What's in a name?

Our firm’s name often seems to cause confusion. We hear people try to say our name with some uncertainty how to pronounce it. It also regularly happens that they pronounce our name as they would do in English.

Such a French name in an age when we are used to English terms is perhaps not such an obvious choice, certainly not in the sector in which we work. Traditionally, lawyers often go for a combination of surnames when choosing their firm’s name.

But we aren’t a law firm that goes about things in the normal way, so the name had to be different too. So we chose French, because the attractive-sounding Italian ‘Consigliere’ has a somewhat dark undertone that we certainly want to keep well away from.

Looking up the word ‘Conseiller’ in a French/English dictionary, we find the following translation:

Conseiller

(noun)

counsellor, adviser;
Conseiller

(verb)

1.To advise, counsel, to recommend. C. quelque chose à quelqu’un, to recommend something to someone. C. à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose, to advise someone to do something.
And that is precisely who we are and what we do. We are your legal adviser and are here to give you advice and assistance and can also act as your legal counsel, should you so require.

That’s clear then, but pronouncing such a French word with a double ‘L’ is tricky for many people. According to the dictionary, the correct pronunciation is: [kɔ̃seje], or perhaps more simply: ‘Kon Say Yay’.

So you can just forget about that double ‘L’ when pronouncing our name. And we would really appreciate it if you no longer pronounced our name as ‘concealer’. We are not in the business of hiding things, but are keen to work with you in an open and honest way.

‘Conseiller’ it is, slightly different but actually very straightforward and to the point. If you want to find out what we can do for you, come and see us soon for a chat over a cup of coffee.