• by Lisa Capone , November 29, 2007

The law firm Foley Hoag wants its identity back, and it’s loosening up to get it. Close on the heels of winning a litigious-trademark dispute against Foley & Lardner over the use of the name “Foley,” the Boston-based law firm has contracted the agency Right Hat for a cutting-edge (for law firms, at least) advertising campaign to redefine its image.

This is more than just a re-brand for Foley Hoag, it’s an usual approach to legal marketing, an attempt to revive the field with creativity and use MadAve-based marketing ideals to reach new clients. Instead of relying on dry, fact-based marketing materials, the ads feature striking images by prominent fashion photographer Rodney Smith. These images will run in ads in BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortuneand the Wall Street Journal, as well as on backlit dioramas in the terminals at Boston’s Logan Airport and at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Rodney Smith’s photographs, known for their sophisticated use of metaphor, are still staid enough for the firm’s constituency. We aren’t exactly talking Terry Richardson here — but still, a step in the right direction.