Historically, publicists and attorneys have not been the closest of comrades. When our clients find themselves in a crisis, lawyers generally instruct them to say very little whereas publicists seek to control the conversation—in content and in stage time. Lawyers might instruct their client to remain silent (“wait for your lawyer!”), whereas a good publicist would prioritize churning out a succinct response quickly, as soon as humanly possible. One can imagine how this puts the client in a sticky situation.

With both the publicist and the attorney in siloed conversations with the client, he is now receiving the exact opposite advice—don’t speak vs. speak fast. This adds stress to an already stressful circumstance, and the last thing we both want is a more stressed out client … especially right before a press conference!