In these tough times for magic circle firms, here's an easy way to soak up some of the surplus cash clogging up partners' bank accounts: invest in a rebrand. Latest to call in the bow-tie brigade is the venerable Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which traces its origins back to 1743 - though its current name only to a pair of continental mergers at the turn of the century.
The trouble, of course, is no one ever says the 'Bruckhaus Deringer' bit. Announcing the 'brand refresh', senior partner Georgia Dawson candidly admitted as such: a 'dynamic and bold' new name 'embraces the reality of what people call us in the market and how we refer to ourselves', she said. So Bruckhaus and Deringer are consigned to history.
Of course the refresh will involve a great deal more than sawing off the right hand two-thirds of the name plate. The firm will undergo a formal name change and register a new word mark. Watch out for the new look from October as a 'sustainable and phased implementation' of the new brand identity is implemented globally.
As for the impact on Freshfields' bottom line, we have no idea. The firm decided last year to limit its financial disclosures to those required by Companies House.
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