Branding for law firms: Why it matters more than you think

Insights from Chip LaFleur’s conversation with Jon Czeranna, Executive Director at Wit & Craft

Branding for law firms can feel nebulous. You’re not selling soda or sneakers. You’re offering serious, high-stakes services, often to clients navigating some of the most difficult moments in their lives.

So why does branding matter?

Because no matter how good you are at practicing law, people won’t know that unless you build a brand that communicates your value clearly, consistently, and strategically. There’s two reasons for this. First, research shows that humans tend to humanize brands, attaching themselves to brands that seem to espouse similar values as themselves. Second, it’s been proven that Google’s search algorithms give priority to well-established, reputable brands.

In a recent episode of Legal Marketing Radio, LaFleur’s Chip LaFleur sat down with Jon Czeranna, Executive Director at Wit & Craft, to discuss the realities of strategic legal branding—especially for solo attorneys and small firms looking to grow. With a background in both big-brand campaigns and boutique service firms, Jon offers a grounded, practical view on how law firms can stand out in a saturated market.

Here are the key takeaways from their conversation.

Your firm already has a brand, whether you’ve built it intentionally or not

“Branding” isn’t about flashy visuals or clever slogans. As Jon explains, your brand is simply the public perception of your firm. It’s what prospective clients think and feel about your practice—before they ever pick up the phone or visit your website.

And if you haven’t taken time to shape that perception intentionally, it’s happening without your input.

Many lawyers assume that a modern website, a few Google reviews, and good case results are enough. But with increased competition and rising client expectations, that’s no longer the case. Your prospective clients are constantly comparing options. Your brand helps ensure they understand why you’re the right lawyer for them.

RELATED: How to brand your law firm with strategy, empathy, and consistency

Branding is especially challenging for trial lawyers

Unlike a restaurant or subscription service, most trial lawyers aren’t dealing with repeat customers. Clients typically hire you once, and often in a moment of crisis. That creates a specific branding challenge: you need to be memorable before you’re needed, trusted once you’re found, and referable after the case is closed.

That means building brand trust through every touchpoint: your messaging, your website, your intake process, and even your client communications. It also means zeroing in on who you’re trying to reach and building a brand that speaks directly to them.

RELATED: Beyond SEO: Branding and omnichannel marketing

The core of legal branding: Positioning

At the heart of a strong legal brand is a clear position in the market. That starts with understanding three things:

1. Your competition. What are other law firms in your area saying? Are you in a market saturated with “we fight for you” messages? If so, saying the same thing won’t help you stand out.
2. Your firm’s strengths. What do you do differently—and better—than others? What kinds of clients or cases play to those strengths?
3. Your ideal client. What are their pain points, goals, and concerns? What kind of messaging would make them say, “this firm understands what I’m going through”?

Where those three circles intersect—that’s your brand position. From there, you can build everything else: your messaging, your visuals, your web copy, your content strategy.

Bonus: this process also helps clarify who isn’t a fit for your firm. And that’s just as valuable. As Chip notes, “Trying to appeal to everyone is the fastest way to become nothing to anyone.”

Trying to reach everyone? That’s a mistake.

Lawyers often resist narrowing their focus. It feels risky to “turn away” potential clients. But Jon makes a critical point: trying to appeal to everyone is the fastest way to blend in. Build messaging, design, and experiences that resonate with your ideal clients. That doesn’t mean you’re locked into one case type or demographic forever, but your marketing will start working better if it’s focused and consistent.

Most industries (law included) tend to cluster their messaging inside a “bubble.” Everyone says the same thing.

• Free consultations and contingency fees. While legal consumers, especially in the personal injury space, expect a free consult and a “no fee unless you win” arrangement, these offerings are par for the course. You can’t base your entire brand on them.
• Million-dollar results. Your eye-popping settlements and jury awards can serve as social proof and establish your credibility. But, most people are looking for something beyond a payout.
• “We fight for you.” Doesn’t every lawyer fight for their client? Or at least, doesn’t every lawyer say they do? Highlight the specifics that make your approach smarter and more desirable.

The branding opportunity lies in identifying white space—language or themes that feel fresh, distinctive, and aligned with your values. That’s what makes your brand memorable. You should develop a messaging strategy that mirrors your client’s mindset. Not just their legal problem, but how they feel about that problem. Speak their language, and they’ll feel like you’re already on their side.

How AI fits into your brand strategy, and where it falls short

The rise of generative AI tools has made content production faster and more accessible. But faster doesn’t always mean better.

Chip and Jon both note that many firms using AI to generate legal content end up producing factually accurate, but strategically misaligned material. It doesn’t reflect the firm’s values, brand voice, or client concerns—and ultimately, it fails to generate the right kind of leads.

The solution? Use AI within a brand framework. At LaFleur and Wit & Craft, that means developing positioning documents that outline your firm’s personality, messaging tone, differentiators, and client profile, then using those inputs to guide AI-generated or human-written content.

The result? Messaging that’s faster to produce and more aligned with your brand.

RELATED: What is a client journey?

Your brand should shape every stage of the client journey

Branding isn’t limited to marketing. When done right, it supports your entire client experience—from the first website visit to the intake call, the resolution of their case, and any future referrals.

Jon shared a helpful visual: a bowtie-shaped client journey.

• On the left: marketing efforts attract attention and generate leads.
• In the center: a sales or intake conversation converts a lead into a client.
• On the right: a successful client experience leads to referrals and brand advocates.

Each stage needs to feel cohesive. That means your intake messaging should reflect your website messaging. Your post-case follow-up should feel like a continuation of the promise you made during intake.

Consistency builds trust. And trust drives growth.

Final thought: Branding requires strategic discipline

There’s a reason branding is often the missing piece in legal marketing: it requires strategic discipline. You have to define what you stand for, who you serve, and what you’re not willing to do. That’s not always easy—especially in a competitive or referral-dependent market.

But when you do it well, everything else becomes easier: content marketing, advertising, client service, even hiring.

If your firm is ready to grow intentionally, a brand strategy is one of the smartest investments you can make.

Need help building your law firm’s brand from the ground up—or refining the one you already have?
LaFleur helps attorneys define, develop, and deploy brand strategies that resonate with the right clients. Let’s talk.

References

MacInnis, D. and Folkes, D. (2017, July). Humanizing brands: When brands seem to be like me, part of me, and in a relationship with me. Journal of Consumer Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1057740816301061#:~:text=rights%20and%20content-,Abstract,empirical%20understanding%20of%20this%20domain.