Dealing with Public Relations Scenarios, with Janet Falk

Janet Falk is a communications professional with over 30 years of experience in-house and at public relations agencies.

Janet advises attorneys at small law firms on Media Relations and Marketing Communications so they can: attract new clients, remain top of mind with prior clients, keep in touch with referral sources, help recruit associates, generate a news story about litigation that puts pressure on opposing counsel, and achieve business goals. For example, a press release announced a lawsuit had been filed one morning; that afternoon, a news story appeared in an online industry publication. Less than four hours later, defense counsel contacted the plaintiff’s attorney to discuss a settlement.

Before launching Falk Communications and Research in 2009, she served as Media Relations Counsel for more than 350 attorneys in the Corporate & Securities, Private Equity, Financial Industry, Bankruptcy, Securities Litigation, and New York Commercial Litigation practice groups at Reed Smith LLP. Janet arranged for these attorneys to speak on timely legal and business issues with reporters at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Law Journal, CNBC and Time magazine, among other top-tier legal, business and trade media. These interviews led to quotes in front-page articles and other news stories, which generated new clients for the law firm, in some cases resulting in more than a million dollars in new business.

Janet has published articles on Media Relations and Marketing in The New York Law Journal, The New Jersey Law Journal and Marketing the Law Firm. She is a frequent guest on podcasts about legal marketing.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• ow Janet helps solo attorneys and small firms with their marketing and communications, and how law firms can benefit from partnering with public relations firms
• What reporters are looking for when they are seeking sources, and how a PR firm can help you get your name out as a professional that reporters can trust
• How to build a media profile that offers reporters all the information they need to confirm your status as a professional
• How the official public relations trade association, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), defines public relations
• How Janet helps lawyers clarify the message they want to communicate and then helps them find opportunities to spread that message through the right platforms
• How Janet’s public relations efforts benefitted a client through a sexual harassment case by creating intense pressure and encouraging the other party to settle quickly
• Why Janet believes that any publicity isn’t always good publicity for lawyers and their clients, and what options and tools are available for creating press releases
• What steps firms should take to clean up a bad PR situation, and how the secret is to focus on the three R’s: regret, recompense, and reform
• How to avoid appearing guilty when talking to a reporter, and why “no comment” is never the right answer to a tough question
• How to connect with Janet to request a free 30-minute consultation and sign up for her free monthly newsletter

Resources:

• Sample Attorney Executive Media Profile for Reporters & FREE 30 Minute Consult
• Website: www.JanetLFalk.com
• Website: www.JanetLFalk.com/newsletters
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/janetlfalk/
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/falk-communications-and-research/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/falkcomms/
• Twitter: @JanetLFalk

Additional Resources:

• 3 Barriers to Law Firm Growth and How to Overcome Them: https://pilmma.kartra.com/page/3-barriers-on-demand-registration
• PILMMA’s free Coronavirus Survival Kit: www.pilmma.org/free-resources/
• Strategic Attorney Coach: https://www.pilmma.org/strategic-attorney-coach/
• PILMMA Join Page: https://pilmma.kartra.com/page/join-pilmma