Law Firm Public Relations Highlights Expertise, Builds Trust and Adds Clients

Law firms looking to raise their profiles can undertake an advertising campaign utilizing such vehicles as magazines, tv ads and so on, depending upon the audience they’re interested in reaching. However, firms considering that approach should also note that the public is already bombarded with law firm advertising. From the perspective client’s point-of-view: who are you more likely to trust – the lawyer whose face is on the park bench, or the lawyer quoted in your morning paper? If the goal is establishing credibility, law firm public relations more likely than paid advertising to provide a solid return on investment by attracting new clients as well as strengthening the bonds with existing ones.

Positioning is key to undertaking a law firm public relations campaign. Especially in major cities like New York, teeming with top-tier legal professionals, using law firm public relations to establish one’s firm or practice as reputable, time-tested and bent on success is worth its weight in gold. Good law firm public relations can help a firm be selective in the cases it chooses to take on. Properly executed law firm public relations can also protect a firm’s reputation if it loses a high-profile case, or encounters other challenges inherent to the legal profession. Good law firm public relations is also useful for attracting those high-profile cases by establishing the firm’s credibility and record of success. If the client and law firm public relations consultant agree on a thought leadership approach, legal professionals can be positioned as experts in their fields to maximize their appeal to potential clients and employees. This can be done by offering partners as sources for news stories, or scheduling them to speak at conferences.

Law firm public relations is one of the most challenging and interesting specialties one can pursue in the field of public relations. For example, an in-house law firm public relations consultant may be responsible for communicating the details of sensitive legal matters to the press. The press and public may be anxious to hear details of certain cases; while that’s good for the client is some cases, dealing with the media can be a minefield, since misinterpretations blown into front-page headlines can be devastating to a case. However, an in-house law firm public relations specialist may also forge relationships with certain reporters that allow them to share certain things off the record, things they think ultimately will work in the client’s favor. A law firm public relations practitioner in this context is also responsible for communicating, in plain and compelling language, the details of complex legal situations. That takes a specialized skill set, one that a law firm public relations professional is uniquely qualified to provide.

Law firm public relations has come quite a long way over the years as attorneys have come to recognize its ability to influence cases and attract clients while deepening relationships with existing clients.
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