimony, engagement, footer, social.
* New Schema.org LegalService JSON-LD.
* Removed jQuery dependency. Vanilla JS only.
* Removed Bootstrap. Custom layout system.
* Removed Font Awesome. Inline SVG icons.
* Block editor styles now match the front end.
* Resource hints (preconnect) for Google Fonts.
* Lazy-loaded featured images.
* WCAG-friendly focus states and skip link.

= 2.2 - July 11, 2022 =
* Misc compatibility changes.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 3.0.0 =
Version-number bump to supersede the legacy 2.x Legal on WordPress.org. CSS and markup polish only — no functional changes. Safe to upgrade.

= 1.0.0 =
This is a complete rebuild. The theme has been fully rewritten with a new design system, new templates, and a new customizer. Back up your settings before upgrading.

== External Resources ==

This theme uses the following external services:

= Google Fonts =
The theme loads three Google Fonts (Fraunces, Inter, JetBrains Mono) from https://fonts.googleapis.com and https://fonts.gstatic.com. These are loaded via the standard CSS `@import`-style link tag using `wp_enqueue_style`. No personal data is sent to Google other than what is required by the browser to fetch a font (IP address and User-Agent header). Google's Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Google Fonts Terms of Service: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq#what_does_using_the_google_fonts_api_mean_for_the_privacy_of_my_users.

The Google Fonts URL can be filtered or removed entirely via the `legal_fonts_url` filter — return an empty string to disable Google Fonts loading.

== Credits ==

= Fraunces =
* by Phaedra Charles, Flavia Zimbardi, Undercase Type
* https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Fraunces
* License: SIL Open Font License, 1.1 (https://scripts.sil.org/OFL)

= Inter =
* by Rasmus Andersson
* https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Inter
* License: SIL Open Font License, 1.1 (https://scripts.sil.org/OFL)

= JetBrains Mono =
* by JetBrains
* https://fonts.google.com/specimen/JetBrains+Mono
* License: SIL Open Font License, 1.1 (https://scripts.sil.org/OFL)

= Lucide Icons =
* https://lucide.dev/
* License: ISC License (https://github.com/lucide-icons/lucide/blob/main/LICENSE)
* Used as the visual reference for the inline SVG icon set.

== Screenshot ==

The screenshot is an original work by FasterThemes, copyright 2026 FasterThemes, licensed under GNU General Public License v3.

== Copyright ==

Legal WordPress Theme, Copyright 2026 FasterThemes
Legal is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL v3 or later.
