Crisis PR for Lawyers: Advice and Pitfalls
In today's environment, lawyers often find it difficult to understand how and where to communicate their expertise. Some familiar online communication channels are blocked, while others have not yet been adopted by audiences. Not everyone has a clear understanding of what can and cannot be written about. Experts warn that social media accounts can no longer be managed as before, with posts about "successful successes." The "cancel culture" targeting everything Russian should not be feared either—one simply needs to find the right approach to foreign partners and maintain calm dialogue with them.
New PR Tools
Due to Meta being designated an extremist organization in Russia, most domestic law firms have had to abandon their public pages on Facebook and Instagram. Some prominent lawyers went even further and completely withdrew from banned online platforms. One of the first to do so was Artem Karapetov, Director of M-Logos, who deactivated his Facebook account.
Some law firms have migrated to Telegram (Delcredere Bar Association, KIAP) and VK (Intellectual Capital Law Firm, Knyazev and Partners). The team at Pepeliaev Group has also moved its primary social communications to Telegram. They had already been developing several industry-specific channels there, and in March 2022 launched a unified corporate channel, Pepeliaev Group | Official, which consolidates general information (alerts, event announcements, and interesting articles).
Speed and creativity are crucial in these matters. Launching a Telegram channel is great, but it needs to be done well and "before others," emphasizes Natalia Nikolaeva, Development Director at Kazakov and Partners: "If you lack sufficient resources or confidence in your capabilities, it's better to wait." At the same time, it's important to recognize that none of the social networks or messengers currently available in Russia can fully replace what has been banned, notes PR consultant Anna Mozhaeva: "Russian alternatives simply don't have the same algorithms and targeting capabilities."
Some have focused on revamping their websites. This path was taken by S&K Vertical and the former BCLP team—ALUMNI Partners. Meanwhile, Land Law Firm has intensified its email newsletter efforts, improving the subscription block and content plan on its portal.
Media Collaboration in the New Geopolitical Climate
The new geopolitical situation has also dictated new rules for media collaboration. RBC, RusBase, and other business publications now often refuse to publish materials unless they address sanctions-related consequences, says Evgenia Sokolovskaya, Managing Director of ST Agency. According to her observations, topics about ordinary life and conventional business are of no interest to anyone now: "Such texts can only be placed on a commercial basis as native advertising."
Current Marketing Priorities
During crises, PR tools must be selected even more carefully and cautiously. Alexandra Starostina, PR Director at Pepeliaev Group, explains that the guiding principle here, as in medicine, is: "First, do no harm." If there is the slightest doubt or uncertainty about how clients and partners might react to certain initiatives, it's better to refrain from them, she advises: "Correcting the situation and explaining that you 'didn't mean it that way' will be much harder than simply staying silent." Nevertheless, many lawyers are now striving to be more visible—speaking at conferences, writing articles, and giving interviews, notes legal marketing and promotion consultant Elena Uspenskaya. She attributes this to the fact that some firms are already experiencing fewer new inquiries or declining client solvency, prompting them to seek new clients.
However, in the current situation, only content that helps businesses navigate new conditions and address emerging problems will be in demand, Nikolaeva points out. In-person business events are extremely important because legal clients want to attend meetings where they can ask questions to multiple speakers, assures Ekaterina Sapova, PR Director at Delcredere Bar Association. She adds that direct contact between entrepreneurs and consultants helps identify other pain points companies may have, allowing them to be prevented or mitigated.
Over the past two months, cultural, sports, and corporate law firm events have taken a back seat and no longer generate the same interest, notes Nikolaeva: "Sometimes they even seem entirely inappropriate." Indeed, no one currently has the energy or time to celebrate rankings, firm anniversaries, or read interviews on topics from "the past life," confirms Alexander Zabeida, Managing Partner at Zabeida and Partners.
Elena Korsakova, Marketing Director at Intellectual Capital Law Firm, observes that companies are now divided into two camps: those who believe marketing activities should be halted under current conditions, and those who believe marketing is precisely what will help them stay "afloat." According to Svetlana Lashuk, Head of Marketing and PR at Patentus, many legal market players have "frozen" part of their marketing budgets. The same information comes from Stanislav Bobkov, Managing Partner at Q&A Law Firm: "I hear this when talking to colleagues from other law firms."
Mistakes and Advice
A recent trend in the Russian legal market is the launch of anti-crisis/anti-sanction practices. While lawyers must respond promptly to emerging challenges, they should act delicately, warns Nikolaeva: "Launching a new practice should be associated with help, not with a desire to sell services." Another example of hastily trying to enter new niches is pivoting to the East. Natalia Klein, Head of PR company NK Consulting, advises against doing this frantically now: "First, think through your action strategy." Moreover, lawyers should never use mechanisms that give clients false hope, notes Sapova: "It's important to avoid 'hype' or attempts to profit from a difficult situation."
Most importantly, now is not the time for showcasing "successful success" or aggressive PR. Chernoyvanova emphasizes this. She does not recommend experimenting with new expensive promotional tools: "If you're unsure of the outcome, postpone the idea for better times." Lawyers should also avoid simply paraphrasing regulations in their alerts. Clients expect analysis from lawyers, Uspenskaya argues.
However, collaborations with clients and consultants in various formats are essential. Bobina speaks about this, urging more active cooperation, including with competitors, within an intensive information agenda to exchange knowledge and experience for mutual expertise enhancement. It's time to build friendships and unite, confirms Sokolovskaya. Such alliances, she says, will allow firms to share costs for certain marketing activities and merge contact databases.
According to Natalia Klein, every lawyer now has a good reason to call or write to their clients to renew or strengthen connections: "Human relationships and genuine interest in others are now valued more than ever, and for a consultant, this is the most important tool in building a business."
