Page 19 - Leaders in Legal Business - a
P. 19
Leaders in Legal Business
Given the plethora of legal business magazines and websites plying their trade, and the even larger number
of bloggers writing about the market, large commercial law firms employ public relations teams to manage their
relationships with the media, thereby maximizing the benefits of positive news about and minimizing the impact
of bad news. While smaller firms, which lack the resources to run their own media departments, may live in fear
of a negative story making the headlines, arguably it is the lack of positive coverage about the good work they do
that has the biggest impact on them. There are, however, plenty of examples of smaller firms that have successfully
raised their profile by generating positive publicity in the legal and national press. Such success is invariably hard
earned, reflecting a conscious decision to regard media relations as a central part of a firm’s strategy. Firms that
are serious about gaining positive media coverage need to do their homework. They need to research the legal
business media in their jurisdictions, decide which outlets they want to target, and then get to know how they
operate, a process that should include, if possible, meeting reporters and editors, and seeking to gain an
understanding of the kind of news in which they are interested. Pitching an inappropriate piece of news to a
magazine is not just a waste of time, but can also be counterproductive.
Ultimately, though, it is difficult to see how firms can thrive in the field of media relations without the
help of regular professional advice and training harnessed to a genuine desire from key partners to engage with
the media. The good news for those firms that do succeed in getting it right is that most firms – certainly in
jurisdictions with which I am familiar — do it badly. This means that law firms that strike on the correct formula
can gain a significant advantage. And while the legal business media market continues to evolve, there seems
little doubt that it will also continue to thrive.
_____________________________________________________________
Legal Business News Publications
Headquarters by Country
Publications Parent Contacts HQ
ABA Journal ABA
Above the Law (US)
David Lat
ACC Docket Editor
ALB – Australian Legal Business
Association of Corporate Tiffani Alexander
Counse Editor in Chief
Thomson Reuters
Asian Legal Business Thomson Reuters Karen Lorimer
Canadian Lawyer Thomson Reuters Publisher
Canadian Lawyer In-house Thomson Reuters
China Law and Practice Euromoney Karen Lorimer
Publisher
European Lawyer Futurelex
Peter Ollier
Publisher
12
Given the plethora of legal business magazines and websites plying their trade, and the even larger number
of bloggers writing about the market, large commercial law firms employ public relations teams to manage their
relationships with the media, thereby maximizing the benefits of positive news about and minimizing the impact
of bad news. While smaller firms, which lack the resources to run their own media departments, may live in fear
of a negative story making the headlines, arguably it is the lack of positive coverage about the good work they do
that has the biggest impact on them. There are, however, plenty of examples of smaller firms that have successfully
raised their profile by generating positive publicity in the legal and national press. Such success is invariably hard
earned, reflecting a conscious decision to regard media relations as a central part of a firm’s strategy. Firms that
are serious about gaining positive media coverage need to do their homework. They need to research the legal
business media in their jurisdictions, decide which outlets they want to target, and then get to know how they
operate, a process that should include, if possible, meeting reporters and editors, and seeking to gain an
understanding of the kind of news in which they are interested. Pitching an inappropriate piece of news to a
magazine is not just a waste of time, but can also be counterproductive.
Ultimately, though, it is difficult to see how firms can thrive in the field of media relations without the
help of regular professional advice and training harnessed to a genuine desire from key partners to engage with
the media. The good news for those firms that do succeed in getting it right is that most firms – certainly in
jurisdictions with which I am familiar — do it badly. This means that law firms that strike on the correct formula
can gain a significant advantage. And while the legal business media market continues to evolve, there seems
little doubt that it will also continue to thrive.
_____________________________________________________________
Legal Business News Publications
Headquarters by Country
Publications Parent Contacts HQ
ABA Journal ABA
Above the Law (US)
David Lat
ACC Docket Editor
ALB – Australian Legal Business
Association of Corporate Tiffani Alexander
Counse Editor in Chief
Thomson Reuters
Asian Legal Business Thomson Reuters Karen Lorimer
Canadian Lawyer Thomson Reuters Publisher
Canadian Lawyer In-house Thomson Reuters
China Law and Practice Euromoney Karen Lorimer
Publisher
European Lawyer Futurelex
Peter Ollier
Publisher
12
