LAW FIRMS AND LITIGATION RELATIONS

Many of the nation's most high profile litigation victories were buoyed by a sometimes secret weapon: a public relations/litigation communications plan, developed at the behest of the shrewd attorneys and specifically designed to complement the legal strategy. We have successfully tailored public relations efforts to litigation strategies, using communications to influence jury pools and, more generally, public opinion, in a broad spectrum of arenas where the spheres of law and communications connect. We have well over a decade of experience — and results — in garnering visibility for lawyers and law firms among their key audiences. Our team has been instrumental in helping attorneys position their firms, build recognition for their expertise, and distinguish their practice areas from those of other firms.

 

GOODWIN PROCTER, LLP
Spotlighting a Leading Law Firm on the National Stage

The Business Model
Goodwin Procter is one of the nation's leading law firms, with expertise in corporate, litigation, real estate, financial services, intellectual property, and specialty practices, including environmental and employment law. The firm’s 500 attorneys serve clients through offices in Boston, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

The Challenge
Despite having offices in several major metropolitan areas and broad expertise, Goodwin Procter was cast in the media as a Boston-based firm.

Strategy & Tactics
Working with the in-house marketing team, a one-year program focused on generating national media coverage by:

 

Media Coverage

 

The Bottom Line
One year later, a core group of Goodwin Procter attorneys were firmly established as trusted experts with some of the nation's top financial, business and legal reporters.

This case history describes a program created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.

 

 

 

This is an annotated version of Solomon McCown's case study of its campaign on behalf of Msgr. Michael Smith Foster.  The original version used to be available on Solomon McCown's web site: http://www.solomonmccown.com/case-law.html, but now it seems that the link has been removed.  If you would like to see the original page, you may be able to access it via the Internet Wayback Machine.

Although Solomon McCown's original case study of the Foster campaign appears to have been erased, it seems that Helene Solomon can't unring the bell entirely in this instance: See In the Spotlight.

Having learned that Solomon McCown won a Crystal Clarion award from the Association for Women in Communications in recognition of Helene Solomon's successful manipulation of the media in the Foster case, the Coalition of Catholics and Survivors asked the AWC to review the evidence and let us know if it would reconsider its selection.  We haven't heard anything yet from AWC, but we recently noticed that all of Solomon McCowan's links to information related the Foster campaign have been deleted.

 

MSGR. MICHAEL FOSTER
Reinstating an Innocent Man, Restoring His Good Name

Position
Msgr. Michael Foster is the judicial vicar and head of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Boston Archdiocese. [Foster resigned in 2004; his whereabouts are now unknown.]

The Challenge
With a sterling reputation and legions of former youth group devotees [26 people signed one letter of support; some of these signers later peppered the Archdiocese with emails, faxes, and phone calls], Msgr. Foster was rocked by the accusation of sexual abuse – a charge that sent shockwaves through the Boston community. [Paul Edwards also accused another priest, the late Rev. William J. Cummings, of sexual abuse.  Following revelations of false reports in the Boston Globe, the Archdiocese settled with Edwards on the Cummings charges in 2003.] After a tense meeting with Church officials where Msgr. Foster was asked rote questions about his past [Foster was asked specifically about the allegations], the Msgr. was put on leave at his request. Church policy dictates that accused priests immediately vacate their church housing. On the day the Msgr. left his home, the media reported the story as a result of an exclusive television interview that his accuser provided. By Monday morning, following a full weekend of television coverage, the print media picked up the story. The Msgr.’s legal team knew they needed to mount a campaign designed to get the truth out – and see an innocent man reinstated.

Strategy & Tactics
A four-month collaboration with Msgr. Foster and his legal team was undertaken within the context of an unyielding public outcry in which all accused priests were presumed guilty:

 

Media Coverage
From the outset, the objective was to counter the accusations leveled at Msgr. Foster by generating a flood of supportive, positive media.

 

The Bottom Line
Aligned carefully with the litigation strategy, the public relations efforts helped pave the way for a dismissal of the civil action and the Msgr.’s reinstatement to full ministry – in 76 days. [See jury instructions on defamation.] The Msgr. became the first priest in the Boston Archdiocese to be returned to active ministry.

 

	Clarion Award
	Bulldog Award
	Sabre Award

This program, recognized by Infocom Group with a Bulldog Award and The Holmes Group with a Sabre Award, was created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.

For more information about the Foster case, please visit the Coalition of Catholics and Survivors' archive of Church documents and newspaper articles.

For an independent review of the case conducted by experts on sexual assault, please visit The Victims' Rights Committee for the Boston Archdiocese.
 

 

GOODWIN PROCTER, LLP
Spotlighting a Leading Law Firm on the National Stage

 

SUMMARY Goodwin Procter, LLP, one of the nation's leading law firms with offices in several major metropolitan markets, sought to raise the visibility of some key practice areas and attorneys on the national stage. The firm needed a strategic media relations program, targeting top tier national outlets, to work in concert with its existing marketing efforts.   To access the complete case study, click here

 

 

MSGR. MICHAEL FOSTER
Reinstating an Innocent Man, Restoring His Good Name

 

SUMMARY In the midst of an intense media probe of child sexual abuse among clergy that became known simply as "The Church Scandal," Msgr. Michael Foster, the judicial vicar and head of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Boston Archdiocese, was wrongfully accused in civil court of sexual abuse of a teenager in the 1980s. As the media onslaught began, at his request, the Msgr. was put on leave from his post.   To access the complete case study, click here

 

 

NUTTER McCLENNEN & FISH LLP
Creating a Visible Legal Brand in the Midst of a Crowded Field

 

SUMMARY Boston-based law firm Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP found itself in an arena cluttered with competitors vying for attention in an overcrowded marketplace. The firm needed a long term, ground-up public relations campaign that could help it distinguish its identity and begin to garner attention among key audiences.   To access the complete case study, click here

 

 

NUTTER McCLENNEN & FISH LLP
Creating a Visible Legal Brand in the Midst of a Crowded Field

Business Model
With offices in Boston and Hyannis, Nutter McClennen & Fish is one of the oldest law firms in New England. Its 170 lawyers have a diverse practice in U.S. and international law, including business, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and finance, healthcare, labor and employment, tax, and trusts and estates.

The Challenge
Nutter’s diverse practice was not dissimilar from that of numerous other firms in Boston. Unlike many of its competitors, however, Nutter had never undertaken public relations efforts before. Three by-lined articles authored by attorneys were its only imprint on the Boston consumer and business media.

Strategy & Tactics
It was decided that shining a spotlight on a few practice areas would be a more effective and meaningful way to showcase the firm. In a half-day collaborative brainstorming and planning session, the firm’s key areas of expertise were honed in on, attorneys to promote as the firm’s spokespeople were identified, and cases and clients that would appeal to the media were selected. The firm’s limited media coverage was studied and individuals in the business and legal communities were spoken with to hear their thoughts and perceptions of the firm’s image and reputation.

With this knowledge, an integrated communications campaign was launched centered around eight key attorneys and areas of expertise designed to showcase Nutter partners as thought leaders. Then for each succeeding year of the six-year engagement, the activity was ratcheted up by showcasing a new practice area, honing in on a particular type of media, leveraging breaking news, and being proactive and creative in finding and developing new story angles.

Media Coverage
After just one year, a diverse group of attorneys were positioned in 12 feature stories, and another four by-lined articles were pitched and placed.
In addition, through the distribution of news releases announcing new partners and associates and awards bestowed on attorneys, 56 placements were generated for the firm in publications including The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Business Journal, Mass High Tech, Banker & Tradesman, National Law Journal, Mass Lawyers Weekly, Intellectual Property Today and a variety of trade publications read by potential clients, as well as hometown and alumni publications. With each passing year of the engagement, more and more coverage was garnered, including seven national broadcast appearances over one seven month period (CNBC, MSNBC, and Fox News), the firm’s first-ever experience with national broadcast coverage.

The Bottom Line
The coverage helped to establish the credibility of the partners and their areas of expertise, which were also key differentiators for the firm. Individual partners reported receiving an elevated number of inquiries, and the firm as a whole became a more widely known player in its various areas of concentration.

This case history describes a program created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.