brand
Hausfeld
A law firm brand that's ready for the challenge
Challenge
Hausfeld is a leading global disputes-only law firm that clients trust with their most complex legal cases. Since launching in 2008, the firm has achieved numerous precedent-setting legal decisions and grown from one office in Washington D.C. to a network that spans the U.S. and Europe. They offer flexible free structures and were early adopters of case funding, enabling clients to resolve legal disputes with limited or no risk.
Our challenge was to close the gap between Hausfeld’s current brand and its current status and success. The firm had grown incredibly fast over the past 13 years, which meant that they needed help in telling their story externally and internally. They needed a new brand that would reflect the true personality of firm and communicate who they are, what they do and why it matters to their target audiences.
Solution
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. And ours was to delve deep into the firm and find out what was at their core. We methodically built a true picture of Hausfeld by carefully amassing a profile through conference calls and workshops with attorneys from across the firm, supplemented by the all-important external viewpoint of clients and external advisers, plus a competitor analysis using our proprietary Living Ratings’ research.
Hausfeld’s cutting-edge mindset, their deep disputes expertise, positive results-driven culture and market-leading position, all came to the fore and became the foundation for the firm’s brand strategy. This manifested itself as succinct purposeful messaging, from tangible brand values through to value proposition statements and a new tone of voice. We also created a brand tagline – For the challenge – representing Hausfeld’s tenacious and pioneering approach.
Throughout our discovery, we heard Hausfeld described as 'thoughtfully disruptive' – two opposing characteristics that we that we brought to life in their visual brand. Using this principle and the ‘H’ from their newly designed logo, we crafted an identity that brought this message to life through a series of bespoke eye-catching and thought-provoking images.
Result
A key part of the brand’s success was the internal communication throughout the entire process. From the initial discovery workshops and regular check-ins with the firm’s steering committee, through to sharing our research, messaging and creative with each office, we worked in collaboration with our client to ensure every aspect of the brand was communicated. And every question answered.
Hausfeld’s new brand has now been activated across a wide range of marketing materials, including a new website – scoped, designed and built by our team – that helps the firm’s target audience, wherever they are in the world, understand who the firm is, what they do and why it should matter to them.
Hausfeld's 'thoughtfully disruptive' brand has since gone on to win the 'Grand Prix' at the Corporate Content Awards North America 2021 and scooped three Golds at the Transform Awards North America 2021, plus a Gold award at the Digital Impact Awards Europe. Recognition for a smart law firm brand that's ready for the challenge.
