I bet most of you had the same reaction to my question in the headline above as I did when Executive Director John Morris Williams introduced me to the concept at one of our directors meetings at the Oklahoma Bar Association. My initial thought and visual image was that of cowboys out on the open range with the hot fire and branding iron marking cattle as a way of determining ownership. There shortly was a revelation. I have much to learn. So, I now share my experience.

We all have "brands" of one kind or another. I guess my parents gave me my first brand when they named me shortly after my birth. Again, that "brand" was for identification purposes which was especially important in my family since I was the seventh child. (The eighth would arrive just over four years later). "Branding," as it was used by John, was a completely new word and concept for me. It is used in the business world to create a visual image and facilitate the sale of a product. Those with business acumen might view my definition as rather simplistic. But, for my purposes today, mine is sufficient.

We all have heard the term "brand name" which is a unique name for a product. Black's Dictionary defines "brand" as "a word, mark, symbol, design, term or a combination of these, both visual and oral, used for the purpose of identification of some product or service." The key word is identification. It is said that we create our brand or others create it for us. It is more than just ensuring that customers recognize a logo or product name. It is the relationship that exists between the seller and the buyer of the product. In the legal field, our product is certainly different. We do not sell cars, tennis shoes, cosmetics, etc. We sell a service. A service that is unique and extremely personal and, I believe, much more important that a car, tennis shoes or cosmetics.

What we really sell is ourselves. We sell a promise of what we can do. We are viewed as professional, competent, trustworthy and conscientious when we are hired by our client (customer) who needs our help for something extremely important in their lives. The important issue is how we are viewed when our work is complete. Are we still seen as professional, competent, trustworthy and conscientious? Have we lived up to our "billing"? Think about it.

What's your brand?