Secondly the importance of branding to law firms will be explored, employing the ideas of search, experience and credence goods.

The buying process is initiated by an underlying need. The customer is motivated to seek a solution, which satisfies the need or deprivation, be it physical or psychological, and restores a sense of self harmony. Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' (Maslow 1943) describes an order of needs as applied to society. The needs state can be a complex issue which, as society develops and becomes more sophisticated, is no longer focused on basic psychological needs.

An individual’s needs, aside from the basic physical or psychological needs, are influenced by their environment; socio-economic status, health or age can have significant effect on the customer’s buying behaviour. In lesser developed communities the needs of individuals to seek out nourishment is to satisfy the basic physical needs of the body, perhaps in order to keep on working and gain reward. The individual in a more developed community may source food in an ef

From the perspective of a prospective customer, law firms, outwardly, are nearly identical. Each firm claims to have experience in a variety of legal areas and personalised services at a price the customer may find reasonable. Due the perceived identical nature of legal firms the customer has to rely on the experiences of others as an aid determining whether he or she should engage the firms’ services.

Legal representation, unless carried out by Legal Aid, always carries a price in monetary terms. The customer must decide whether the pricing structure of a legal firm is justified when placed in context to the services required. An individual would have trouble justifying the expense of engaging Allens Arthur Robinson to draw up a simple will when that same process could easily be handled by a smaller suburban law firm. Paying a premium with a legal service may however have the advantage of access to that firm at all times.

Branding must be relevant for the times. The evolution of the Internet and e-business created a new area that required new laws and consequently lawyers that understand these new concepts. Issues as diverse as biotechnology and native title also require specialist practitioners. This requires law firms to be in touch with clients and constantly understand their changing needs.

Some topics in this essay:
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