Obiter always enjoys the attempts by law firms to rebrand themselves, which often see them tangled up in marketing gobbledegook.

The latest to have a stab is Southampton practice Trethowans.

In case readers hadn't picked it up from the photo, a marketing bod helpfully explains that 'the new branding will help to reinforce the "human element" behind our work - it's essentially about giving Trethowans an approachable personality'.

The press release continues in the same vein: 'The new design certainly helps to achieve this as the word "HOW" in the name has been cleverly used to form an integrated strapline "Trethowans - How can we help you?" This question will help Trethowans to present itself as ''one" practice to the market and communicate the comprehensive range of services that they can provide.' Er, if you say so.

But this is not all - managing partner Miles Brown makes an early and impressive bid for the hotly contested crown of worst pun in a law firm press release 2004.

'The new design seems such a simple solution,' he says.

'I am not sure "how" (sic) we have managed without it for so long.' 'How'ever, Trethowans has been trumped by the Legal Services Commission.

'FAINs', its Family Advice and Information Networks, have been renamed, Obiter has learned, as 'FAInS', apparently to emphasise 'a new kind of Family Advice and Information Service'.

According to the statement: 'The commission has indicated that this does not imply any lessening of its commitment to developing networks of support, but the shift takes the onus away from family solicitors as the only professionals responsible for developing them'.

oH reaLLy.

This article refers to images that appear in the printed edition [2004] Gazette, 16 April, page 11