Building successful companies taught us that the best names reflect not just what we do, but how we think about building.
Names matter. They stick with you, shape perceptions, and sometimes even become verbs. When we set out to name CaseMark, we knew we had one shot to get it right.
My journey with naming began years ago as a sysadmin. Back then, naming was more than a task; it was a rite of passage. The first two things I ever named were printers for our college computer lab: Ren & Stimpy. In those days, before the era of sterile designations like sw1-or-pdx-22.ext.blahblahblah.com, developing a naming methodology meant crafting something clever, quippy, or just plain funny.
Having named several companies over the years (though I can't claim credit for Urban Airship), we understood that in the legal tech space, memorable mattered more than ever.
Here's an unpopular opinion: I'm skeptical of grand visions. Maybe it's a character flaw. Maybe If we just talked some more sh*t about what we’re building we’d probably 10x our valuation. I've seen firsthand how taking too much money too early can derail a company's trajectory. We've been down that road before.
Instead, we believe in starting simple and letting customer needs guide our growth. Every successful company we've built followed this pattern:
We chose CaseMark because we wanted something that could become a verb. We wanted legal professionals to naturally say: "Just CaseMark it." The name is memorable, practical, and when the opportunity arose to secure the .com domain (through a combination of strategic bluffing and a 12-hour cash offer), we knew we had our brand.
Our initial offering of deposition summaries wasn't designed to attract venture capital or boast about massive market potential. It was designed to solve a real problem for real customers utilizing AI in the most effective way. When those early users asked for more, we listened. We added trial summaries, hearing summaries, arbitration summaries, and exhibit lists. Each feature built naturally on the last. Every new feature allowed us to expand our understanding and use of AI helping build a compelling narrative for our customers.
This organic growth revealed our true opportunity: transforming the entire Litigation Lifecycle. By creating "easy buttons" for every stage from intake through settlement, appeal, or verdict, CaseMark could become the first tool legal professionals reach for each morning.
Our vision isn't about disrupting the legal industry with grandiose promises. It's about delivering immediate value from day one, then earning the right to solve bigger problems. When attorneys ask themselves "What can I CaseMark today?" we want the answer to be: anything that makes their practice more efficient.
CaseMark represents our belief that the best companies grow from solving specific problems exceptionally well. We didn't need a massive TAM or VCs clamoring to invest. We needed customers who found value in our work and wanted more. We needed to prove to them that AI can be used effectively on a daily basis. Often times the best products don’t actually feel like you’re using them.
That's the CaseMark way: Start small. Solve real problems. Let customer needs drive expansion. Build just enough that is so useful it becomes a verb.
Because in the end, that's what's in a name: not just clever wordplay, but a promise to make legal work better, one feature at a time.
Building successful companies taught us that the best names reflect not just what we do, but how we think about building.
Names matter. They stick with you, shape perceptions, and sometimes even become verbs. When we set out to name CaseMark, we knew we had one shot to get it right.
My journey with naming began years ago as a sysadmin. Back then, naming was more than a task; it was a rite of passage. The first two things I ever named were printers for our college computer lab: Ren & Stimpy. In those days, before the era of sterile designations like sw1-or-pdx-22.ext.blahblahblah.com, developing a naming methodology meant crafting something clever, quippy, or just plain funny.
Having named several companies over the years (though I can't claim credit for Urban Airship), we understood that in the legal tech space, memorable mattered more than ever.
Here's an unpopular opinion: I'm skeptical of grand visions. Maybe it's a character flaw. Maybe If we just talked some more sh*t about what we’re building we’d probably 10x our valuation. I've seen firsthand how taking too much money too early can derail a company's trajectory. We've been down that road before.
Instead, we believe in starting simple and letting customer needs guide our growth. Every successful company we've built followed this pattern:
We chose CaseMark because we wanted something that could become a verb. We wanted legal professionals to naturally say: "Just CaseMark it." The name is memorable, practical, and when the opportunity arose to secure the .com domain (through a combination of strategic bluffing and a 12-hour cash offer), we knew we had our brand.
Our initial offering of deposition summaries wasn't designed to attract venture capital or boast about massive market potential. It was designed to solve a real problem for real customers utilizing AI in the most effective way. When those early users asked for more, we listened. We added trial summaries, hearing summaries, arbitration summaries, and exhibit lists. Each feature built naturally on the last. Every new feature allowed us to expand our understanding and use of AI helping build a compelling narrative for our customers.
This organic growth revealed our true opportunity: transforming the entire Litigation Lifecycle. By creating "easy buttons" for every stage from intake through settlement, appeal, or verdict, CaseMark could become the first tool legal professionals reach for each morning.
Our vision isn't about disrupting the legal industry with grandiose promises. It's about delivering immediate value from day one, then earning the right to solve bigger problems. When attorneys ask themselves "What can I CaseMark today?" we want the answer to be: anything that makes their practice more efficient.
CaseMark represents our belief that the best companies grow from solving specific problems exceptionally well. We didn't need a massive TAM or VCs clamoring to invest. We needed customers who found value in our work and wanted more. We needed to prove to them that AI can be used effectively on a daily basis. Often times the best products don’t actually feel like you’re using them.
That's the CaseMark way: Start small. Solve real problems. Let customer needs drive expansion. Build just enough that is so useful it becomes a verb.
Because in the end, that's what's in a name: not just clever wordplay, but a promise to make legal work better, one feature at a time.
