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internationally for particular types of work. Outside the legal community, however, it is often
surprising how little recognition there is in the wider business world of law firm names and what
they do. In global branding surveys, law firms tend to rank quite low and often a few hundred
places below the Big Four accounting firms. Some would counter that this does not matter,
provided that they are known and recognized by their current and future clients, and to some extent
this is correct. However, in an era of national, regional, and global consolidation, branding will
assume greater significance. General counsel are increasingly reviewing their law firm
relationships and tending to significantly reduce the number of law firms they use both nationally
and internationally. This is increasingly important to law firms, as if they “miss the cut” on a panel
review they risk being excluded from future work for that client.
Branding does not mean the firm’s name or its logo. What it means is how the firm is
positioned in its market, what it stands for and what the client can expect in terms of expertise,
service delivery, and cost. Put simply, a brand is a promise: “If I buy that brand I know what to
expect, and it will be delivered consistently
wherever that brand is displayed.” Legal
services firms have found it troublesome to
develop a level of differentiation from their
peers, as they argue that legal services are
fundamentally indistinguishable except in
terms of quality or price. This is probably too
simplistic, as industry knowledge, client
empathy and efficient service delivery are
increasingly important to clients. Any
meaningful differentiation, however, is not
easy to achieve; it can also be discussed in
terms of differentiating a small group of firms
from other players in the market. For
example, when one talks of the Big Four
accounting firms, there may be little to
distinguish between Deloitte, EY, KPMG and
PWC, but they are clearly, as a group,
providing a fundamentally different offering
than all other accounting firms in the market.
Probably the most comprehensive
research done into legal brands is undertaken
by Acritas. Its 2014 global brands survey
illustrated the following:
Acritas Global Elite Law Firm
Brand Index 20144
Clearly many firms will argue with the position of specific firms in the table, but it needs
4 ACRITAS, http://www.acritas.com/GlobalEliteBrandIndex2014.
147
surprising how little recognition there is in the wider business world of law firm names and what
they do. In global branding surveys, law firms tend to rank quite low and often a few hundred
places below the Big Four accounting firms. Some would counter that this does not matter,
provided that they are known and recognized by their current and future clients, and to some extent
this is correct. However, in an era of national, regional, and global consolidation, branding will
assume greater significance. General counsel are increasingly reviewing their law firm
relationships and tending to significantly reduce the number of law firms they use both nationally
and internationally. This is increasingly important to law firms, as if they “miss the cut” on a panel
review they risk being excluded from future work for that client.
Branding does not mean the firm’s name or its logo. What it means is how the firm is
positioned in its market, what it stands for and what the client can expect in terms of expertise,
service delivery, and cost. Put simply, a brand is a promise: “If I buy that brand I know what to
expect, and it will be delivered consistently
wherever that brand is displayed.” Legal
services firms have found it troublesome to
develop a level of differentiation from their
peers, as they argue that legal services are
fundamentally indistinguishable except in
terms of quality or price. This is probably too
simplistic, as industry knowledge, client
empathy and efficient service delivery are
increasingly important to clients. Any
meaningful differentiation, however, is not
easy to achieve; it can also be discussed in
terms of differentiating a small group of firms
from other players in the market. For
example, when one talks of the Big Four
accounting firms, there may be little to
distinguish between Deloitte, EY, KPMG and
PWC, but they are clearly, as a group,
providing a fundamentally different offering
than all other accounting firms in the market.
Probably the most comprehensive
research done into legal brands is undertaken
by Acritas. Its 2014 global brands survey
illustrated the following:
Acritas Global Elite Law Firm
Brand Index 20144
Clearly many firms will argue with the position of specific firms in the table, but it needs
4 ACRITAS, http://www.acritas.com/GlobalEliteBrandIndex2014.
147
