/>iIf you’re in law firm marketing long enough, at some point you’re going to have to confront the unfortunate reality of the sad passing of one of your people. Regardless of the individual’s title, whether senior partner or secretary, a firm is measured by how responsibly and sensitively it handles this type of tragedy. People remember.
Often, the firm’s response is handled by HR, Marketing, or other strategic administrative role.
One firm that appeared to do an especially effective job was Baltimore’s Pessin Katz, when one of their founders, Mr. Katz, passed away.
First, they revised his biography, reflecting his passing. It’s amazing how many firms either (1) delete the bio entirely, as though the person never existed, which I find disrespectful, or (2) they keep the same marketing-oriented bio, but simply change the verbs to the past tense. Bad form.
The firm also dedicated an entire page to his biography and obituary. They told his personal story.
Most interestingly, they also revised the firm’s logo to include a black ribbon, in symbolic support. A touching tribute to a beloved lawyer.
From this:
to this, including “In Memoriam”:
They’d previously changed the logo slightly to celebrate their 25th anniversary:
Our condolence on Mr. Katz’s passing. But you’ve done credit to his memory.
