Take the Laner Challenge
Laner Muchin is a 40-lawyer labor and employment firm, one of the country’s finest boutiques. In addition to providing high-quality legal skills, they are likely the world’s most-responsive law firm, returning all client calls within two hours, even faster in emergencies. 
In an exhaustive series of intake interviews, we identified this critical service attribute and used it as the centerpiece of the firm’s marketing and branding.
We developed a firm-wide responsiveness program, and the firm purchased new technology to ensure they could meet this rigorous service commitment.
Working closely with Marketing Partner Joe Yastrow, one of the nation’s top employment lawyers, we created creating supporting materials including revising the firm’s logo to include a stylized clock, firm brochure, Two-Hour brochure, website, and public relations campaign to build buzz.
Most notably, we created the “Laner Muchin Challenge,” which throws down the gauntlet, daring prospects to see how their existing lawyers’ responsiveness compares to ours:
“If you’re currently represented by a different employment law firm, you can experience the Laner Muchin difference. Take the Laner Muchin Challenge:
“Call your current lawyer and leave a message to return your call. Wait an hour or two (to give your lawyer a decent head start), then call one of our lawyers and leave the same message. See who calls you back first; we’re betting it’ll be us. If it’s not, we’ll buy you lunch and donate $100 to your favorite charity.”
We knew how important responsiveness is to clients, as well as how poorly law firms tend to fair in this vital service category. There was pain in the marketplace we wanted to leverage, i.e. a surplus of technically skilled lawyers, but a dearth of truly responsive ones.
The point of the challenge was to showcase the firm as the alternative to skilled-but-unresponsive law firms. That is, whenever a client is frustrated that their smart L&E lawyer isn’t providing the quality care they’re seeking, they now know that they can call Laner Muchin and get both skills and service.
As a PR move to build additional buzz and a tangible reminder, we mailed oversized, foot-tall, hand-blown, hour-long hourglasses directly to prospects to encourage them to Take The Challenge. Most recipients kept these prominently displayed on their desks, along with our message and contact information.
The mailing achieved a direct-response rate exceeding 50%, along with an enormous number of congratulatory calls and opportunities for new business. The campaign received the Legal Marketing Association’s grand prize, the optional Best of Show award for the year’s best, and most effective, law firm marketing initiative.
