How to Select a Legal PR Firm: 4 Important Considerations

By Evan Nierman, Founder and CEO of Red Banyan, a international crisis communications company and author of Amazon's bestselling Crisis Averted.

When a law firm lands a big client, the lawyers assigned to the case focus their energy on finding strategies to defend their client. However, if the case is high profile or controversial, it may attract media attention. And knowing whether to speak to reporters or keep quiet can be stressful.

Having a legal PR team in place to support you before a crisis hits and you need help is a proactive strategy that can achieve results that make a difference.

But choosing the right legal PR professionals can be tricky. If you don't know what to look for, you may end up with "experts" who don't know much more about the ins and outs of strategic communications than the lawyers in your firm. When you start looking for the right team of legal PR experts, look for strategic communicators who understand the complexities of the law and how critical getting the right message across at the right time can be. A seasoned team of legal public relations professionals who regularly work with law firms understand the importance of collaboration, trust and confidentiality. These PR professionals work closely with attorneys and know when to ask for publicity and when to step back.

Let's face it: Lawyers are not public relations experts and may feel uncomfortable talking to the press about the details of their cases. If they say too much, they can lend a hand. If they say too little, their case may be misunderstood. Either way, their client could be skewered by the media from any angle. As a result, some lawyers may simply choose to avoid the media for fear of harming their standing in the court of legal advice.

A savvy team of legal public relations and crisis communications experts can help your law firm put a crisis response plan in place before you need it. Having a crisis plan in place in advance is the best way to prepare for the unexpected. Trying to concoct an emergency action plan is never a good idea.

The same goes for legal public relations. Establishing a relationship with a legal PR firm during good times can help ensure you have a strong working relationship with the agency's legal PR professionals during a crisis. But knowing how to select the right kind of aid is key to making it worthwhile.

Here are four things to consider when choosing a legal PR firm.

1. Specialized in crisis response and available at all times. Speed ​​can be the driving force that determines the success of a crisis response. Public relations legal experts must be able to react quickly and work with attorneys to take control of the narrative and steer it in the direction most favorable to their clients. Select PR professionals who have handled crisis PR cases in the past and have a strong track record of delivering results.

2. Have established relationships with reporters to help ensure news coverage. Find a team of legal PR experts that includes former journalists and already has media contacts. Communications experts from the media are usually strong legal PR experts because they understand journalists, know what makes a good story, and often maintain contact with the media. They also understand that keeping something out of the news can be just as important as getting something in the news. Communication experts familiar with the media can strategize how to win in the court of public opinion while lawyers focus on winning in the legal arena.

3. Handle media inquiries and eliminate the guesswork left by "no comment". Too many lawyers believe that by saying nothing, no harm can be done. Exactly the opposite may be true. Not commenting puts control of the story in someone else's hands, and inaccurate information can be shared and passed off as the truth. The words "no comment" give control to the party that chooses to comment. Lawyers need legal public relations professionals with successful experience working with the media so they can get their clients' stories told the way they want them told.

4. Ensure clients are fairly represented in media coverage. While the lawyer is busy devising legal strategies to win a case...