Dewey, Cheatham & Howe: They've got an interesting website for a law firm, but it's not a name that works for everyone.

Still, more and more lawyers are aware of the importance of naming and branding. Take big name attorneys Johnnie Cochran and Willie Gary for examples. And Geragos takes on so many high profile cases that the name Geragos & Geragos is repeated over and over in the media and in the firm's name.

Seriously now, very few large law firms follow the old tradition of naming the firm by the surnames of all the partners. The trend is noted in an article on naming law firms, which reports:

...in the past few years, law firms have become more marketing-savvy and have realized that members of the public can't remember six or seven names -- particularly names that are difficult to parse and pronounce. So, sacrificing the egos of their partners, the firms have shortened their names to three or two names -- or, less common, one.

In that article, Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock McNelis Liberman & McKee is noted for steadfast adherence to its naming tradition.

But at least one South Florida law firm says marketing be damned. It is keeping the longest name in the area -- Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock McNelis Lieberman (sic) & McKee. And it won't be shortening that mouthful any time soon.

"We've talked about it," partner Walter "Skip" Campbell said. "But the guys have to have some name recognition and this is it."

Lisa A. McNelis is no longer in the partnership, although there is still some vestige of her name in the firm's web page title--not to mention countless publications that refer to that law firm by any number of previous partnership names.

As today's law firms grow or downsize, merge and emerge, keeping the letterhead, website, and collateral marketing materials current with the legal partnership name can be a regular challenge. And maintaining consistent brand awareness in a firm's marketplace can be frustrated by a naming strategy that is focussed on the partnership roster, and not on the firm's brand from the customer's point of view. For Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee, a unique brand name and top level domain is available for registration, Krupnicks. That's probably a better branding opportunity than krupnicklaw.com, but it remains to be seen if all the partners might ever agree on a distinctive brand name for their firm.

Law firms that take a unique surname of a founder, and add an s to that name, create a brand built upon the law firm's tradition, and establish an identity that is distinctive yet consistent with how the firm is often well-known in the profession and the community: Torys, and Gowlings, and Mallesons, and Blakes for examples.

Business-minded lawyers name their law firms with their customers in mind--not to assuage the partners--and thereby protect their investments in the business. Better to have a partnership interest in a law firm with a strong brand than to have one's own name listed with many other partners on a "shingle" few customers can remember. The classic parody of traditional law firm naming is Jerry Seinfeld trying desperately to remember the name of the firm where the beautiful lawyer, Vanessa, works; repeating the mantra "Simon, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim & Taft" over and over.

Smart lawyers approach law firm naming from a customer-facing point of view, rather than a partnership perspective. Many leading law firms are building lasting brands with great individual names with respect to their own legal traditions, such as Skadden, and Osler, and Venable, and Stroock, each with a memorable domain name and a remarkable website.

Noteworthy amongst the Nifty Fifty recognized by Internet Marketing Attorney is Morrison & Foerster, better known by the moniker MoFo, with an award-winning website that communicates the distinctive and memorable brand of this outstanding law firm.