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CCCA_V5No2_Branding-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 5/6/11 12:13 AM Page 30 Feature By Beverley Spencer What makes general counsel choose one firm over another? Hint: Quality is just the beginning. K en Grady knows the power of brands.That’s not surprising considering he is gen- eral counsel for the company that produces Hush Puppies,a shoe that’s been synonymous with happy feet since 1958 whenWolverine developeda practical methodof pigskin tan- ning for the U.S. military. It’s also why he gets frustratedwhen law firms making pitches for his company’s busi- ness can’t tell him what differentiates them from the competition. Remember the televi- sion commercial where the dog owner is talking to her pet,and all the dog hears is:“Blah, blah, blah, Bacon Bits! Blah, blah, blah, Bacon Bits?” In his opinion, law firm marketing is a bit like that. “With law firms, it’s become:‘Blah, blah, blah, Law Firm Name. Blah, blah, blah, Law Firm Name.’Try asking general counsel about what stoodout after listening to a law firm © PHILIPPE BÉHA/I2IART.COM [pitch] andwe can’t tell you anything,” he tolda recent conference at Washington’s Georgetown Law School on trends in the delivery of corporate legal services. 30 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SUMMER 2011