A company’s legal exposure and disputes are becoming increasingly relevant to investors and other stakeholders, e.g. employees and customers. These events can ultimately define the destiny of a company, an organization or selected individuals, and the risk of reputational damage may materialize even before a case reaches the courtroom.
A well-executed communications strategy and plan can significantly influence the public’s understanding and perception of a company’s role in a high-profile litigation. It may also serve to support the overall legal strategy and protect the company’s reputation outside the courtroom. Winning in a court of law does not automatically guarantee victory in the court of public opinion.
At Reliance, we advise on communications in various legal matters, such as high-profile arbitral tribunal cases; criminal and civil court cases; government, parliamentary, regulatory or other inquiries; intellectual property and patent disputes; criminal investigations and indictments; employee complaints; product liability cases; regulatory and antitrust investigations and settlements; securities and shareholder litigation; transactional disputes; and whistleblower issues.
Each legal situation dictates whether the most advantageous communications strategy is to be aggressive or defensive, proactive or reactive. In some situations, however, the company may be left with no other option than to communicate, and sometimes there may be a conflict between advancing legal strategies while protecting a reputation. Hence, it is often a balancing act.
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At Reliance, we help clients prepare and manage communications around legal issues during periods of sensitive or high-profile litigation, and achieving their goals in terms of resolving the issues with the most favorable legal, financial, and reputational results. This is typically done in close collaboration with leadership teams, internal/external legal counsels, and in-house communications specialists. Depending on the project, Reliance may also involve highly-experienced communications advisers in our extensive international network to interact with international media.
Our areas of advice and expertise include:
