Legal Marketing & PR

What's Your Tagline and Have the Partners Bought Into It?

By Tom Kane

A lot of law firms are into taglines. I've been involved with the practice when I was in-house. At times I like them, and other times I'm ambivalent. The important question, however, is: Do they help bring in business?

I was talking with a large well-known firm last week that has had a slogan for a number of years that I really like. I've seen it in print and on the Internet. It's cool, and it places the firm well geographically. So, what is it? Won't tell ya. It appears that the slogan is very controversial within the firm. Some powerful partners love it, and others DO NOT. The solution: two different letterheads. I'm kidding, right? Afraid not.

I remember being in the middle of a similar controversy over a logo in one of my firms earlier in my career. Solution: two letterheads and business cards. So, what happened. One day an associate and partner met with a representative of a Japanese automobile manufacturer in the hopes of landing some business. The partner hands the gentlemen a card sans logo, and the associate hands him a card with the logo. His response in a nutshell: HUH! They didn't get the work, although I can't say that was the reason.

If your firm is thinking about getting a tagline or has one that is controversial, the best way to solve the problem is to ask your clients whether they like it or not—or whether they even give a damn. With sufficient input from clients, a firm should be able to decide whether a tagline has any business development value for them.

Thanks to Mark Merenda for getting me thinking about this topic today with his reference to '101 Law Firm Taglines – 2009 Edition' by Steve Mathews over on Stem.

Take a look at these taglines and let me know what you think.

Full post as published by Legal Marketing Blog on September 24, 2009 (boomark / email).