Using public relations to accelerate awareness of your firm's practice areas.

• Author: Iori, Robin

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The face of journalism has obviously changed worldwide since the development of cable news and the Internet's explosive growth. Nonetheless, in the legal arena, the use of public relations to elevate a firm's visibility by positioning lawyers as experts remains a very effective strategy. And combining public relations with the many options now offered through social media channels can leverage placements for exponential results.

Building awareness of your firm's areas of specialization, relevant insights and overall successes through public relations is not a complex process, but it does take careful planning, research, some media training and a commitment of time for press meetings. It requires attention to detail, including communicating regularly with the lawyers as well as the media. It also takes follow-through, both in approaching the media and in building on any placements you are able to achieve.

Whether a law firm uses an outside public relations agency or handles public relations in-house, following some simple steps to kick off a public relations campaign can increase its reach and effectiveness. For example, trumpet the expertise of lawyers in practice areas where the firm already has real depth and successes.

Firms that are already known in a particular industry or area of law have a head start when launching a public relations effort. Having already handled a major matter in this area opens opportunities. In addition, if the industry or area of law is "hot" in the media at the moment, such as health care law in 2012, chances of getting your client quoted are even greater.

Another point may seem elementary, but it is important: The lawyers who will be talking to the media need to truly buy into this process. They must want to do this. Otherwise, they may get the reporter's call but not respond in a timely way or perhaps at all. And a little media training, even for the most articulate lawyer, is still a good investment.

Any PR campaign for a law firm will require dedicated research into the targeted industries and the current state of media coverage in those markets. This is especially important if the PR program is being executed by an agency in coordination with in-house marketing or PR staffers. The importance of knowing specific reporters extremely well cannot be overstated. Directly related, it is essential to identify nascent trends in those industries and the associated legal issues that are or can...