TLT

Challenge

Beginning its third decade as a different kind of law firm, one that pushes boundaries with new ways of working and thinking, TLT is today a top 50 UK law firm and moving up the rankings. From its original office in Bristol, TLT has expanded across the UK, now employing over 1,200 people across its offices in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast, and with a growing international offer.

Its success is driven by engagements with some of the UK’s major institutions and businesses and well-known brands, leading to revenues increasing by over 50% in five years and recognition that it is one of the fastest growing law firms in the UK.

But the firm felt that its  brand – its messaging, positioning, and visual identity – did not support the firm’s ambitious strategy or explain why clients and employees were choosing to work with TLT in increasing number. It was time for a refresh to help it stand out in a crowded and competitive field.

Working in a highly collaborative relationship with the TLT team, Living set about our proven discovery process to delve into the unique spirit of this dynamic law firm, so that our visual and verbal solutions would indeed create difference.

Solution

We saw that TLT is a genuinely different law firm, with personable, agile lawyers, who inspire their clients and colleagues alike. We focused on their natural empathy for clients’ situations that goes beyond understanding a problem to making that problem their own.

We crafted a suite of brand messaging and positioning that authentically conveyed how TLT is a firm of 'business advisers as well as lawyers, working in step with clients to protect their interests today and progress their ambitions for tomorrow.' With a bold brand promise to its clients, TLT now states, 'Your success is our responsibility. We are part of your team and with you every step of the way.' The brand narrative we devised culminated in the new tagline: 'For what comes next.'

With the confidence of this verbal language matching the spirit and success of the firm, we needed to introduce an equally strong visual identity system – one that would work with its existing and relatively unique logo in the legal sector: a simple circle housing the letters TLT.

We interpreted the circular logo as representative of TLT’s 360° view on its clients’ worlds – inspiring our designers to create new dimensional worlds that reflect empowerment, collaboration, openness, and challenging convention. These images that became the foundation for a complete identity system reflect how 'in a demanding world, companies need to pivot, evolve, twist and transform...' so they can turn to TLT as business advisers and lawyers to prepare their organisation for the future.

In addition to the messaging and visual identity system, our overall re-branding evolution for TLT included a launch animation, a reskin of the firm's current website and image art direction for content and thought leadership.

Result

The result is a brand that properly reflects TLT as a confident, established and ambitious firm comprising sector expert lawyers who are naturally aligned with clients and their goals. Furthermore, TLT’s employees see the new branding approach as authentically representing them as people and professionals, proud of their firm’s strengths – and difference.

Since the launch of the brand in 2021, TLT has achieved a 30% growth in turnover in 12 months to hit £144m, exceeding the £140m target initially set for 2025.