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Oblique discounts by law firms – a rebuttal to a misreading of my post

Jane Genova a writer/marketer and host of the blog Law and More, misconstrued a recent post by me (See my post of Jan. 2, 2009: oblique discounts.). There I cited a study that suggested quality brand companies might be reluctant to discount their prices, but might indirectly give customers economic benefits. I extrapolated the parallel possibility that law firms might discount directly. Genova wrote a day later:

Therefore, I find it baffling that some are still struggling with branding issues within conventional frameworks. For instance, in the Law Department Management Blog, Rees Morrison argues that discounting in elite branding can only be done indirectly. Otherwise, the brand identity could take a hit. Even more puzzling, at least to me, Morrison cites two sources to reinforce his contention.

I did not argue that discounts by well-known law firms can only be done directly. Manifestly, many firms agree to requests for discounts off their standard rates. What I did posit was that law firms might try the same kind of oblique discounts as the two examples I included.