Living Ratings Online

Opportunity

In the highly competitive legal sector, building a strong brand and reputation is essential — and there are opportunities for every firm to differentiate.

Six key components to stand out

Firms can strengthen their brand and digital strategy in 2026 by investing in six key areas that help build stronger client relationships, sharpen differentiation, and create a brand that carries real relevance. When executed well, these elements support measurable business performance, fuel growth, and deepen client loyalty.

1. Authenticity:
Authenticity counters automation

As firms race to adopt AI, the benefits are clear: greater efficiency, lower costs, and sharper delivery. But in the pursuit of scale, there is a risk of sameness. The firms that stand out will be those that use AI as a tool, not a substitute for distinctiveness. Authenticity still matters deeply to clients, alongside credibility and proof. A compelling brand narrative, grounded in your firm’s own story, remains one of the most powerful ways to build relevance in an increasingly automated landscape.

2. Change is the only constant:
Change is everywhere. Meaningful differentiation is not.

Our Top 20 points to a market in motion, with 45% of firms launching new brands or digital presences. The strongest performers are not standing still; they are constantly looking to elevate, refine and future-proof their brand and digital presence – just as we do at Living, evolving our Ratings criteria each year to account for changing priorities across the legal and digital marketing landscapes.

But that’s just half the story. While 41% of firms now show a distinct visual language, only 20% fully use brand and design to elevate content across the site. Many firms have refreshed their appearance, but far fewer are using design strategically and consistently to enrich the entire digital experience.

3. Strengthening digital foundations:
Foundational digital experience is still immature.

In a market built on precision and expertise, the basics of digital experience should be seamless. Yet only 28% of firms scored full marks for clear page taxonomy, 31% for a fully intuitive UX, and just 9% offer accessibility tools. Search, multi-language functionality, and geolocation also remain underdeveloped. Put short, too many firms are under-prioritising the basics of good digital design. When these essentials are overlooked, even high revenue firms begin to lose credibility. Optimising these functionality elements are a quiet but increasingly powerful way to stand out.

4. Proof over proclamation:
Evidence-led approach to content.

The majority of our 2026 top five firms take an evidence-led approach to content. They do not simply assert quality, culture, or values; they substantiate them. Case studies, awards, testimonials, firm statistics, and tangible examples of values in action all help build a more credible and compelling brand story – move beyond simply stating who you are and demonstrate it through clear proof points that showcase your excellence in action.

5. Optimising the home page:
Making first impressions work harder.

Not every user enters through the “front door,” but the home page remains prime digital real estate. It remains one of the most important places to express the brand, spotlight expertise, and convey culture and values. Yet only 11% of firms fully maximise their home page content structure. The few firms optimising the digital content potential here articulate their distinct strengths, values, and vision, while creating an immediate sense of both relevance and expertise.

6. Power in the people:
In professional services, people are the proposition.

Too many firms still underplay the value of putting their people at the centre of the digital experience. While high-quality team biographies and branded people pages are on the rise, only 19% of firms score full marks for bios, and just 2% use video to bring lawyers to life in their biographies. The opportunity is clear. Showcasing the people behind the practice gives prospective clients a stronger sense of who they are engaging, while building the familiarity and reassurance that institutional messaging alone rarely achieves.

An in-depth look at our 'Top 5' law firms

No. 5

Troutman Pepper Locke

Cohesive content and proof-led brand
See the report

Creating difference

For over two decades we’ve used our deep sector knowledge, uncompromised thinking and award-winning creativity to help our clients in the financial, professional services and technology sectors. We create difference through branding expressions that engage, digital experiences that disrupt, and integrated advertising campaigns that drive results. 

Driven by our brand values of thoughtful, specialist, determined, genuine and independent since day one, we are passionate about what we do and continue to evolve and grow in an ever-changing business environment. 

Find out more about how we help our clients.

Would you like to learn more?

If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with our research and creative specialists to gain insights into your firm's performance or to explore how your brand and digital presence could benefit from a tailored Ratings analysis, please reach out to Mark Stephenson.

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