Newspapers and the Internet can deliver much bad news about attorneys and law firms — malpractice suits, defecting partners, trial losses, employee harassment, layoffs or declining profits. More frequently, the bad news can be about clients, which quickly turns their legal problems into public relations problems as well. What makes the difference between short-lived bad press and a full-blown communications crisis? If the story lingers or impacts many people, thereby hurting reputations, brands and business fortunes, you have a crisis.
What to Do First
If you think you may have a communications crisis on your hands, it is key to think before reacting. Call in your marketing communications professional or, if needed, a PR consultant. Following a firm’s existing structure, all appropriate parties should meet privately as a crisis team to share all details of what went wrong and to plan how to address it.
