Call your law firm anything you want. Pick a name. Any name is fine. Call it by your last name, come up with a descriptive phrase, or even make up a brand new word. It doesn’t make that much difference. Just pick a name.

The key to naming your law firm is not which name you pick. The key is keeping the name.

Law firms change their names constantly. They switch from Jones, Doe, and Smith to Jones, Smith, and Rogers. Then they change from Jones, Smith, and Rogers to Jones, Smith, and Wright. Then, again, to Jones, Wright, and Moore. It’s incredible.

We lawyers all understand that someone new came along or that someone old moved along. We lawyers understand the name games.

Unfortunately, the ever-changing law firm names mean that we aren’t ever really sure what the firm is called. We can’t remember what the firm did the last time it made a change. It’s all more than we can keep up with in our otherwise busy brains.

The Effects of the Name Game

So what?

So what is that it’s hard to make a referral to a firm when you can’t remember the name. My favorite firm names involve dead people. When all the named partners are dead, you can be pretty sure the name isn’t going to change. If the named partners are alive, then it’s a free for all.

If you’re going to go with a brand name of some sort, then just pick one and be done. Likewise, if you’re going to go with a lawyer’s name, then just pick one and be done. Whatever name you pick is going to be fine. Once you select a name, stick with it, don’t change, and you’ll be ready for referrals. It’s having the same name that matters, not the name itself.