https://www.lawfuel.com/judge-slays-dragon-branded-lawyers-marketing-effort/When Legal Branding Goes Too Far
Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor
In a case that perfectly illustrates the clash between modern legal marketing and traditional courtroom decorum, a Michigan lawyer’s colorful dragon logo has been forcibly “slain” by an unimpressed federal magistrate judge.
Jacob A. Perrone of “Dragon Lawyers PC” thought his purple dragon mascot dressed in a business suit made for perfect law firm branding.
The logo, purchased online for a mere $20, appeared as a watermark on every page of a recent lawsuit he filed on behalf of a jail inmate. His reasoning? Much like attorneys who call themselves “bulldogs,” Perrone wanted his dragon to symbolize “aggressive representation.”
Federal Magistrate Judge Ray Kent, however, was having none of it. In a blistering order issued Monday, Kent struck the entire complaint, declaring the cartoon dragon “juvenile and impertinent” and reminding the attorney that “The Court is not a cartoon.”
Where Legal Marketing Meets Judicial Boundaries
The incident highlights the delicate balance between modern law firm branding efforts representing the nature and culture of a lawyer or his or her firm and the formality expected in court proceedings.
While Perrone defended his dragon as a legal marketing strategy inspired partly by “Game of Thrones,” legal experts sided with the judge.
Dyane O’Leary, a legal writing professor at Suffolk University,was quoted in the New York Times saying that while attorneys have experimented with unusual elements in filings before, those typically serve to illustrate case substance.
“This seems to have zero substantive purpose and is more, like the court said, decorative and silly,” O’Leary explained.
Perrone has until May 5 to refile without his draconian watermark. While he plans to comply, he’s not abandoning his mascot entirely-just being “more judicious” about where it appears.
