Which sector is the worst at PR? A quick straw poll produces the following unanimous result: lawyers.
It’s true. They suck at it.
Presumably, lawyers are quite good at writing writs. Unfortunately, their press releases read the same.
Dour. Lacking in any sense of humour. Taking itself and themselves far too seriously.
You can see that law firms have got some constraints. They don’t want to be seen criticising clients or those who might become one.
Even allowing for that, lawyers– supposed to be a clever bunch – have the least understanding of how the press works, of what we might use and what we might find mockable.
If the PR plan is to reduce the perception that lawyers are a bunch of overpaid ambulance chasers who make things unnecessarily complicated just so they can charge higher fees for longer, they need to let their PR teams save them from themselves.
Occasionally, you get a decent background briefing on an issue. But the bit we’re allowed to use is incomprehensible.
(Some individual lawyers, I should say, give an excellent lunch and gossip superbly.)
Law firms do need to appear sober and serious. But not that sober and serious.
“A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client”, goes the saying. A lawyer who does his own PR….
