Does your legal strategy include media relations? If not consider this.
During the Ronald Regan Presidency, Former Secretary of the US Department of Labor, Ray Donovan, was forced to resign his post to defend himself in court from charges of bribing public officials while heading a construction company before his tenure in public service.
For three years of trials and appeals, his legal team prohibited him from speaking in his defense to the news media. The public, hearing only one side of the case, believed he was guilty before he was even charged. After he was finally exonerated on all counts, he spoke the infamous words: “Now where do I go to get my good reputation back?”
During the trial the public primarily heard the prosecution’s side of the story. Donovan’s strategy was not to try his case in the news media. When he proved his innocence in court and judgment day finally came, nobody was watching or listening. Everyone “knew” he was a crook even if found not guilty.
After spending a vast fortune on his legal defense and a reported $1,000,000 more on a PR firm after vindication, he never did get his good reputation back. Since he and the case were out of the news, he was no longer newsworthy.
The moral of the story: You must communicate your side of the story to the news media during a legal action or face the consequences. And, that’s where Westwind Communications comes in. For more than 20 years Westwind Communications has worked with the news media to promote and defend numerous clients.
If you have litigation that needs the media spotlight or even a ray of light, then please consider using the services of my firm. Together we’ll develop a strategy, craft the message, target the news media, and Westwind Communications will implement the plan. The fee is a mutually agreed upon monthly retainer.
Not all cases are newsworthy, if yours is not, you’ll be told upfront. However, as in the case of Ray Donovan, a man’s reputation is priceless, the time to defend it is before it is damaged.... and that is worth every penny.
To learn more about this author, visit Scott Lorenz's Website.
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Scott Lorenz
(Visit Scott's Website)
Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind
Communications, a public relations and
marketing firm that has a special knack
for working with individuals and
entrepreneurs to help them get all the
publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz
has handled public relations and marketing
for numerous doctors, lawyers, authors
inventors and entrepreneurs since 1980 and
is an integral part of the marketing
strategy for many firms.
Lorenz has arranged for plastic surgery,
LASIK surgery, dental surgery, liposuction
and BOTOX for numerous radio, TV, and
Sports personalities in Michigan. He’s
arranged endorsements with members of the
Detroit Lions and Red Wings as well as
Detroit TV and radio personalities helping
to convince customers that it’s safe and
desirable to use elective medical
procedures.
On an international level, Lorenz handled
the public relations effort for Kevin
Uliassi, a balloonist attempting to become
the first person to fly solo around the
world in a balloon. More than 135 news
organizations generated over 4,000
articles and newscasts worldwide during
the launches and flights over a four year
period.
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