It’s become something of a PR shibboleth that organisations need to show their human side to get ahead in the PR stakes. In law firm PR in particular, there is often an assumption that putting your lawyers – and especially your managing partner – front and centre will make the firm more interesting, help build trust in the brand and engage more effectively with clients and prospective clients.
Getting your lawyers and even the leader of your law firm to open up and share more personal content on social media is, more often than not, seen as a “good thing”. The theory is that “if they know you, they will choose you”.
One increasingly common way of doing this is through personal storytelling on LinkedIn and other social media channels.
A story as old as time…
We’ve told each other stories since the beginning of time. You might say it’s part of what makes us human. A good story not only grabs our attention – and keeps it – it can also inspire, uplift, entertain, intrigue and astound us.
Stories usually have a purpose of some sort, for example a cautionary message – think Icarus flying too close to the sun.
When it comes to PR, we often talk about “controlling the narrative”, particularly when an organisation is facing unwanted attention or a reputational crisis.
Stories aren’t just about the plot. They are also about the characters: the hero, the villain, the innocent victim, the loyal friend and the misunderstood monster, to name but a few.
But what happens when a single character becomes the sole focus of the narrative? Can it ever become too personal?
Is any leader bigger than their business?
Leadership is crucial for any organisation, but what happens when the actions or perceived performance of a leader start dominating the headlines?
There are plenty of corporate examples. The dismissal of Laurent Freixe as chief executive of Nestlé following an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a subordinate inevitably put the individual and questions of leadership and governance at the centre of the Nestlé story.
Similarly, the intense scrutiny surrounding Dame Sharon White’s leadership of John Lewis at times made her almost inseparable from the media narrative around the organisation.
When that happens, the danger is that the personality at the top starts to overshadow the wider organisation, distracting attention from its people, expertise and underlying business – and potentially affecting the reputation of the brand.
The same principle can apply to law firms. A highly visible managing partner can be a powerful PR asset, but firms need to be careful that their external profile does not become too dependent on one individual.
What should law firms do?
- Focusing heavily on the personal backstory of your new managing partner, or making a splash about the appointment of your first female managing partner, might seem like the obvious way to go. But don’t put all your PR eggs in one basket. A strong law firm PR strategy should showcase a range of individuals, practice areas and expertise across the firm.
- In a crisis, consider getting independent PR expertise for an impartial second opinion. It can be hard not to become protective and emotional when outside forces are attacking your firm or one of its leaders.
- Make sure you have an agreed in-house view on how to respond to unwanted attention and potentially damaging comments. What will you ignore, what will you correct and what requires a more proactive response?
- Look for ways to shift the media focus from one individual to the expertise, people and strengths of the wider firm.
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