Communication for law firms has two halves that behave differently. One is ordinary professional services marketing: expertise, people and reputation. The other is litigation communication, where anything said publicly can affect a live matter and is governed by professional conduct rules that bind the lawyer rather than the agency.
Trial publicity is restricted for a reason
Model conduct rules restrict statements a lawyer involved in a matter may make publicly where they would have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the proceeding, while allowing a limited set of factual statements and a response to recent publicity the client did not initiate. States adopt their own versions. The practical consequence is that a communications plan for a live matter is drafted with counsel, not for them.
Firm marketing is a different discipline
Directory submissions, ranking questionnaires, thought leadership, lateral hire announcements and sector commentary make up most of a firm's ongoing communication. Success here is partner visibility with the right buyers rather than volume of coverage, and the useful measure is whether the firm is on the shortlist for the work it wants.
Who may speak, and about what
Agree in advance which partners speak on which topics, who clears a statement and how fast that can happen. Media enquiries about litigation arrive with short deadlines, and a firm without a pre agreed route ends up either declining everything or answering without clearance, and the second is worse.
Client confidentiality outranks the story
The duty of confidentiality reaches beyond privileged material and it applies even where information is publicly available. Case studies, award submissions and pitch materials all need client consent, and that consent should be recorded rather than remembered.
Questions people ask about legal pr agency
Can a law firm comment on its own live case?
Within limits. Conduct rules permit certain factual statements about the matter and allow a proportionate response to publicity the client did not initiate, but the boundary is a legal judgement made by the lawyers on the matter.
Are legal directory rankings worth pursuing?
For firms selling to sophisticated buyers, yes, because those buyers use them when building shortlists. The submissions are time consuming and are best treated as a planned annual programme rather than a scramble at deadline.
Should a firm use an agency or an internal team?
Larger firms need internal capacity because the response times are short and the confidentiality exposure is high. Agencies add sector reach, campaign capability and surge capacity around a matter or a launch.
How is legal PR measured?
By whether the firm appears in the conversations its target clients follow, by inbound enquiries for the practice areas it wants to grow, and by shortlist presence. Clipping volume rewards commentary on whatever happens to be in the news.