If there is a story guaranteed to pique the interest of fellow lawyers (and others) it is a partner exit. Consequently, headlines about lateral hires and team moves tend to dominate The Lawyer, Law.com and the other main legal titles.
Put a plan in place
The chances are that your firm will have to deal with losing a well-known partner and/or a team at some point. Putting a plan in place on how you will manage the PR around that should therefore be top of your to-do list.
Equally, if your law firm is making a high-profile lateral hire it needs to be prepared for some intense media interest and should not miss the opportunities this may present.
An exit has the potential to be a huge human-interest story – particularly if it involves a well-known or charismatic character! Everyone will want to know the why they are leaving (was there a falling out? Were they pushed?) and why they are joining the firm they are going to (is it a promotion, will they earn more?)
Some tips
Here are my top tips for PR for exit scenarios:
- You will need to work closely with HR and senior management to ensure information around the exit is tightly controlled and the story doesn’t leak sooner than you want it to.
- Make sure you have good links and open channels of communication with your firm’s HR team, so they alert you in plenty of time to any future exits.
- It will be important for you to know if any terms have been agreed with a departing partner, particularly regarding disclosure of information about their exit, so make sure you ask.
- Decide on one central point of contact for all media enquiries and responses and make sure everyone knows who they are and the internal process to be followed.
- Don’t forget that internal comms will be just as important as external PR. Staff could be shocked, upset and unsettled by the news so devote time to reassuring them. Be proactive with internal comms, don’t let things drift so that an information vacuum arises where rumour fills the gap.
- Agree a “party line”, decide on a clear message and stick to it. Make sure what the firm is saying is aligning with what the individual is likely to say. For example, have they decided to leave to work differently or get involved in a new area?
- The firm is more than one individual and will carry on without them, so be gracious! Thank the partner for their contribution and wish them well for the future.
- In terms of futureproofing, it is always a good idea to ensure no one partner dominates a practice area or PR/marketing for the firm. This will mitigate against the risk of a gap if that one person leaves.
How can I help?
Need some help with PR? Feel free to drop me an email to arrange a 30 minute complimentary call or take a look at some of the packages I offer law firms, accountancy practices and other b2b businesses.
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