Communicating essential legal clarity, with human understanding

Lodders is a law firm with an undeniable pedigree, one that stretches back more than 230 years and with a client list that is the envy of many far larger firms. Strong year-on-year growth together with agility and a supreme focus on client service during the pandemic meant, however, that the Lodders brand – its visual and verbal identity – had not kept up with how the firm was developing and, importantly, how it was perceived by its clients.

Led by V’s Hilary Campton (Lodders’ outsourced marketing director) and project managed by Lodders’ marketing manager Angela Howard, the rebrand project set out to resolve this disconnect, to ensure that the brand accurately reflected the firm’s strengths, ambitions, and culture. Whilst the decision to rebrand was taken in the depths of the pandemic, the practical aspects of the timing made sense, as marketing spend was low, with activity having pivoted almost fully online.

Anyone who has spent time working in a law firm will understand the importance of culture, and just how much it can vary from firm to firm. Lodders is a law firm that is recognised by many for its genuinely friendly and supportive culture – something that transmits both to staff members and to its clients. Whilst the brand needed to become more sophisticated and communicate Lodders’ strengths and ambition, it was essential that this warm human element of the culture was retained.

We appointed professional services branding specialists Philosophy to guide Lodders through the process…

The Philosophy team combined its knowledge of the legal sector with high level branding expertise to quickly understand what we needed to achieve. In the spirit of Lodders’ open and collaborative culture, Philosophy carried out extensive consultation both internally and externally, to gather a wealth of quantitative and qualitative data.

And what emerged from all this data was a confident, striking and yet very warm brand identity, and a clear proposition: “essential legal clarity, with human understanding”. The new logo is supported by earthier tones, whilst a series of graphics help to communicate how Lodders guides clients through legal complexity – the Lodders Spirit Guide explains more here.

…and digital agency Distinction to design and build the website.

Distinction worked closely with the Lodders marketing team and Philosophy to understand both the brand and the brief for the new website, putting user experience front and centre. The result is a completely refreshed site that is designed with the visitor – whether a potential new client or a potential new colleague – in mind. Streamlined pages and clear contact forms immediately boosted online enquiries, and online visitors are spending more time on the site and visiting more pages. Music of course to the Lodders’ marketing team’s ears!

Other crucial aspects of the rebrand included ensuring that all of Lodders’ legal documents and templates were consistent with the new brand, applying new internal and external signage to the firm’s four offices, and revamping the intranet with expert guidance from longstanding design partners at Reach Marketing.

Paul Mourton, managing partner at Lodders commented:

“Our new branding is part of an exciting time for the firm and I have received nothing but positive feedback from clients and the wider business community. It really does convey the warmth of our firm and the clarity of the advice we provide and it marks a step in our drive to become the premier regional law firm. I am immensely proud of both our new brand and the team that has driven it forward, and I would like to thank Hilary for her guidance throughout.”

Got a few minutes? This animated video explains the rebrand journey and our thinking throughout.

For help or advice on ensuring that your brand reflects your reality, please contact V Formation’s marketing experts on 0115 667 0131 or drop us a line here.