ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL law firms in the United States, Shernoff, Bidart & Darras specializes in helping consumers sue their ill-behaved insurance companies. With the hip world of brandmaking converging upon the stodgy legal profession, the SBD partners asked Mitchel Design to, gulp, brand them.

There was a lot of pressure because the clients were, well, lawyers. We rose to the occasion like Perry Mason in the final scene. We created a solid and elegant visual identity, with the initials of the two younger partners serving as “bookends” to the initial of the senior founding partner. Each partner also got his initial in his favorite color.

So-called collateral materials are different for a law firm. Instead of point-of-sales brochures, there are templates for briefs, pleadings and memoranda, all of which must conform to court-imposed rules. We managed to meet all the specs without sacrificing innovation, implementing a custom corporate typeface for the firm along the way. With a fresh look and a polished image, the firm finally was able to make some serious money.