Key takeaways:
1. There is no perfect name, but there are plenty of ways to get it wrong. The objective of this guide is to help you choose a name that will avoid issues for you in the future.
2. Test, test, test. Check your potential firm name using Pillar & Scroll’s Naming Tests.
3. Following our process, you can go into the naming process with your eyes open and be aware of the risks and pitfalls. The most common advice is to begin the process by looking for a firm name with an available domain name. This approach can sometimes lead to some strange choices – and it can be difficult to unwind once the decision is made.
Choosing your law firm's name is an important decision.
But perhaps not for the reasons that you may be thinking.
Unpopular opinion:
The name alone has little or no impact on whether a prospective client chooses your law firm. You only have to look at the number of law firms that have changed names over the years due to mergers, acquisitions or changes in personnel. Those firms didn’t gain or lose any business on their firm’s name alone.
We believe it’s an important decision because:
1. It’s difficult to change (and, as such, a costly exercise)
2. Getting it wrong brings an array of unwanted and sometimes expensive problems.
There is no right name. But there are many ways to get your law firm’s name wrong.
This guide will show you how to develop a shortlist of names and avoid common and uncommon mistakes.
We hope this resource gets you thinking and helps you go into the process with your eyes open. After all, once you’ve decided on the name – it’s one less decision you need to worry about moving forward, and you can get on with the real work!
Our recommended process for choosing your law firm’s name
The Pillar & Scroll Naming Tests
Our recommended process for choosing your law firm’s name
Understand the rules
Some jurisdictions have specific rules about law firm naming. These rules can range from using partners’ names only to avoiding names that could be misleading or imply a connection with a government agency. Check with your local or national bar/law association to understand what’s allowed.
Our thinking is that before you get into the fun part (coming up with ideas), it’s worthwhile understanding all of the constraints is worthwhile.
Decide on the type of name
Your law firm’s name sends a message to the world. Before even considering the specific name, we think it’s worthwhile taking the time to consider your firm’s desired market positioning:
Here are some guidelines to help:
Your offering and market positioning
Common naming type
Your offering and market positioning
Common naming type
Your offering and market positioning
Common naming type
Your offering and market positioning
Common naming type
Brainstorm name ideas
Now that we have some parameters and direction, it’s time for you to start writing down every idea that pops into your head. At the brainstorming stage – there are no wrong answers!
Once you’ve done that, ask ChatGPT to do the same.
Here are some example prompts to get you started:
Prompt: “Give me 50 examples of a law firm name combining the two surnames of the partners, [surname] and [surname]”
Prompt: “Give me 50 original law firm names that include the meaning of [descriptive word]. Here are my examples: [insert your examples].
Prompt: “Give me 50 fabricated names for a law firm. Here are my examples: [insert your examples].
Let’s look at a fictitious example where the jurisdiction dictates that the law firm must include the partners’ surnames (or initials).
Partners:
Jane Pearson
X Schmidt
Human brainstorm
- Pearson & Schmidt
- Pearson Schmidt
- PearsonSchmidt
- P&S Law
- P&S Lawyers
- P&S Legal
- Schmidt & Pearson
- Schmidt & Pearson Law
- Schmidt & Pearson Lawyers
- Pearson & Schmidt
- Pearson Schmidt
- PearsonSchmidt
- P&S Law
- P&S Lawyers
- P&S Legal
- Schmidt & Pearson
- Schmidt & Pearson Law
- Schmidt & Pearson Lawyers
ChatGPT-generated
- Pearson & Schmidt Law
- Schmidt-Pearson Associates
- Pearson-Schmidt Law Group
- Law Offices of Pearson & Schmidt
- Pearson Schmidt Legal Partners
- Schmidt and Pearson Law Firm
- Pearson & Schmidt Legal Services
- Schmidt Pearson Law Consortium
- Pearson & Schmidt Associates
- Schmidt & Pearson, Attorneys at Law
- Pearson Schmidt Legal Consultancy
- The Law Offices of Schmidt and Pearson
- Pearson and Schmidt Legal Advisors
- Schmidt Pearson Law Professionals
- Pearson & Schmidt Law Practitioners
- Schmidt & Pearson Legal Group
- Pearson Schmidt Law Corporation
- Schmidt and Pearson, Legal Professionals
- Pearson & Schmidt Law Advisors
- The Schmidt Pearson Law Collective
- Pearson & Schmidt: Legal Counsel
- Schmidt & Pearson Law Union
- Pearson and Schmidt Law Coalition
- The Law House of Schmidt & Pearson
- Pearson Schmidt Legal Alliance
- The Schmidt Pearson Law Society
- Pearson & Schmidt Legal Syndicate
- Schmidt Pearson Law Guild
- Pearson & Schmidt Law League
- Schmidt & Pearson: Law and Advocacy
- Pearson Schmidt Jurisprudence Partners
- The Law Network of Pearson & Schmidt
- Pearson and Schmidt, Counselors at Law
- Schmidt Pearson Law Alliance
- Pearson & Schmidt, Legal Consortium
- Schmidt & Pearson Advocates
- Pearson Schmidt Law Federation
- Schmidt Pearson Legal Union
- Pearson & Schmidt, Legal Coalition
- Schmidt & Pearson, Law Society
- The Pearson Schmidt Law Guild
- Pearson & Schmidt, Solicitors and Advocates
- Schmidt & Pearson, Legal Syndicate
- Pearson and Schmidt Jurists
- Schmidt Pearson, Law Practitioners
- Pearson & Schmidt, Law League
- Schmidt & Pearson, Legal Federation
- Pearson Schmidt Advocacy Group
- The Schmidt Pearson Law Network
- Pearson & Schmidt, Legal Jurists
Combine, cull and prioritise the list
Once you have all the possible names written down, combine them into one list.
Ruthlessly cull any names that simply won’t work or are just terrible.For example, I am confident you can remove: “Pearson Schmidt Law Federation”, “Schmidt & Pearson, Legal Syndicate” and “Pearson & Schmidt, Legal Jurists”.
From there, prioritise the names by your personal preferences.
You could prioritise from 1 to 10 (or however many names you have left), or you could put them in groups such as ‘Good’, ‘Better’, ‘Best’.
Run it through the Pillar & Scroll Naming Tests
We know you want to check if your best names have an available business name and domain name.
Please do this instead.
- Prioritise the names
- Run your preferred names through our tests
- Then see if the business names and domain names are available
When we jump directly to verifying the availability of business and domain names, it’s tempting to begin modifying our shortlisted options – particularly when we discover that our top choices are already claimed.
For example, if your ideal name is ‘P&S Law’ and the domain ‘pslaw.com’, is taken, the natural next step is to start getting ‘creative’.
Oh! ‘schmidt-pearson-law.com’ is available. And so are ‘pearschidlawyers.com’, ‘pslaw.online’ and ‘pslegalgroup.biz’. Not good.
Get the name right, then check the domain.
Follow our naming tests. We bet you will take something away from the exercise – and you may even save a lot of money and stress.
Check if the domain is available
Ok, so you have a list of names that have passed the Pillar & Scroll naming test.
Now it’s time to check what domain names are available.
We have written a separate guide on this: ‘How to choose a domain name for your law firm’..
The short version is:
- Get the .com if you can
- For non-US firms who use .com, get your main country code domain (e.g. .co.uk, .com.au)
- Avoid weird domain suffixes. For example: .online, .biz, .xyz. All of these are bad.
- Try to avoid .legal or .law. They’re not as well adopted as the above, but they are becoming more acceptable.
- There is zero value in ‘keyword stuffing’ your domain name (for example: ps-family-and-criminal-lawyers.com will not help you perform well on Google for ‘family lawyers or criminal lawyers’
We recommend GoDaddy or Google Domains when registering your domain. For domain name registrations, there is little difference between providers.
For some domain name extensions, you may need an entity in the region to be able to register the domain. If so, skip to the next step and then come back and register your domain.
At the same time, it’s worth registering a username on your social media accounts. I can’t think of a single instance where I would recommend a social media username as a factor in your firm’s naming decision.
With this tool, you can check your username availability en masse.
Register your business name, trademarks, etc.
Register the legalities once you have decided on the name and secured the domain name.
Business registrations and trademarks are outside our wheelhouse.
You may be able to do these yourself. Alternatively, speak to your accountant and an IP lawyer.
Congrats! You have your business name
Wooo! That’s one less decision to make.
Now to the all-important tests.
The Pillar & Scroll Naming Tests
There are plenty of ways to name your law firm. We covered the types of names briefly – but let’s look at each in a bit more detail and run through the appropriate testing for each type.
Some of the most common are:
- Using your surname or a group of surnames
- A literal, descriptive name incorporating your firm’s services or market
- An abstract or created word, which may incorporate a desirable trait or legal vernacular
Surname-based names
Example: Pearson & Schmidt Lawyers
Law firms that use one or a small number of surnames in their name is a long-held tradition in the profession. (Can it be called a tradition if it was forbidden to do otherwise?)
We believe it is still the best approach for law firms that want to position themselves as a premium legal services provider.
It is a perfectly good approach – but let’s work through all the considerations of this naming approach.
The first question the leaders of the firm should ask themselves is – who goes first?!
This is obviously not an issue if you are the sole principal and plan to keep it that way. But if you have two or more partners, how will you decide who goes first? Here are some suggestions:
- Alphabetical – this is always a safe option!
- Seniority – if there is a clear senior partner, it may make sense to use their surname first
- Flow – an incredibly unscientific approach to naming, but some naming orders just sound better than others
This brings us to arguably the more important consideration – shortened versions of the name.
Shortened versions of names
There are no definitive rules to how they apply – but there are some common patterns in the legal industry. We use the world’s largest law firms to demonstrate examples of these patterns.
Single names
- Linklaters
- Cooley
- Ashurst
Two names
As we move into two names, the shortened names become more apparent. It’s worth noting that we don’t view this, alone as a negative or positive – but it is worth going into this process with an understanding of what might happen.
Examples of firms commonly referred to by their two names:
- White & Case
- Jones Day
Examples of firms that are sometimes referred to by a shortened name:
- Baker & McKenzie = ‘Bakers’
- DLA Piper = ‘DLA’
- Clayton Utz = colloquially known as ‘Clutz’
- Clifford Chance = ‘CC’
Three or more names
If you have three or more surnames in your firm name, you will find people will rarely refer to it by its full name outside of any official use.
In some instances, it is clear that the law firm has adopted the shorter name (officially and unofficially), or seeded the market to use the shorter name. In other circumstances, the firm is simply referred to a shortened name by others. Examples include:
Three names:
- Norton Rose Fulbright = ‘NRF’ or ‘Norton Rose’
- Herbert Smith Freehills = ‘HSF’
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer = ‘Freshfields’
- Mallesons Stephen Jacques (now King & Wood Mallesons) = “Mallesons” or “Mallies”
Four or more names:
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom = Skadden’
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan = ‘Quinn Emanuel’
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz = ‘Wachtell’ or ‘WLRK’
Consider the firms that you know with three or more names. You will notice that in most instances, the commonly used version of the name will be an acronym, or referred to by the first or first two names.
‘Stress test’ the official and likely shortened names
Should you go down the path of using surnames in the name, we recommend that you consider the following tests:
- Is it acceptable? Are the shortened versions of the name acceptable by your firm and by the community? Does an acronym spell something that would be not ideal (e.g. offensive words or words with a negative meaning).
- Is there a conflict? Does the shortened version conflict with other law firm names? For example, if you name your firm ‘Chilwell & Cooper’, you will unlikely be referred to as ‘CC’ as this is already in use. The firm may be referred to as ‘Chilwell’. How does ‘Cooper’ feel about that?
- Is it hard to manipulate? If you combine the names in some way, what does it spell? A fictitious example to illustrate our point: Crookshank & Mildred Lawyers might attract the undesirable name, ‘Crooked Lawyers’.
- Are there unintended word combinations in digital format? When all the names are combined and formatted in lowercase for email and website domains, do they spell anything undesirable? Another fictitious example: ‘Smith & April Legal’ = smithaprillegal.com
- Is it easy to pronounce? Are the names easy to pronounce for your geographic market? Will it be an easy enough name for people to say every time?
- Is it easy to spell? Are the names easy to spell for your geographic market? For example, some names may use letters pronounced differently in different languages. Having others misspell your firm name can cause much frustration – especially in printed materials.
- Is the name predominantly made up of common names? Some surnames are very common and if used in isolation, may not be distinctive enough or hard to secure.
- Is it search engine friendly? We are not talking about using keywords in the name. (More on this later).
We’re more concerned that the name or the shortened name has another use case.
When people search for the firm name on Google, will they be able to find you easily at the top of the results page?
By way of another fictitious example, ‘Cruise’ is a surname and an industry. A search for ‘Cruise Lawyers’ generates search results for law firms that specialise in helping travellers injured on a cruise).
Other examples to avoid:
- Adages: If your surname is Murphy (e.g. Murphy’s Law)
- Universities: Yale (e.g. Yale Law School)
- Technology: Fictitious example, Arps & Ingham Lawyers (e.g. “AI Lawyers”)
There are countless examples and combinations of this. We’ve encountered issues with names similar to celebrities, diseases and quite simply. other businesses in non-legal industries.
It’s worth noting even if you have ‘lawyers’, attorneys’, ‘law’, or ‘legal’ at the end of your name, people may still search without it.
As a general rule, sharing a competing name with big businesses or any topic related to something that the government, an educational provider or the media might produce content about is often an unsolvable problem (or, at best, a very costly exercise).
Future-proof your name
Neither you nor I can predict the future. But there are some things you may want to think through before settling on the name – especially if there are multiple partners.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, the firm name isn’t a deciding factor in a prospect’s decision-making process. We are just trying to help you avoid future hassle!
- A partner leaves – What happens to the firm name if a named partner leaves? Whilst working at a law firm in Melbourne, our firm recruited named partners from other firms – twice. Both original firms still operate and have since changed their names to an acronym.
- Sale event – What happens to the firm name if your firm acquires other firms, it’s acquired, or there is a succession strategy in place? Do you think this will cause any issues?
- Named partner name changes – What if a named partner changes their name? Think marriages and separation.
- You need to drop one name – Can the name be easily changed and still work if one of the partners does something the firm needs to distance itself from?
My real experience
I once worked at a law firm in Sydney.
I remember the elevator door opening and overhearing the receptionist answering the phone in this manner. (I’ve changed the names for the sake of this exercise, but I have kept the exact script and number of syllables).
“Thank you for calling Schmidt Gambini Pearson Lawyers incorporating the practice of Kelly & Schmidt Lawyers; how can I help you?”
32 syllables. Don’t do this.
Literal, descriptive names
Example: Australian Family Lawyers
Law firms that describe what they do (or who they help) in their name are typically adopted by specialist practices. For example, it doesn’t really work (or at least, work well) when applied in a generalist sense. ‘New York Law Firm’ or ‘General Lawyers’ are poor names.
There is merit in being literal – it alleviates any confusion.
Real firm name examples include “Food Legal”, “Sydney Criminal Lawyers”, “Aviation Lawyers”.
There is no ambiguity about what these law firms do or who they serve.
Considerations to test with this approach
Example: Australian Family Lawyers
Law firms that describe what they do (or who they help) in their name are typically adopted by specialist practices. For example, it doesn’t really work (or at least, work well) when applied in a generalist sense. ‘New York Law Firm’ or ‘General Lawyers’ are poor names.
There is merit in being literal – it alleviates any confusion.
Real firm name examples include “Food Legal”, “Sydney Criminal Lawyers”, “Aviation Lawyers”.
There is no ambiguity about what these law firms do or who they serve.
- Consider the testing attributes from the surname section
- What might the name be shortened to?
- Is it acceptable?
- Is there a conflict?
- Is it hard to manipulate?
- Are there unintended word combinations in digital format?
- Is it easy to pronounce?
- Is it easy to spell?
- Is it predominantly made up of common names?
- Is it search engine friendly, from the perspective that you can rank for the firm name easily?
Does it convey a perceived lack of prestige? Rightly or wrongly, in the legal industry, there is less prestige associated with firm names that are literal and descriptive.
It’s worth noting that this perception is not necessarily negative.If your firm’s client acquisition strategy is focused on a high volume of transactions or appealing to the mass market, this approach can work to your advantage.
Will it be difficult to diversify?It should go without saying, but if your firm name is literal and descriptive, it makes it difficult to expand outside the specific geography or practice area.
Here is a fictitious example to illustrate our point: Toronto Immigration Lawyers’.
If you have any intention of expanding outside of Toronto or practising in different areas, you may wish to reconsider that part of the name.
Marketing thoughts
I recommend against including your geographic location in your name.
In today’s digital era, we have become more accustomed to accessing services virtually. For example, we are based in Melbourne, Australia. Our business lawyers are headquartered in Sydney (about a 90 minute flight) – and I have never met them in person – even though I travel to Sydney regularly. They can assist me with federal (Australia) and state (Victoria) laws, despite not physically being situated in Victoria.
Geographic proximity is becoming less of a deciding factor for people.
Unless the laws that you help clients with are hyperlocal – or the region that you serve has a very specific, dominant industry (for example, a wine region) and that is the core differentiating benefit of your practice, we’d recommend avoiding this approach.
The tactic of adding name to the location was popular when Google* didn’t serve search results based on your location. For example, in Australia, to find a local doctor, we would need to type in ‘doctor [suburb]’ or otherwise we would be shown results of doctors based in The United States!
Thankfully, Google added ‘localisation’ functionality many years ago and this is a thing of the past.
(*To really show my age, I could have also included a reference to the Yellow Pages directory books)
Abstract or created names
Example: Shine Lawyers
An abstract or fabricated firm name can be one way to stand out from competitors who use more traditional names. From our research, firms that adopt abstract or created names are often operating with non-traditional, partnership models.
Some common types of abstract of created names include:
Aspirational, real words
Example: Australian Family Lawyers
These names often have no direct relationship to the services of the law firm but instead employ catchwords or phrases that may evoke a certain sentiment.
Some examples:
- Freedom Law Firm
- Elite Law
- Aspire Lawyers (Quite literally, aspirational!)
Created words
Often used by alternative legal service providers or legal technology companies, created words may be completely original or could be a blend of two words.
Some examples:
- Inventus Law
- Canadim Immigration Law Firm
Created words, inspired by legal- terms
Bringing a legal term into the name is a common way to develop a firm name that avoids the traditional approach but still includes reference to ‘law’. Often,
Some examples:
- GoToCourt Lawyers
- Justitia
- LegalVision
- LexBridge
Considerations to test with this approach
- Consider the same testing attributes from the surname and literal names sections
- What might the name be shortened to?
- Is it acceptable?
- Is there a conflict?
- Is it hard to manipulate?
- Are there unintended word combinations in digital format?
- Is it easy to pronounce?
- Is it easy to spell?
- Is it predominantly made up of common names?
- Is it search engine friendly, from the perspective that you can rank for the firm name easily?
- Does it convey a perceived lack of prestige? (Does that matter?)
- Will it be difficult to diversify? (Does that matter?)
- Double-back to pronunciation: For this type of naming approach, pronunciation can be a real stumbling block. How else might someone pronounce the word if you have created something from scratch?
- How does the chosen name make others feel? For surnames and literal names, the desired feeling is ‘it is what it is’. When going down this road, I believe it’s well worth testing with others. Ask people for an honest reaction to the name.
Pay close attention to their response. Here is some friendly advice for you to consider:If the name is a created word, you should expect people to ask, ‘What does it mean’? Ideally, you will have a good answer to that – because it will come up, again and again.
If the name is an aspirational word, you should expect people to ask, ‘Why is that your name’? Again, you will want a good response.
If people start suggesting alternatives, it might be worth rethinking the name.
- Is it memorable? To be honest, this is really hard to test. However, when testing the name with others, take note if they ask you to repeat the name. It’s probably a good sign that it’s difficult to remember.
Final thoughts
Choosing a name for your law firm is a decision that requires careful consideration.
Whether you opt for using surnames, descriptive names, abstract names, or acronyms, it’s important to run your chosen name through our tests.
Renaming your firm and the subsequent rebranding is an exercise that most law firms can do without.
If you would like help with the process, or would just like an objective view on your shortlist, book a consultation call with our legal marketers.
Paul Evans is a legal marketing expert with extensive experience helping lawyers build their practices.
