"It looks like Donald Trump’s presidency could be ending the same way it began: kicking up controversy for the law firms that represent him and his interests, and raising broader philosophical questions about the reputational and professional risks for firms who take on divisive clients and cases." - Zack Needles, Law.com, November 15, 2020.
Jones Day and Porter Wright aren't the first law firms attacked because of representing a controversial client.
Many recall how Boies Schiller had been vilified for representing Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and for how it was representing Harvey Weinstein.
Decades before that, the fictional Tom Hagen from "The Godfather," who represented the Corleone interests, was viewed by many as a corrupt character. One wonders if that dissuaded some college students from opting for law school.
The probability is high that such aggressive push-back targeted at law firms and lawyers representing controversial clients will become standard. No longer will it be an aberration. At least for some time. Everything is cyclical, of course.
Law firms which, unlike Porter Wright and Boies Schiller, which stick with representing alleged pariahs will have to create fresh public relations strategies and tactics for managing their reputations. It's not enough to contend every entity has the right to the best defense it can afford. The creaking under the floorboards rejecting that is being listened to. And, come on, law is a man-made institution. It is open to almost total disruption. So much for the Federalist Society. So much for Platonism.
When all law firms will begin taking the controversy realities seriously is when they eat into their business. As many have observed, practicing law has shifted from a genteel profession to a brutal business. Essentially, whatever impacts the business of law is what gets the attention of the leadership.
This is an amazing opportunity for out of the box public relations agencies to take out a blank piece of paper and devise new best business practices for law firms to navigate controversy. Big brandnames can be made in PR.
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