Law firms and their advisors persist in attempting to discover, refine and promote "the brand" or some monothematic reputation of their firm. The thinking behind branding is that a properly focused and communicated brand will be retained in association with an activity or skill in the collective consciousness of their clients and prospective clients. The theory promises that when the need for that activity or skill arises the law firm name pops up as an automatic reflex and that firm is either hired to do the work, or, at the very least, makes the short list of those to be considered for the assignment.
Considerable evidence exists to back up the theory. Branded products like Tylenol, Pampers, Polo and even something as mundane as Morton Salt enjoy price levels and profit margins far in excess of their unbranded competition. A branded law firm like Skadden Arps is able to command billing rates never dared by most of its competitors even though many of the Skadden lawyers once
