Law Firm Controls Reputation Impact of Issuing Layoff Notices
How to control the flow of bad news when the legal blogs start calling
The background:
An AmLaw 100 firm plans to lay off a number of attorneys and staff, but is aware that any information leaks could prompt legal blogs to report sensitive information about the layoffs, intended only for firm attorneys and staff.
The strategic legal reputation management opportunity:
Create a comprehensive internal and external legal marketing crisis communications strategy, including messaging and timing guidelines to ensure that the legal blogs and law and business media only receive information that the firm is comfortable releasing to the public.
A more effective solution to a legal marketing problem:
Leveraging Jaffe PR’s extensive experience in law firm crisis communications, the law firm created nearly identical internal and external messaging, thus eliminating the scenario of a sensitive internal law firm memo being leaked to the press. Jaffe PR contacted a trusted legal reporter and gave her the exclusive story, thereby controlling the availability of the law firm’s news.
Also critical was the crisis communications timeline for the law firm’s management and staff that mapped the flow of information to internal and external audiences on the day of the layoffs, down to the minute. All involved adhered to this timing even when the legal blogs began calling early to check on rumors from their own sources.
By not confirming anything to the blogs, sticking to set timing and giving the official story to one trusted journalist, the blogs were unable to confirm their story until it was first reported by the single source, with the firm’s preferred messaging.
Exceptional public reputation management results:
By involving Jaffe PR in the law firm’s crisis communication planning process early on, working closely to plan every aspect of its internal and external communications, and leveraging Jaffe PR’s strong relationships with key legal industry reporters, the law firm succeeded in controlling its layoff message. Media coverage of a negative event was minimized, and the press that the firm did receive was more fair and balanced than is typically the case with firm layoffs.