Today’s oversaturated U.S. legal market is full of firms whose names are no more than a combination of the last names of their main partners.
Attorney James Helm, the owner of a Philadelphia-based law firm, has taken an original approach. This 31-year-old attorney decided to defy the canon of law firm marketing, naming his firm TopDog Law.
“From a marketing perspective, [a law firm named after multiple owners] is very hard to remember,” said Helm during a recent video interview. “If you want to tell somebody how great your lawyer was, you wouldn’t be able to remember the firm’s name because it’s so long and confusing.”
After opening his law firm in 2019, Helm has built one of Philadelphia’s most recognizable injury law brands. This Philadelphia native attorney and his legal team at TopDog Law have recovered millions of dollars for accident victims across Pennsylvania. Today, TopDog Law has two offices in Philadelphia and one in Baltimore.
Helm is part of the new generation revolutionizing law firm management. After graduating from Rutgers University in 2018 with a joint graduate degree in law and business, he turned down a full-time offer from a prestigious law firm to open TopDog Law. With his background in business and marketing, this young attorney wanted to build a legal brand in tune with the modern world.
In an interview back in April, Helm connected via Zoom to talk about the singular marketing strategy of his firm. Between anecdotes about the early days of TopDog Law, Helm discussed how the name of his firm was an essential component of his innovative marketing approach.
For decades, little has changed in the field of law firm marketing. In his early legal career, Helm noticed the consensus among attorneys to name law firms after the owner’s last name. After graduating from law school, as Helm explored the possibility of opening his own practice, he decided to defy conventional standards and build a distinctive injury law brand.
“During law school, I sold marketing to other lawyers, and I realized that lawyers traditionally name their firms after their last name,” narrated Helm. “So, I decided I wanted a trade name for my own law firm, something simple and easy to remember.”
Multiple name options came to his mind before settling on TopDog Law. During the interview, Helm recalled the odyssey of finding an innovative name for his firm. He understood that selecting an original name for his firm was critical to stand out from thousands of other law firms nationwide.
“I actually was going to go with ‘The Law Dogs,’ but somebody from Florida already owned that trademark,” said Helm anecdotally. “I tried to purchase the licensing to use the trademark, but finally, I decided to create something of my own, at which point, a friend of mine suggested ‘TopDog.’”
Helm rushed to acquire the trademark for TopDog Law and secure the internet domain. TopDog was more than a catchy name that people could quickly identify. As Helm explained, this name also represents his firm’s mission.
“‘TopDog’ is another way of saying the best,” said Helm. “The name was perfect because I want my clients to feel that they are getting top-notch legal representation.”
Today, Helm is a pioneer in marketing for law firms. Since the early days of his firm, Instagram and other social media platforms have been at the core of his marketing strategy. With videos giving legal advice and humorous reels, Helm has connected with younger audiences, for whom the name “TopDog Law” is now a synonym for injury law.
By Juan Sebastian Restrepo
With Artistic Initiative Agency
