Public Relations for Law Firms: 5 Tips for a Successful Public Relations Strategy

Author: Melissa Anthony, Founder, anthonyBarnum Public Relations

Article Post Date: 7/10/08

Law firms that lack a sound public relations strategy are missing valuable opportunities to represent clients who are enmeshed in the most important and impactful legal issues of the day. To secure such clients effectively, smart law firms know how to engage and leverage the media effectively.

The most effective public relations strategies for law firms are founded upon a keen understanding of the issues. They entail the effective positioning of the law firm as a credible resource offering valuable insights into the issues and problems their clients face.

Here are 5 tips for conducting effective and efficient public relations for law firms:

Tip #1: Know your audience: It is essential that law firms identify the key spheres of referrals, relationships and prospective clients in their field of specialty. Each time the firm initiates a media outreach campaign, it should be sculpted to speak directly to one of a set of clearly-defined target client segments. The most commanding strategies are those that seek to inform audiences while highlighting key issues that personally and directly affect those target clients.

Tip #2: Intersect your firm's expertise with real pain points: Showcasing your firm's true talents and specialties entails first understanding the real pain points of your target client segment. Fostering a relationship with clients that is conducive to trust and loyalty increases the likelihood that they will approach you in a reliable, confident manner. If you are unclear as to which issues to specifically address with your target client group, ask yourself: what is an issue or cluster of related issues that are important to lives of my target client segment? How might the resolution of these issues increase their upside (e.g., income, happiness, peace of mind) or decrease their downside (e.g., expenses, stress, health problems, etc.)?

Tip #3: Understand current trends: Trend commentary is a frequently-employed method for generating visibility and increasing exposure for your firm. To generate trend commentary, PR practitioners collaborate with executives to identify key thought leadership platforms that traverse both current business trends and the law firm principals' own expertise. The platforms are then shaped to cater to the target segment and then pitched to the media.

Tip #4: Represent yourself to the media as a resource offering substantial, well-articulated insight: The final secret to success in media placements is approaching a topic with an insightful, well-articulated perspective. It is important to reach out to the right reporter(s) with relevant information. The main goal here is maximum reach and clarity, which can only be possible with effective and lucid channels of communication. The law firm's presentation must be eloquent, refined and precise. This is crucial in terms of the portrayal of the firm's image vis-à-vis the media.

Tip #5: Author expert articles: Another facet of a thought-leadership campaign is the authoring of in-depth, by-lined, expert articles. These articles, often written in partnership with public relations professionals, have the power to go into specific details that highlight trends, problems and solutions. Expert articles can be developed for specific industry trade segments or for general business magazines. In some cases, they are developed to articulate detailed trends to other expert audiences. Articles and other literature often receive coverage in local publications such as newspapers, journals and newsletters, which in turn can create a potential gateway to national and possibly international exposure. When launching a PR campaign for your law firm, the end game involves knowing your audience, identifying their pain points, and effectively positioning your firm as a thought leader who holds a substantive, insightful position on the issue or topic.