In a perfect world, your firm would never face a crisis. But in reality, issues ranging from data breaches to attorney departures—or even a string of unfortunate headlines—can jeopardize your firm’s hard-earned reputation. That’s why having a solid crisis communications strategy in place isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential.
At Trevi Communications, we’ve spent decades helping law firms navigate tough public moments with poise, clarity, and purpose. Here’s our essential playbook for what to do before, during, and after a crisis.
What Counts as a Crisis?
Not all crises come with sirens and headlines. In fact, many of the most reputationally damaging issues are slow-burning: they start quietly, with small signs that are easy to dismiss. We classify crises into three types:
- Creeping: A pattern of events that go unrecognized until it’s too late
- Slow-Burn: Some warning signs are there, but action is delayed
- Sudden: An immediate issue demands an immediate response
Whether it’s a malpractice claim, client dispute, or leadership change, the key to protecting your firm’s reputation is planning before the spotlight hits.
Silence Is NOT a Strategy
When something goes wrong, your instinct may be to say nothing until all the facts are known. That’s a mistake. In the 24/7 news cycle, and the even faster world of social media, your silence quickly becomes the story.
Here’s what to avoid:
- Taking too long to respond
- Ignoring or denying obvious issues
- Letting rumors get ahead of the truth
- Keeping clients and/or staff in the dark
Remember that perception is reality. Your firm’s public image is shaped just as much by how you respond as by the facts themselves.
To help control the narrative, it’s best to prepare holding statements for the media, such as: “We are investing all available resources in uncovering what happened and will share more information with you as it becomes available.”
PR and Legal: On the Same Team
We get it. Lawyers and PR professionals often have different priorities. While legal teams focus on risk and liability, PR professionals are working to get in front of the narrative. But when both teams collaborate early and often, the result is a well-coordinated response that protects both legal interests and public trust.
The best outcomes happen when you balance the need to vet statements with the need to respond quickly and credibly.
Build Your Crisis Communications Plan Now
Waiting until a crisis hits is too late to start planning. Your firm should have a clear, documented crisis communications plan that includes:
- People
Assemble a crisis team that includes:
- Managing partners
- Key attorneys
- Marketing, PR, and HR leaders
- Spokesperson(s)
- Policies
Establish:
- A media response policy for all employees
- A group email or contact tree for rapid coordination
- Clear instructions for how to handle press inquiries (Hint: “No comment” is not one of them.)
- Plan
- Gather facts and timelines
- Decide what will and won’t be said
- Draft internal and external messaging in sync
- Prepare holding statements and talking points
- Monitor online channels in real time
- Set Google Alerts and social listening tools like Talkwalker
Proactive Messaging Wins
In a crisis, your goal isn’t just to answer questions, rather it’s to shape the story. Even if you don’t have all the details, you can still lead with transparency, concern, and commitment:
- “We’re aware of the issue and are taking it seriously.”
- “Our primary concern at this point is…”
- “We are investing all available resources to understand what happened.”
Avoiding “no comment” shows control and credibility, and makes your firm look like it’s in charge, not in hiding. You can (and often should) update the message as the situation develops. When it comes to a crisis, silence is not golden, and information is power.
Stick to the Plan (But Stay Flexible)
Crises are unpredictable, but your plan gives you the confidence to respond with clarity. While you may need to adjust your tactics as events unfold, your plan and core messaging should remain consistent.
Reflect and Assess
After the storm passes, take time to debrief. Capture lessons learned, thank those who helped (even reporters!), and prepare for follow-ups like crisis anniversaries. If the crisis is significant and impacts the general public, the press will often do a story one year later on the anniversary of the incident. Understanding how and when the media may approach this is key to helping your firm avoid a secondary crisis.
In the end, transparency, reaction time, and leadership will help you weather the storm and maintain your reputation.
