As part of a comprehensive public relations strategy for law firms and lawyers, it is crucial to prepare newly onboarded lateral hires to ensure long-term success. Proper training and an organized approach equip laterals with the right tools to create alignment between the firm’s messaging and client needs, fostering sustainable growth. Below is our four-step PR approach for lateral integration.
Prepare
Before a press release hits a journalist’s inbox, helping ensure a lateral attorney is ready for and comfortable with handling upcoming media inquiries can go a long way in the early stages of the new firm relationship. Offering media training, interview preparation and assistance with honing personal and professional message points signals the firm’s support and can make the new arrival feel at home. It is important for those lateral attorneys who have media experience from their previous roles to also lean into the experience and relationships. Which connections from the past need to be at the top of your media list, and which would benefit more from outreach from the attorney?
Proactive preparation in the early stages helps to:
- Ensure confidence ahead of media interviews and well-developed messaging that results in a positive article highlighting the benefits to both the firm and the lateral’s clients.
- Further develop any existing relationships with reporters and editors the lateral may have on behalf of the lateral’s new firm.
- Begin developing a relationship with the lateral and understanding their area of practice to enable the firm to take advantage of related future marketing and PR opportunities.
- Explore opportunities for the lateral in the new firm that can be revisited in this new role that further align with the new practice’s business development goals?
- Demonstrate the firm’s commitment to keeping promises made during recruitment to support the lateral’s personal business development and marketing goals with your outside PR resources if relevant.
Follow Up
After the initial onboarding and (hopefully) media splash, the next step is to dedicate time to a PR strategy call to go deeper into the lateral’s professional goals and personal priorities. How do they approach their practice? What are the best ways to leverage their expertise for media coverage, award nominations, speaking engagements or professional association networking? Understanding a lateral’s career ambitions and practice lays the foundation to achieve future goals and create awareness that will enable you to seize opportunities with new, targeted audiences.
Identify
After the PR strategy call, it’s important to continue the conversation to identify attainable, reasonable business development opportunities, both short-term and long-term. Pinpoint which clients the lateral can bring with them to the firm – in many situations, some clients might need an extra nudge to come over. Are there other targets your firm can help attract that their previous firm was unable to close? What cross-selling opportunities exist with new experience, practice groups and markets the attorney has at their disposal? Finding ways the lateral and firm can offer each other additional, unique services cultivates the right type of organic connections with clients that encourage growth.
Develop
Build a detailed, clear communications and business plan that spans the next six to 12 months. With an understanding of the attorney and firm’s shared goals, this plan should include key objectives and milestones tied to personal, professional and business development. Successful PR plans should be tied to these goals and include at a minimum a targeted audience and media list, professional organizations, a list of legal and business issues affecting the client base, award and editorial calendar research, a schedule of client alerts, media placement goals, speaking opportunities and media tour plans with key media outlets for introductions.
By taking these four steps, firms can ensure that their laterals feel comfortable with media interaction, align with the lateral’s overall goals and hit the ground running to make a lasting impact in their new roles. If you’d like to build a strong plan for lateral integration and create a framework for success, our PR team is here to help.
Michael Mooney is a partner at Poston Communications and is based in Atlanta, GA. Kali Hammond, APR, is a vice president at Poston Communications and is based in Orlando, FL.