Who: Lumen Legal (formerly Contract Counsel)
Industry: Corporate legal services and staffing
What: Re-branding and new name, strategic PR and on-line outreach, launch event, sales/marketing support tools
Results: New business opportunities increase and widen in geographic scope due to national press coverage, new name and identity, and expanded web presence.

Video (:42): Lumen Legal CEO Dave Galbenski describes Smith-Winchester's role in developing the new brand.

New Positioning and a Complete Makeover for a Professional Services Company
Here’s how Smith-Winchester re-branded and re-launched a legal support services company that was ready to make a bold move to accelerate growth.

Dave Galbenski’s 10-year-old legal professional staffing company, Contract Counsel, had a strong client base and was enjoying solid profit margins but had reached a plateau in terms of growth.

In response, Galbenski initiated a bold plan to offer complete document review services that would combine domestic contract lawyers here in the U.S. with offshore resources. Together, they could work around-the-clock on projects involving hundreds of thousands of documents that need review during large-scale litigation. Clients would benefit from both reduced cost and greater speed.

Contract Counsel needed a new name and brand identity for their expanded value proposition and unique positioning… and powerful communication to articulate the offering to corporate legal departments and law firms. Here is the sequence of activity and tools developed by Smith-Winchester.

PHASE 1 - Mark the Territory and Start the Dialogue
April 2005 through January 2006

Perspective Paper
Prior to the launch of the new services, the Smith-Winchester team collaborated with Dave Galbenski to research and author a detailed position paper titled “Offshore Legal Services – The Drive to Productivity.” It was sent initially to industry opinion leaders, then offered on a micro-site produced by Smith-Winchester (see below).

Media Relations and Editorial Submissions
Smith-Winchester PR outreach yielded coverage from regional to national; from trade publications to the general press.

Inc. magazine: a three-page company profile, centering on the challenges of Dave Galbenski’s business plan and mission, appeared in January 2006 in this large-circulation, subscription/newsstand publication, just prior to the official launch; secondary benefits included on-going high visibility on search engines (with photo of Galbenski appearing in the Google listings).

Regional business press: full-page and partial-page profiles in business publications (weekly, monthly) and in Detroit-area daily newspapers.

Law industry trade publications: Dave Galbenski quotes on outsourcing issues; photos from India (below) and credited inclusions; Galbenski by-lined editorial advising new law school graduates (below); others.

Micro-Site: www.offshore-legal-services.com
Smith-Winchester designed and produced an informational micro-website that provides facts, profiles of young attorneys who are products of India’s rigorous legal educational system, and the “ins and outs” of tapping into this rich resource. The site includes video clips, perspective papers, and a newsroom with images and resources.


Dave Galbenski Blog
Spring boarding from the micro-site, a blog was created to give Galbenski a forum for commentary on the emerging industry. RSS feeds are an excellent method of building a bridge between web traffic and direct contact via email. (For more on this strategy, ask for Smith-Winchester’s presentation on “Pull to Push: the New E-Marketing Paradigm.”)

PHASE 2 – Define and Launch the New Brand/Identity
Definition and Development of Materials: August to December 2005
Launch: January and February 2006

The Brand Development Process
With input from employee surveys and on-site sessions, Smith-Winchester articulated the brand strategy and facilitated the selection of a new name for the company – one that would reflect its expanded services and mission. We then developed the value proposition, positioning statements, core messages, and company identity (including the logo and graphic style). Core values and competencies were established, then summarized in a pre-launch pamphlet for all employees titled “I Am Lumen Legal.” It established brand “personality” and created the foundation for making and keeping brand promises. It stated:Our business standards and operating philosophy are founded on a belief in:

• The force of ideas
• The rule of law
• The worth of individuals
• The value of diversity
• The power of human potentialThis internal piece introduced the new company name “Lumen Legal” and tag line “New Light on Human Potential.”

Dave Galbenski commented: “Smith-Winchester successfully put me on the front lines with the media as a spokesperson, getting external exposure and building our presence on-line with both published editorial and topical website content.”

“At the same time, ideas and words crafted by the agency, such as the operating philosophy, helped to coalesce our energies and unify our mind-set internally. We are truly in the “people” business, and these concepts effectively build our brand with both candidates and customers.”

Corporate Identity Package
From color palette to corporate signature, the visual branding was solidified. Next, all external and internal corporate identity elements were designed and put into place, including business cards and letterhead, presentation templates, and facility signage.

Website Design and Production
Designed to be a key marketing and recruiting tool, www.lumenlegal.com
establishes the brand in the opening words and images, then supports it by offering separate areas of information for clients and candidates (both direct hire and contract), and the media (via a newsroom). Smith-Winchester designed and produced the site, interfacing with Lumen Legal IT and their outside database management partner to provide job posting/ search functionality for candidates.

The site is cross-linked to Lumen Legal’s informational micro-site, www.offshore-legal-services.com.

Capabilities Folder and Inserts
A custom die-cut double pocket folder carries the Lumen Legal capabilities message to the prospect’s desk. Inserts outline the three basic service areas: Document Review, Contract Staffing, and Direct Hire.

The Launch Event
Synchronized with the official change-over of the company to its new name, an early evening launch event took place on February 9th, 2006 in downtown Detroit. The order of the day was networking, and guests ranged from partners at large law firms and a national bar association president, to contract attorneys who are balancing family and work obligations. Corporate counsel and offshore outsourcing experts from various parts of the country also attended.

Smith-Winchester advised on all aspects of the event, and designed and prepped a sequence of invitations (both HTML email and printed postal pieces). Multiple communications to the media (“preview” email, postal mailed invitation, email and phone follow-up) brought local and legal industry trade publication editors to the event.

The New Momentum
The result: Lumen Legal is galloping away from its regional posture and becoming an international company with nationwide clientele. New satellite offices in eleven key U.S. markets are expanding the reach.

The momentum is building, with inquiries from major New York and Florida law firms resulting from the Inc. magazine article, new contracts being developed, on-line activities mushrooming, and word of mouth referrals accelerating.

COO Marc Blessing summarizes the effort: “Smith-Winchester exceeded our expectations. They did a great job of articulating our expanded mission, in words and in graphics, and have produced dynamic on-line and sales support tools that put us in a whole new category in terms of the impression we make on our marketplace.”

For more information on this case study, or to discuss how Smith-Winchester services can help you achieve your marketing goals, contact Dave Schmidt (david@smith-winchester.com) or Mike Ladd (mike@smith-winchester.com); 248.352.3333.
Also see: www.lumenlegal.com, www.offshore-legal-services.com