Rebranding a Law Firm: Why, How and Lessons Learned

REBRANDING CHALLENGES

For established firms, the idea of rebranding can be daunting. Not only is it costly and time-consuming, but when it’s not done with thought and preparation it can lead to confusion for clients and rancor among the firm’s attorneys.

Some of the challenges are:

• Cost: Rebranding is expensive, especially since outside help is usually necessary.
• Time: While support staff can help with the process, the firm leadership will need to be involved as well, and the rebrand can add significant work for all involved.
• Establishing a vision: Rebranding isn’t just about changing your logo or website color scheme. It’s a strategic action to define and communicate who the firm is — defining that can be a complicated process that requires getting stakeholders on the same page. 

THE PROCESS

When considering a rebrand, the firm first needs to establish what they’re looking to accomplish with the change. Having a clear vision will help keep the process on track as more people become involved and there are many decisions to be made. Once that’s established, the firm will need to build a team that will likely include an outside vendor that specializes in marketing and rebranding.

Outside help is often necessary because, while the firm may have a clear vision of what they want, having people with both the experience and technical expertise required to achieve that vision can help to make the process as smooth as possible.

For established firms, the idea of rebranding can be daunting. Not only is it costly and time-consuming, but when it’s not done with thought and preparation it can lead to confusion for clients and rancor amongst the firm’s attorneys.

Here is a partial list of what needs to be considered for a rebrand: 

• Choosing a new name: Make sure it reflects the firm’s values and not what’s trending in the market. Intellectual property availability and protections as well as jurisdictional bar rules for law firm names should also be part of the analysis.
• Color schemes are deceptively important to branding.
• Tagline(s): This brief introduction tells the world who the firm is.
• How to visually represent the firm, including choosing stock or custom images.
• Creating consistent style and messaging both in visual and written content.
• Updating everything with the new branding, even old content.
• Rebrand business cards, signature lines, stationery, phone messages, etc., in preparation for the launch. Don’t forget to update banners and other conference branding.
• Submit the proper paperwork before the launch. This can include registering the new name with the proper authorities, including the IRS, state agencies and state bars. 

LESSONS LEARNED

We recently did a rebrand and learned some valuable lessons. Starting the process early internally let us really refine our vision before moving forward. This prep work helped to remove roadblocks throughout the process. We also recommend investing in a go-to-market model that creates a structure for the rebrand and we found shortened the Q&A phase.

Keep in mind that leadership and support staff need to be able to accommodate the extra work that the rebrand will be adding to their plate. And communication is key. Be transparent with your attorneys and staff so that they can trust the process. This change affects everyone, and to make it a success, the whole firm needs to buy into why it’s important and how it will benefit them in the long run.

Lastly, timing is everything. Be prepared so that the firm can pull the trigger at the opportune time.

Rebranding isn’t something a firm should do on a whim. It’s a big task that takes a lot of tangible and intangible resources to get right. But when done well, rebranding can refine and clarify who a firm is and how they can benefit clients now and into the future.