Practice Management

As far as law firms are concerned in Texas, it is probably a moot point.  You cannot use trade names.  Many lawyers in many other states do, however.  Generally speaking, I do not understand it.

Have you ever noticed that lawyers and business people seem to adopt a trade name that is the complete opposite of what they actually are.  The problem, do you not think, is that if I see it this way, others do as well.  So, when something is named "guarantee", we think there is no guarantee.  When it is named "quality", we think there is no quality.  When it is named "trust" we think they are untrustworthy.

It represents people and lawyers and businesses that want to put on airs.  Most people are skeptical.  They have been marketed to death.  Most, I think, see it as pretense, vanity, arrogance and the like.  That is probably the opposite of the person, lawyer or business person intended.  But, people see through this malarkey.

I got a whiff of it again when I read that Integrity Bank of Alpharetta, George was the 10th bank to fail so far this year in America.  Luckily for most people Regions Bank took over both the insured and uninsured deposits and some of the assets.  The FDIC will still be out about $300 million.  And, this from a bank that first opened its door only in 2000.  It gambled hard in the most risky areas of real estate during the boom, and it lost mightily when the market fell.  Gambling is not the same as integrity.

Integrity is suppose to be the state of being whole, entire and undiminished.  It is suppose to represent an institution that is sound and in perfect condition.  Well, I guess that was wrong.

More shocking, I think, is that the Bank was suppose to adhere to moral and ethical principles and be of sound moral character and be honest.  Right.  Before it decided to gamble 76% of its total assets in construction loans on spec buildings, it was formed as a so-called "faith-based culture" organization.  A bank based on christian principles.  Like Jesus did not turn over the tables of the money changers and chase them from the Temple.  Or, I am sure it is a name that would make people like George Bush proud.

I wonder why they just did not call it Jesus Bank.  Then they could advertise as, "Accept Jesus Bank as your personal saver."

My I suggest to you is that unless you have a name like billionaire buisnessman Anurag Dikshit, then I would strongly suggest you just use your own name.  After all, should you not be promoting yourself?  Then again, Anurag Dikshit is a billionaire.  Maybe it means somethng to just be yourself.