Chambers.
Does the very sound make you want to hide under your desk and weep into a lukewarm cup of tea?
At the risk of veering into melodramatics, the Chambers submission is a big deal for law firms. Not only is it considered one of the most weighty of law firm recognitions, but it takes a lot of time to put together.
So why bother?
Read more »
We always tell our law firm clients that it’s important to have sustained legal PR efforts. Media relations isn’t something you can do in fits and starts and expect consistent results. It’s hard to stay top of mind with journalists if they don’t hear from you that often. You must come to them fairly regularly with quality story ideas so they remember you’re out there.
But what if there’s nothing going on that’s worth pitching? It’s not like big litigation victories or massive M&A deals happen on demand. There are lulls in the practice of law — and that’s when savvy lawyers have to get proactive with their PR efforts.
Here are some ways to keep the pitch hopper full when there’s no breaking news to trumpet.
Read more »
You get a solid quote in a key publication, or publish an insightful article in a legal trade magazine, and you want everyone to know (particularly potential clients). So, you post the full text of the article to your firm’s website, send it to your email list and put out some social media posts linking to it for good measure.
Good marketing, right?
While promoting your media coverage is important (and kudos to you for recognizing that), unfortunately you’ve left yourself open to legal action from the media outlet because you’ve just violated their copyright.
Don’t feel too badly. This happens fairly often, and we’ve found that lawyers and law firms are among some of the worst offenders. Which is more than a little ironic, because, you know, laws…
The good news is that there are ways to leverage your media hits while staying on the right side of the law — and in the good books of the media outlets that cover you.
Read more »
When I was working at a television station, the first question the news director would ask after a reporter came in with a juicy story was, “Is it exclusive?”
She wanted to know if her station was the only place viewers could find the story or if they would at least be the first to break the news. In a time when just about everyone has 24/7 access to information at their fingertips, regardless of when the 5 o’clock newscast airs, media outlets are looking for any edge they can get over their competitors.
For PR purposes, exclusives can help you squeeze all of the “juice” you can get out of a story and make sure it’s placed with an outlet that will give it the coverage you think it deserves.
Read more »
Pitching to the right person at a media outlet can make the difference between having your company make the front page or helplessly watching it slip through the cracks of someone’s inbox. Even small newsrooms exchange thousands of emails every day, and a fraction of the staff is tasked with screening and collecting stories to go to broadcast, print or online.
You must stand out and connect with the gatekeepers to enjoy the benefits of media coverage.
Read more »
“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Nike’s update to its famous “Just do it” tagline is now more relevant than ever. Today, “brands” — that’s marketing speak for a company or firm — are taking political, cultural and social stands that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
From racial injustice and police brutality to climate change and immigration, brands are being called upon by their customers to put a stake in the ground and declare a point of view on divisive issues. And now, law firms are adding their voices.
Read more »
Unless you’re living under a rock (which might be a good place to be right now), you know we are living through a global pandemic, as the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, spreads throughout the world.
While this isn’t a time to panic, it is a time for thoughtful, deliberate action. While I can’t provide technology, human resources or other operational advice, there are some crisis communications best practices that are helpful to remember when considering your firm’s approach to communicating about the virus.
Read more »
Name any major metropolitan area in the United States and it more than likely has a local edition of the American City Business Journals. Birmingham, Alabama is no exception. The Birmingham Business Journal keeps local entrepreneurs and professionals up to date on the trends and issues that affect their bottom line.
While not every Business Journal has a dedicated legal reporter, most have someone covering law firms as part of their beat. For the Birmingham Business Journal, that’s Angel Coker. She joined the publication two years ago. Before that, she was an editor at a small paper in Mississippi, and also worked at the Tuscaloosa News for three years.
We asked Angel about her beat, how she finds sources and story ideas and what she’s looking for when working with law firm marketing and PR folks.
Read more »
Bloomberg Law is known for its coverage of the business of law, particularly Big Law. It has become a go-to source for information on the legal industry as a whole, as well as specific practices with newsletters published under the Bloomberg Industry Group banner.
Rebekah Mintzer is a Deputy Team Leader with Bloomberg Law. For our Meet the Legal Media series, we asked about how she finds sources and story ideas, her preferences for working with law firm PR professionals and what tips she might share for getting coverage.
Read more »
Law firm advertising and social media. These two subjects are complicated enough on their own, not to mention when you put them together.
Unlike radio ads and the Yellow Pages of yesteryear, today’s social media platforms allow marketers to appeal to users in a more targeted and personal way than ever before.
But how much is too much? And where does that leave law firms?
Read more »
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram