Making a significant mark in the realm of rebranding, AffiniPay has officially transitioned to its new identity, 8am, as announced this morning at 8am local time. This change places them among other notable rebrands like Meta and the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, highlighting the transformative nature of their brand strategy.
The updated logo evokes a unique aesthetic reminiscent of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, suggesting a creative approach to visual identity.
The previous name, “AffiniPay,” was heavily associated with payments, which served as effective branding for their flagship product, LawPay. However, after acquiring MyCase, CasePeer, and DocketWise, this branding began to feel restrictive. While lawyers have a special appreciation for getting paid, the broader offerings of AffiniPay had evolved beyond what the “Pay” in their name suggested.
In contrast, the name 8am offers a versatile identity that could easily represent anything from a wake-up call service to an upscale donut shop, where an $11 cup of coffee might prompt patrons to awkwardly decline a default 25 percent tip. While names don’t always need to be completely self-explanatory, they must resonate with the target audience. For instance, if LexisNexis were to rebrand as “2am,” it might evoke the moment we realize we’ve been lost in a legal research rabbit hole for six hours.
According to Chief Marketing Officer Nate Skinner, “The name 8am captures the energy and focus we bring to our customers every day…” This perspective suggests that the company perceives the 8am hour differently than most, as my own 8am energy typically resembles “bleary-eyed contempt.” At that hour, many lawyers are busy checking personal emails and ordering coffee, mentally preparing for the workday ahead. Skinner further elaborated, “It’s about making our value clear and helping our customers build momentum from the moment their day begins.”
This latter rationale is much more coherent than the initial claim about early morning energy, which we can overlook. The company, 8am, offers support for the tasks that lawyers often dread during that groggy 8am hour. This is the time when they shuffle into the office to tackle essential tasks like billing, conflict checks, and calendaring—those back-office responsibilities that can only be managed before the flood of calls and emails about legal matters begins at 9am. It serves as an implicit commitment to assist lawyers and other professionals in reclaiming their precious time during that crucial hour. For small law firms, balancing business management with legal practice makes recovering any time incredibly valuable, particularly the golden hour between 8 and 9.
Given the company’s extensive history, adapting to this name change will undoubtedly take some time for both employees and clients. Not to mention, in November, they’ll need to revert to “7am” for compliance with professional business platform standard time.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
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