Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot of truth to the criticism that law firms aren’t good at differentiating themselves. In a fragmented industry, many large firms blur into each other – either because the business has grown in a haphazard fashion or the firm can’t stomach the internal politics of selling some parts of the business over others.
That said, you still have to wonder if the benefits of a law firm being highly differentiated – even having a unique selling point – are oversold. Fifteen years of covering business makes me suspect so. The world is teeming with famous brands that ran with ideas others came up with, only did it better – Apple is probably the most celebrated current example.
