New Direction and New Branding for Law Firm FTMS

Building on its success and distinctive positioning—particularly in litigation practice—FTMS finds itself at a pivotal moment in its history. The founding partners, still present and active, have been joined by a rising generation of new partners.

Moreover, the intuitu personae relationship remains decisive in choosing a lawyer: clients select a lawyer based on personal recommendations, and law firms have long been named after their founding partners.

Rethinking the Brand

Digitalization and both global and local competition have accelerated the emergence of “brands” and more complex communication strategies: podcasts, social media strategies, rebranding. Today, word-of-mouth is complemented by digital visibility, driven by search engines—pushing law firms to think about their digital presence, brand identity, and communication approach.

In this context, it’s not about betraying FTMS’s identity—a firm rooted in strong values—nor about chasing fleeting trends. It’s about projecting the firm’s image into the future, while building on its legacy. This key moment defines a strategic ambition: consolidating FTMS today to shape the brand for the next forty years.

One Brand, Multiple Audiences

Typically, a brand is thought of in relation to clients.

But FTMS’s approach also considers the broader legal ecosystem: the brand must resonate with lawyers, associates, peers, and magistrates. The brand system proposed is built around two key pillars:

• A brand of expertise: articulating a clear value proposition that differentiates the firm from local and international competitors, while positioning it effectively among partner firms, judges, and current or prospective clients.
• An attractive and unifying brand: internally and for future recruits (lawyers, staff, trainee lawyers), the goal is to create a collective spirit rooted in shared values—fostering pride and belonging. This emotional connection helps retain talent and serves as a powerful lever for attraction.

Tailored Support Driven by All Stakeholders

For its methodology, Onepoint adopted a hybrid approach combining an initial “in-house” analysis phase (firm, market, trends) with a qualitative research phase conducted through direct interaction with all of the firm’s stakeholders—partners, associates, staff, and clients. The guiding principle was to avoid rushing into execution, and instead to first involve and unite all parties around the firm’s strategy before moving into the tangible implementation.

The process was designed to be inclusive, involving every member of the firm to provide space for each person to share their perspective, perceptions, and feelings—acknowledging the role and importance of every individual in building the brand-identity of the firm.

• Modernity vs. Tradition – Project FTMS into the future while honoring its legacy.
• Intuitu Personae vs. Affectio Societatis – Design a brand system that gives space back to the FTMS identity while allowing coexistence with the “brands” of individual partners.
• Discretion vs. Expression – Create a refined visual identity that reflects the profession’s ethical standards while standing out in the market.

The brand is, above all, a shared development project, and this process became an opportunity to foster alignment and demonstrate that everyone, at every level, can contribute and be heard. All team members were brought together for a full-day offsite immersion at Onepoint’s Livepoint in Paris. The day combined plenary sessions with smaller breakout groups to encourage open dialogue.

The result of this phase—the FTMS brand pyramid and its core strategic pillars—became the foundation for the creative work. It was essential to rationalize the design process and show that every aspect of the identity (color, typography, iconography, shape) was tied to the brand’s message and strategic direction, ensuring strong internal alignment.

Each step of the process was presented not only to the partners but also to the entire firm to gather feedback and fine-tune the outcome accordingly.

A Creative System That Embodies Change

At the end of this process, several graphic directions were explored, with a final recommendation unanimously endorsed by all the partners. This was followed by a collaborative color selection, submitted to a firm-wide vote during the traditional Galette des Rois celebration in January 2024. After an almost unanimous vote, the “seal” logo and its golden dominant color were chosen—allowing us to roll out the full visual system and its applications: stationery, branded objects, and of course, a new website developed by Onepoint’s teams.

Of course, branding is the cornerstone of a communication strategy—but it only makes sense if it’s brought to life. And it is, by nature, in constant evolution. The best is yet to come!