November 28, 2005
The name game | Law firms in Maine and beyond are shortening their names to improve their marketing efforts
By Douglas Rooks
When it comes to law firm names, shorter and simpler is better ˆ a national trend that's equally evident in Maine.
"It used to be that the firm name recognized the super partners," said Eric Saunders, managing partner of Bernstein Shur in Portland. "Being a named partner was an honor bestowed, but we've gone away from that in recent years."
The reason, quite simply, is marketing ˆ the awareness that even the largest law firms are in an increasingly competitive market, and that having a memorable name is important to finding and keeping customers.
Since legal advertising was first authorized by the Bates decision 30 years ago, law firms have become more adept and more aggressive at using marketing techniques, said Ross Fishman, a legal marketing consultant in Highland Park, Ill., who's frequently involved in law firm mergers and name changes. "Law firms now have marketing materials that are just as sophisticated as the Fortune 500 companies, with robust websites and excellent promotional tools," he said.
Most of the largest Maine law firms have taken steps to simplify their names, with Bernstein Shur the most recent example. Previously known as Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, the firm since April has used Bernstein Shur in all of its marketing and promotional efforts.
In some cases, that involved a significant change, as with the government affairs group it had formed with the arrival of Larry Benoit, Congressman John Baldacci's former chief of staff, and Kay Rand, who played a similar role for former Gov. Angus King. BSSN Resources LLC has now been renamed Bernstein Shur Government Solutions.
But overall the change was "a quiet transformation that reflected the way we were already known on the street," said Charles Miller, the managing shareholder.
Many of Bernstein Shur's counterparts had taken similar steps earlier ˆ in some cases much earlier. Paul Engel, marketing director for Verrill Dana, had to check the archives to come up with the names used until 1977, when the firm decided to keep just two. For trivia buffs, Verrill Dana was once known as Verrill, Dana, Philbrick, Putnam & Williamson. But even Verrill Dana decided it could benefit from a smaller change ˆ last year it dropped the ampersand that had previously designated Verrill & Dana.
So, too, did Preti Flaherty decide that a shorter name was better, according to marketing director Lisa Meyer. It dropped Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau, Pachios & Haley for promotional purposes while retaining it as the corporate name in 2000.
The partner effect
These Portland firms each have more than 75 attorneys and multiple offices, some of them out of state. But one doesn't have to be a legal giant to recognize the advantages of a catchier title.
The nine-attorney Gardiner firm of Farris, Heselton, Ladd & Bobrowiecki was expanding to a second building on Main Street and opening a new office in Falmouth last year when it decided that its name needed renovation, too. "As you add attorneys, it just becomes too long and unmanageable. It's not something you want to put on a sign," said Sean Farris, senior partner.
The new name, Farris Law, not only simplifies the name, but helps identify the business. "We don't do a lot of direct advertising, but it makes for a much better logo, and helps with sponsorships, too," Farris said.
While some of the name changes seem subtle, they are still significant, said Rand Ardell, marketing director for Bernstein Shur. That applies within the firm as well. "We found that our own attorneys had different ways of describing the firm to clients, some of them using the longer name, some using the abbreviation," he said.
In building a firm's name recognition, consistency is vital. In fact, the name change discussion began shortly after Ardell was hired, 18 months ago, as the firm's first marketing director, said Charles Miller.
One effect of changing names is that some partners ˆ who may still be with the firm ˆ are no longer part of the masthead. That can be particularly difficult when law firms are merging, said Ross Fishman. "You'd often end up with six names, or even more" ˆ one Florida firm had eight ˆ "and that's just too unwieldy."
Some of the firm names probably make sense only to the partners themselves. One family firm, which actually had eight members with the same last name, was known as Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen.
Still, Fishman said, "That doesn't mean coming up with the new name is easy. Sometimes, it's not worth the internal battles." One possible compromise is the one taken by Bernstein Shur and Preti Flaherty ˆ using the shorter name for promotional purposes, while retaining the longer one on corporate documents.
Such concerns seem not to have surfaced with the Maine firms. "There's no question that there are egos involved," said Lisa Meyer at Preti Flaherty, "but everyone is comfortable with the change" ˆ including Severin Beliveau and Harold Pachios, who are at least as well known in political as legal circles. Such attorneys are highly visible in their own right, even without being part of the firm name, she said.
Bernstein Shur also had a partner, Leonard Nelson, in the same category. "He was extremely gracious about it," said Charles Miller. "He told us that if we thought the change was in the best interest of the firm, we had his blessing."
Hiring a lawyer, not a firm
One might think that the Portland firms are sufficiently well known that the exact name hardly matters, but that's not the case, said Meyer. "That might be true in Maine, but these firms are competing for business around New England, and even nationally. There, it's definitely a plus." In the five years since Preti Flaherty has been using its catchier title, marketing surveys have confirmed that it's remembered better and more accurately by existing and prospective clients. "We've experienced significant growth, and the name is part of that," Meyer said.
Sean Farris says he doesn't recall any dissent when the Farris Law name was devised at a meeting of the partners, all of whom are still with the firm. Since the firm's founder, Greg Farris, Sean's father, is still on the scene daily, the decision wasn't hard, he said. "As long as everybody has their own stationery, it doesn't seem to be an issue."
And that does seem to be a key rule of law firm marketing, said Ross Fishman, the legal marketing consultant. "Clients want to hire a lawyer, and not a law firm, but there's no question that the name makes it easier to identify the firm. Professional services are really no different than other businesses in that respect. We all have the same tools, and our brand is a vital part of who we are."
Whatever is on the sign, the advertisement or the stationery, people within the office still have their own ways of referring to the company. "It's an educational process that takes years," said Paul Engel at Verrill Dana. "We try to gently remind people" when they stray.
In Gardiner, the new office sign on the west side of Water Street reads, "Farris Law," with the attorneys working there listed below. On the opposite side of the street, the sign still reads, "Farris, Heselton, Ladd & Bobrowiecki."
"We haven't gotten around to changing it yet," Sean Farris said. But he said the receptionists, who now answer the phone with "Farris Law," "are definitely happy about what we've done."
"It used to be that the firm name recognized the super partners," said Eric Saunders, managing partner of Bernstein Shur in Portland. "Being a named partner was an honor bestowed, but we've gone away from that in recent years."
The reason, quite simply, is marketing ˆ the awareness that even the largest law firms are in an increasingly competitive market, and that having a memorable name is important to finding and keeping customers.
Since legal advertising was first authorized by the Bates decision 30 years ago, law firms have become more adept and more aggressive at using marketing techniques, said Ross Fishman, a legal marketing consultant in Highland Park, Ill., who's frequently involved in law firm mergers and name changes. "Law firms now have marketing materials that are just as sophisticated as the Fortune 500 companies, with robust websites and excellent promotional tools," he said.
Most of the largest Maine law firms have taken steps to simplify their names, with Bernstein Shur the most recent example. Previously known as Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, the firm since April has used Bernstein Shur in all of its marketing and promotional efforts.
In some cases, that involved a significant change, as with the government affairs group it had formed with the arrival of Larry Benoit, Congressman John Baldacci's former chief of staff, and Kay Rand, who played a similar role for former Gov. Angus King. BSSN Resources LLC has now been renamed Bernstein Shur Government Solutions.
But overall the change was "a quiet transformation that reflected the way we were already known on the street," said Charles Miller, the managing shareholder.
Many of Bernstein Shur's counterparts had taken similar steps earlier ˆ in some cases much earlier. Paul Engel, marketing director for Verrill Dana, had to check the archives to come up with the names used until 1977, when the firm decided to keep just two. For trivia buffs, Verrill Dana was once known as Verrill, Dana, Philbrick, Putnam & Williamson. But even Verrill Dana decided it could benefit from a smaller change ˆ last year it dropped the ampersand that had previously designated Verrill & Dana.
So, too, did Preti Flaherty decide that a shorter name was better, according to marketing director Lisa Meyer. It dropped Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau, Pachios & Haley for promotional purposes while retaining it as the corporate name in 2000.
The partner effect
These Portland firms each have more than 75 attorneys and multiple offices, some of them out of state. But one doesn't have to be a legal giant to recognize the advantages of a catchier title.
The nine-attorney Gardiner firm of Farris, Heselton, Ladd & Bobrowiecki was expanding to a second building on Main Street and opening a new office in Falmouth last year when it decided that its name needed renovation, too. "As you add attorneys, it just becomes too long and unmanageable. It's not something you want to put on a sign," said Sean Farris, senior partner.
The new name, Farris Law, not only simplifies the name, but helps identify the business. "We don't do a lot of direct advertising, but it makes for a much better logo, and helps with sponsorships, too," Farris said.
While some of the name changes seem subtle, they are still significant, said Rand Ardell, marketing director for Bernstein Shur. That applies within the firm as well. "We found that our own attorneys had different ways of describing the firm to clients, some of them using the longer name, some using the abbreviation," he said.
In building a firm's name recognition, consistency is vital. In fact, the name change discussion began shortly after Ardell was hired, 18 months ago, as the firm's first marketing director, said Charles Miller.
One effect of changing names is that some partners ˆ who may still be with the firm ˆ are no longer part of the masthead. That can be particularly difficult when law firms are merging, said Ross Fishman. "You'd often end up with six names, or even more" ˆ one Florida firm had eight ˆ "and that's just too unwieldy."
Some of the firm names probably make sense only to the partners themselves. One family firm, which actually had eight members with the same last name, was known as Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen.
Still, Fishman said, "That doesn't mean coming up with the new name is easy. Sometimes, it's not worth the internal battles." One possible compromise is the one taken by Bernstein Shur and Preti Flaherty ˆ using the shorter name for promotional purposes, while retaining the longer one on corporate documents.
Such concerns seem not to have surfaced with the Maine firms. "There's no question that there are egos involved," said Lisa Meyer at Preti Flaherty, "but everyone is comfortable with the change" ˆ including Severin Beliveau and Harold Pachios, who are at least as well known in political as legal circles. Such attorneys are highly visible in their own right, even without being part of the firm name, she said.
Bernstein Shur also had a partner, Leonard Nelson, in the same category. "He was extremely gracious about it," said Charles Miller. "He told us that if we thought the change was in the best interest of the firm, we had his blessing."
Hiring a lawyer, not a firm
One might think that the Portland firms are sufficiently well known that the exact name hardly matters, but that's not the case, said Meyer. "That might be true in Maine, but these firms are competing for business around New England, and even nationally. There, it's definitely a plus." In the five years since Preti Flaherty has been using its catchier title, marketing surveys have confirmed that it's remembered better and more accurately by existing and prospective clients. "We've experienced significant growth, and the name is part of that," Meyer said.
Sean Farris says he doesn't recall any dissent when the Farris Law name was devised at a meeting of the partners, all of whom are still with the firm. Since the firm's founder, Greg Farris, Sean's father, is still on the scene daily, the decision wasn't hard, he said. "As long as everybody has their own stationery, it doesn't seem to be an issue."
And that does seem to be a key rule of law firm marketing, said Ross Fishman, the legal marketing consultant. "Clients want to hire a lawyer, and not a law firm, but there's no question that the name makes it easier to identify the firm. Professional services are really no different than other businesses in that respect. We all have the same tools, and our brand is a vital part of who we are."
Whatever is on the sign, the advertisement or the stationery, people within the office still have their own ways of referring to the company. "It's an educational process that takes years," said Paul Engel at Verrill Dana. "We try to gently remind people" when they stray.
In Gardiner, the new office sign on the west side of Water Street reads, "Farris Law," with the attorneys working there listed below. On the opposite side of the street, the sign still reads, "Farris, Heselton, Ladd & Bobrowiecki."
"We haven't gotten around to changing it yet," Sean Farris said. But he said the receptionists, who now answer the phone with "Farris Law," "are definitely happy about what we've done."
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