Solo/Small Firm July 2022
Branding Essentials for Law Firms
Six items to get your practice started
Written by Lisa Hopkins
Starting your own law firm is an exciting—and daunting—task, especially if you are going out on your own as a solo attorney. Whether you are early in your legal career or transitioning out of a big law firm, you may not know what marketing items you will need to launch your new entity and be successful. Below are the six most important items to focus on to get your law firm started.
Logo
Whether your logo is your law firm
name in black type or an intricately
designed graphic element, you should
make sure to have your logo files saved
and available to you in the correct
formats. Make sure to ask the person or
company designing your logo for the
following:
-
Native design files or .eps files (.jpegs and .pngs are not what you need)
-
Logo colors, including the Pantone, CMYK, and hex codes for all colors used
-
Fonts used, plus font files if purchased specifically for your firm
You can and should also have design files of your logo in multiple orientations, including in a square ratio that can be used on social media channels. It’s also helpful to have a reverse logo—i.e., a white or lighter color variation of your logo—that will contrast with a dark background. Make sure to save these files somewhere safe so you always have access to them, as they are the foundation of your law firm’s branding.
Letterhead
Let’s face it: gone are the days of
printing law firm letterhead on
expensive, watermarked bond paper
stock. In today’s digital world, the
majority of communication happens
digitally. It’s therefore important to
have letterhead that looks great as a
PDF file.
Many logo designs use a non-standard font, which is essentially a font that does not come pre-installed as part of Microsoft Word’s suite of fonts. So even though your computer might have that font installed, if you send a document using that font to opposing counsel or a referral attorney, they most likely won’t have it. The font will then look distorted to your recipient because Word will replace it with whatever it decides to select. This means letterhead needs to be designed in one of two ways:
-
Add your firm’s logo as a .jpeg or .png file to the Word document and have all additional contact information in a standard Microsoft font, or
-
Import the entire header with all contact information as a single image file.
I prefer option two as it allows you to use your law firm’s font for your name and contact info, and it absolutely ensures the design is not altered in any way when a document is converted to a PDF.
Business Cards
Even though it’s a digital world,
relationship building is all about selling
yourself—and this is often done in
person. Having a nice business card can
leave a lasting impression with those
you meet, and it should provide them
with all of your contact information. A
well-designed business card should at
least include your:
• Name
• Law firm name
• Physical address (or mailing address if you are virtual)
• Office phone number
• Website
You might also choose to include a mobile number if it is different than your office number. You can also include an item that quickly indicates a strong point of differentiation, such as a board certification. Keep in mind that a business card is small, so don’t overload it with too much information.
Make sure the information is easy to read and consider leaving some empty space for you or the recipient to jot down a note (i.e., where and when you met). Finally, make sure to select a nice paper stock—something that is not too thin and seems cheap but not so thick that it prevents you from carrying several with you. Paper comes in weights, and I find 100-pound smooth cover is the perfect weight for a nice, crisp business card.
Envelopes/Labels
You will need either envelopes, return address labels, or both for
your law firm. Envelopes can be expensive to have custom printed, and
you may need more than one size.
Instead, consider having several sizes of mailing labels designed. Mailing labels come in standard sizes and can be run on your average office color printer. Labels are much more cost effective, take up much less space than a large box of envelopes, and still give you the opportunity to have your branding on mailed items.
Email Signature
Email is the primary form of communication for most law firms, so make
sure you have your branding solidified for this medium. A great email
signature should include relevant contact information, your law firm
logo or mark, and links to your website and other digital assets. You do
not need every badge for every award or professional association
membership in your email signature. These make signature blocks
obnoxiously large and generally don’t render the same (or well) across
all email software. Great options are available to help easily design an
email signature, including my favorite, WiseStamp.
Website
Every law firm—whether it has one attorney or 1,000 attorneys—needs a
website. Websites are your marketing workhorse, providing an online
point of verification for potential clients and firmreferral sources in
addition to serving as a lead generation and client acquisition
mechanism. 1Almost every single person you meet in a business capacity
will look you up online. So, you need to make sure your online presence
reflects who you are and what you do in the best possible way.
Your website should absolutely match your other branded elements, including incorporating your logo and its colors and fonts. If you are a solo attorney or smaller law firm, having an updated, professionally photographed headshot is even more important as you are the face of your law firm. This photo should be featured prominently on your website. Your website also needs a well-written and in-depth biography of you. You are the commodity being sold, so make your biography the best sales pitch it can be.
What’s Next?
Once you have these six branding essentials completed, you can look
to expand your branding in both print and digital mediums, including
items such as notecards, brochures, social media channels, email
marketing, legal directory listings, and more.
TBJ
This article, which was originally published on the Stacey E. Burke blog, has been edited and reprinted with permission.
LISA
HOPKINS is the vice president of operations for Stacey E.
Burke, P.C. She is a natural marketer who works on high-level design
projects, including logo
design, brochures, website design, and more.
