Login | March 28, 2024

Why companies shouldn’t use lawyers as media reps

DAN PECCHIA
In Re: Public Relations

Published: September 1, 2015

When thrust into a media spotlight, many companies and nonprofit organizations rely on their lawyers to be their spokespersons.

And although there’s a plausible case for assigning that role to an aggressive advocate of the organization, anointing a lawyer as a spokesman before media is generally a bad idea.

Here are four reasons why you should counsel your clients against that approach.

1. It suggests leaders of the organization are hiding.

When a lawyer, public relations representative, accountant or other advisor speaks on a company’s behalf, both news professionals and the general public view him or her as a hired gun who is not as knowledgeable and not at all accountable.

The routine appearance of a lawyer can suggest that the organization is not interested primarily in sharing the truth or being accountable but rather in covering its bases legally.

Serious issues are best addressed by a chief executive officer prepared through contributions of legal counsel, trusted internal colleagues and experienced public relations counsel.

2. It could affect trust in the organization.

After all, lawyers are not among those the public views as most trustworthy. In the latest annual Gallup poll on professionals and how they’re viewed on honesty and ethics, only 21 percent of respondents rated lawyers high or very high.

That compares to much higher ratings for nurses (80 percent) and doctors (65 percent).

Meanwhile, the poll said 34 percent of respondents rated lawyers low or very low on honesty and ethics. (Read more on the poll here.)

3. It squanders an opportunity for visibility.

A professional spokesman can answer yes or no, dispense facts or refute rumors, but a company leader can do all that in the context of the company’s strategy and values.

No one likes to deliver bad news or discuss difficult issues, and some company leaders are simply not good communicators and/or not comfortable at a microphone.

But an opportunity in the spotlight can be highly valuable in building visibility among customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, recruits, community leaders and others.

Most of the downside of a CEO at the mike can be mitigated through careful preparation.

4. It squanders an opportunity to win support.

Everyone likes an underdog. Companies in the spotlight because of a disaster, strike, accident or other “news” can develop a favorable following when the company is doing the right things.

Let your client be that hero. Don’t put yourself or another hired gun in the way.

This isn’t meant to suggest that a lawyer’s counsel is not valuable when a client is facing media or public scrutiny. Clients in such situations need all the advice they can afford, including context around applicable laws and contractual obligations.

But your counsel and service shouldn’t include displacing the CEO from his or her key executive roles as the company’s champion and spokesperson.

Dan Pecchia is president of Pecchia Communications, a northeastern Ohio PR firm. Reach him at dan@pecchiacomm.com.


[Back]