Naming Your Law Firm
Branding is a key step in the process of figuring out how to start a business. This is true no matter what type of business you’re creating. Law firms are one type of business where branding gets overlooked in the face of convention. Most law firms go with a standard name and image that includes the last names of the most important partners. If you’re an established firm, this old-school image can boost your credibility and reinforce a reliable image. But for new firms looking to break in, branding can be incredibly useful.
A Good Brand Begins With a Good Name
When you’re learning how to start a business in any industry, you quickly realize that your company’s name is the first thing that makes an impression (or doesn’t). When you’re naming a law firm, you need to think about what that name needs to accomplish. Using the names of the partners does tell people who is in charge at your firm, but a name that differentiates your firm and makes it memorable to potential clients may be more useful.
What’s in a Name?
Good company names tend to be short and punchy. This holds for good law firm names as well. More often than not, they’re still derived from partner names or initials. An example of this occurs in the fictional law firm from the CBS show, The Good Wife, when the firm changed its name from Lockhart Gardner to LG in the hopes of conveying a more modern and forward-thinking image.
Once You’ve Got a Name, Build a Complete Brand
One of the most important lessons to learn about how to start a business is that branding must permeate every aspect of your company. Creativity can play a big part in developing a personality and expressing it through your company’s voice and visual design. Don’t be afraid to choose a unique color palette for your marketing materials, or to come up with creative slogans that appeal to your desired client base, even if they seem outside the box for a law firm.
Don’t Think Like a Lawyer
Think about it like this: you are a lawyer, but your clients probably aren’t. The image many people have of lawyers is one that they can’t necessarily relate to. Differentiating yourself with a unique brand can show your audience that you understand what matters to them. This will help you connect with potential clients on their level. In every industry, this is what branding is all about.
Effective branding is an unfamiliar subject for many law firms, so if you need help coming up with a memorable name or an effective branding strategy for your firm, contact the branding and naming experts at A Hundred Monkeys. We have years of experience helping people learn how to start a business in all kinds of industries.
