The findings of a survey published in today’s Law Society Gazette revealed that 60% of the public them could not name a single law firm – even though 78% have used a solicitor before. It also discovered that more than half of the respondents would buy legal services through “existing non-legal brands”. This survey of 2,000 consumers, which was managed by Yougov on behalf of the Legal Alliance, is a strong call to law firms to consider how they will survive and thrive in the rapidly changing legal market without the backing of a strong brand.

So where are our law firm brands? Any law firm marketer worth their salt knows how hard it is to make their firm’s brand really shine through. “Shades of grey” springs to mind! But we MUST make our brands shine – and make them shine to our clients, both existing and prospective. We can do this through being consistent in how we behave with our clients and with each other. We can do this by devising smart communications that belong clearly and identifiably to the firm. And we can do this by focusing hard on “buyer behaviour” so we really understand how and why our clients choose to work with us.

Add to this the published priorities of the Legal Services Board – “to give consumers more choice and lawyers new business opportunities by opening up the market and increasing competition to allow new types of legal business to emerge” – and the value of the brand has never been more apparent.