Law Firms Learn the Hard Way that Layoff News is Likely to Leak

Law Practice Management

Law Firms Learn the Hard Way that Layoff News is Likely to Leak

Posted Oct 23, 2008, 08:05 am CST

By Debra Cassens Weiss

Law firms should assume firm-wide memos explaining layoffs will be leaked and write them with outside readers in mind, according to a public relations expert.

Karen Schwartzman, president of Polaris Public Relations in Boston, told the National Law Journal that “the rumor mill is fierce.” She said layoff memos should include information targeted to the media and clients, since the documents will likely be leaked.

Clifford Chance decided to go public with news of 20 associate layoffs earlier this month, but it was still a victim of an early leak. Its leaders spent a month developing a “carefully choreographed” plan on how break the news, the legal newspaper says. The firm planned individual meetings with associates, followed by group meetings and then the 3 p.m. release of a prepared statement for the media.

But news of the layoffs appeared a little after 2 p.m. on Above the Law, forcing Clifford Chance to release its statement a half hour early.

Despite a trend toward greater transparency by law firms, some are still engaging in “stealth layoffs,” legal consultant Peter Zeughauser told the NLJ. Often layoff news appears on blogs such as Above the Law, even as firm leaders refuse to confirm the information.

Clifford Chance spurned that route. John Christian, chairman of the firm's personnel committee explained why. "No one wants to deliver the bad news, and no one wants to hear the bad news," he told the National Law Journal. "But people will respect you for being straight with them."

Comments

Report Abuse

Posted by Rich Klein, Beckerman Public Relations - 2 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 7 hours, 31 minutes ago

Unfortunately, some law firm leaders still don’t understand the media and the Internet—and that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep internal memos, particularly those about layoffs, away from reporters and bloggers. If just one employee has an axe to grind or an agenda, it takes two second to hit the send button and have the document leave the law firm’s server and into the media’s hands. The memo can then be posted online in full in seconds. Law firm leaders should assume that layoff memos could soon find their way online and that’s the main reason to be extra careful with the words they choose and the messages they send that can either bolster or seriously harm the firm’s reputation. It’s always best for law firm leaders to take control of the story by speaking with the media very soon after the internal announcement, rather than have leaks and rumors spread around the Internet. That will help morale internally and protect the firm’s reputation with prospects, clients and other critical audiences.
Posted by Fed Agency, JD - 2 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 2 hours, 20 minutes ago

ATL Rules! For legal gossip anyway. Try finding something substantive on that site.

Commenting has expired on this post.

ABA Journal - Law News Now

Law Practice Management