Law Firm Taglines: A Sea of Sameness

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: most law firm taglines are unremarkable, interchangeable, and vanilla. Take a walk through the websites of some of the largest firms in the U.S., and you’ll encounter a parade of “innovation,” “trust,” and “partnership” that blur together. The trouble is, when both you and the other guy are peddling “culture,” “reach,” and “solutions” as advantages, neither of you has the edge.

We collected and compared taglines among the AmLaw 50. Admittedly, it’s not an exhaustive or even statistically significant analysis, but it does reveal an eye-opening redundancy:

In reality, these aren’t taglines after all. They’re horoscopes—vague enough to apply to anyone, specific enough to apply to no one.

I realize the probability of an instantly recalled slogan like “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” or “I’m Lovin’ It” in the legal world is highly unlikely. Lawyers don’t sell cars, candy, or fast food. But real distinction among law firm taglines is rare.

Shouldn’t all firms be “Committed to Clients” or seek to make “Results Matter”? Clients don’t expect them to look backward or be untrustworthy. Surely, “we’re great, hire us” isn’t the best you can do.

A Tagline Isn’t a Brand (And That’s the Problem)

Lawyers and law firms shouldn’t confuse a tagline with a brand. Your brand is the sum total of your firm’s reputation, culture, client experience, knowledge, and values. It’s what people think and feel when they hear your name, and a promise fulfilled when the client’s reality and perception of you align. Can you really encapsulate all of that into a few words under a logo?

A tagline is not a brand. It’s just one tool in the larger marketing toolkit. A lackluster, indistinct slogan can be worse than useless, a liability that undermines the opportunity for differentiation. You’re essentially telling prospective clients, “We’re just like every other firm, but with slightly different syntax.”

What Does Research Say?

According to a 2023 academic study, tagline effectiveness is determined by the desired outcome: to be liked or to be remembered. Granted, the research focused on consumer brands rather than professional services or law firms, but the findings are nevertheless enlightening.

First, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. “[T]he properties that make a slogan more likable also make it less memorable, and vice versa.” In the competitive legal services marketplace, I prioritize being remembered over being liked.

This part of the research is quite interesting. “[B]rands that are new, have a small market share, or are trying to expand to new markets would benefit by using less-fluent slogans that include the brand name along with words that are less-frequently used, less distinctive, and more concrete.”

By comparison, established brands “have less to gain from a memorable slogan, and more to lose from an unlikable slogan. Brands that are already well-known should therefore create fluent slogans that are shorter, omit the brand name, and use words that are frequent, perceptually distinct, and abstract.”

The authors of the study included this example of a famous company’s tagline evolution from market entrant to established brand:

When Coke was young, its slogans tended to be longer, mention the brand name, and rely on less-frequently used, (relatively) concrete words: “Coca-Cola revives and sustains” (1905); “The great national temperance beverage” (1906); “Whenever you see an arrow think of Coca-Cola” (1910). By the 21st Century, Coke had become ubiquitous, and its slogans tended to be shorter, omit the brand name, and rely on frequently used, abstract words: “Enjoy” (1999); “Open happiness” (2010); “Taste the feeling” (2016).

If you’re a marketing geek like me, check out “History of Coca-Cola Advertising Slogans” on Coke’s website. There’s quite a difference between “revives and sustains” and “real magic.”

Where Do Law Firm Brands Live on the Tagline Effectiveness Curve?

There are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S. Estimates suggest that there are between 400 and 500 U.S. law firms with more than 20 attorneys; however, solo law firms are expected to have a larger market share in 2025 than ever before.

No one seriously believes Josephine Solo competes with Kirkland & Ellis for Blackstone’s or General Motors’ work. Similarly, it’s ridiculous to think K&E is vying with Ms. Solo for down-market clients.

So, assuming Big Law is “established,” they are apparently doing the right thing with shorter, less memorable, less unlikeable taglines (i.e., “trusted,” “excellence,” “solutions”). But is fishing in the same shallow pond of platitudes really a win?

Arguably, every other U.S. firm is in the small market share category. Consistent with the research, they should therefore use their names with “less-frequently used, less distinctive, and more concrete” words.

However, with some exceptions, they don’t; instead, solo to medium-sized firms mimic Big Law clichés. When “innovative” and “client-focused” describe literally dozens or even hundreds of firms throughout the marketplace, you’re not differentiating. You’re conforming.

The Case for Going Tagline-Free

So, here’s a thought. What if you didn’t have a tagline at all? Many firms at the national, regional, and local levels choose not to, yet still communicate strong, recognizable brands and have all the work they can handle.

Ironically, the no-tagline approach offers several competitive advantages:

• You avoid the trap of mediocrity. Ask this question to your colleagues at the firm: If you can’t create something truly distinctive, why create anything at all?
• You don’t date yourself. Taglines that seemed fresh five years ago can feel stale or even embarrassing today. “Leveraging synergies” is so Y2K.
• You force yourself to differentiate in more meaningful ways. Instead of hiding behind a clever phrase, you’re compelled to demonstrate and prove your value through client experience, thought leadership, and tangible results.

The Real Work of Differentiation

Instead of agonizing over the perfect tagline, invest that energy in substantive differentiation. What makes your firm genuinely different? Is it your industry focus, your approach to client service, your business model, your culture, or your track record in a specific area?

Document those differentiators. Build your marketing around them. Let them permeate your website, your pitches, your content, and your business development conversations. If you do this work well, clients will understand what makes you special without needing a tagline to explain it.

And if you absolutely must have a tagline, build it on something real. Not “We’re committed to excellence” (who isn’t?), but something that reflects your firm’s genuine positioning and can’t be swapped with a competitor’s.

Otherwise, you’re contributing to the noise and wearing the emperor’s new catchphrase while your prospective clients scroll past, unable to tell you apart from the firm that came before or the one that comes after.