This is the second installment of an LMA conference Q&A led by Amanda Ferrari with responses by Howard & Howard PR and Communications Coordinator Kady Volmering.

At this year’s Legal Marketing Association (LMA) conference, one session stood out for its relevance and resonance – The Art of Tough Conversations: Navigating Sensitive Messaging in Law Firms. As someone who works closely with legal professionals, I found the discussion both timely and thought-provoking. Here are some key takeaways and reflections from that session, which was presented by Andrea Christman of Poston Communications and Lee Rogers of Bass, Berry & Sims.

Why Are Tough Conversations So Challenging in Law Firms?

Unlike many other industries, law firms must communicate across a complex web of internal and external audiences—lawyers, staff, clients, and partners. This makes messaging especially delicate. Firms are expected to address pressing social issues while maintaining neutrality and staying true to their core values.

Sensitive communication isn’t just about crisis management. It can arise in everyday scenarios such as:

• A high-profile case making headlines;
• Internal workplace conflicts; and
• Responses to political or administrative developments.

Each situation demands a thoughtful, values-driven approach. The stakes are high and the margin for error is slim.

Balancing Honesty and Empathy

The foundation of any difficult conversation should be the firm’s core values. (See John Hellerman’s latest article in Law360, “5 Pointers for Firm Leaders Communicating Tough Decisions,” for additional context.) These values not only guide decision-making but also help unify messaging across a diverse workforce. Leaders must understand their audience—attorneys, staff, and clients alike—and craft messages that are empathetic, transparent, and action-oriented. Not everyone will agree, and that’s okay. What matters is that the message is grounded in integrity and respect.

One of the biggest mistakes firms make is striving for perfection. In the legal world, precision is paramount—but when it comes to sensitive messaging, waiting for the “perfect” response can lead to delays and missed opportunities. Trying to please everyone often results in watered-down communication that satisfies no one. Instead, firms should aim for clarity, sincerity, and timeliness.

The Importance of Preparation

Preparation is key. Firms should:

• Clearly define their core values;
• Assess potential vulnerabilities; and
• Establish a flexible response framework.

After a message is delivered, it’s important to evaluate its reception and be ready to follow up. This shows accountability and a willingness to engage in ongoing dialogue.

Choosing the Right Format and Messenger

Communication style should align with firm culture. Smaller firms may prefer in-person meetings, while larger firms might opt for virtual town halls or email distributions. Regardless of format, two things are essential:

1. The message should come from a familiar and trusted leader.
2. The tone must be sincere with space for questions and feedback.

Maintaining Trust and Morale

Delivering tough news doesn’t have to erode trust. In fact, when done well, it can strengthen it. By being transparent, empathetic, and responsive, firm leadership can reinforce a culture of openness and resilience.

As I continue to listen and learn about the racial injustices in our country, I was glad to see law firms contributing to the conversation this past Friday in celebration of Juneteenth, “the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage” as reported by The Associated Press.

Silence is not an option.

It is crucial that we call attention to the systemic racism and discrimination that black Americans face today and drive awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. As a small step forward, I’m hopeful your firm declared June 19th a company holiday.

As we continue to educate ourselves on the black experience, be sure to speak with your staff to grasp how they have been personally impacted and voice how you are taking action.

Silence is not an option.

I was brainstorming my next blog post topic and realized, I have a case study sitting right in front of me.

Some of you may know that my husband, Mike Ferrari, graduated from Vermont Law School in May 2019, passed the Ohio State Bar Examination in October 2019, and was subsequently sworn in as an attorney. Afterwards, he became a networking superstar (sure, I’m a little biased) and coordinated about 50 meetings with new connections in order to understand the legal landscape in Cleveland and learn more about potential career opportunities here. He made it a daily practice to follow up via emails and calls, and schedule as many in-person coffees as possible.

Experiencing this wave with him made me think about all of the law school graduates in limbo.

The result back then? Professional connections started sharing several job openings and making recommendations to support his applications. He also continued meeting with potential future colleagues.

This was late February, when all of Mike’s hard work was coming to fruition. Then, the novel coronavirus pandemic struck… 

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom as he has some contractual work. However, Mike was met with the challenge of keeping his applications moving while the world came to a standstill.

Knowing that nobody is hiring, Mike decided (as we’ve been touting) to proceed with the most humane approach. He reached out to his entire network with well wishes that they remain healthy throughout the pandemic. Props!

Experiencing this wave with him made me think about all of the law school graduates in limbo. With uncertainty looming over bar examinations and law firms changing or altogether cancelling summer associate programs, how do these up and coming lawyers stay motivated and continue making strides in their target professional circles?

LinkedIn is key. Though we (as marketers) know this, it is surprising how many law school students and graduates are not on the platform. While our nation is still in shutdown mode, I recommend limboers:

• Build out their LinkedIn profiles;
• Ask close colleagues (perhaps from previous internships) to create and post recommendations;
• Start sharing updates on their own legal insight;
• Begin interacting with the content target state regulatory agencies and law firms share; and
• Direct message other potential connections to discuss the content or news items they are sharing.

By following these suggestions, limboers’ profiles will get noticed and they will make new connections with legal professionals that will hopefully become mentors or advocates for them in the future.

If you’re looking for assistance in boosting your LinkedIn activity as the Covid-19 crisis continues, contact us.

We’ve all heard the steady drumbeat of promised test kits and antibody tests from our nation’s talking heads. Yet even in coronavirus epicenters, these tests are hard to come by.

This is crisis communications 101. In times of crises, you must follow these two rules: 1) Do not make empty promises; and 2) always manage expectations.

The epitome of bad messaging.

You may have seen the following post circulating around Facebook on the supposed new coronavirus guidelines.

The epitome of bad messaging; and the reason why we advise all clients to develop three key talking points and to reiterate those points three times over.

It’s important to note, however, that one of the most critical requirements of making solid communications decisions is an understanding of the information landscape. Unfortunately, one of the key attributes of this pandemic crisis is the fluidness of information, unknowns and uncertainty about the virus itself, and ever-changing nature of the data.

So, how do you make good messaging decisions during Covid-19?

1) Gather the best intel possible; 2) communicate your firm’s decisions once they are implemented; and 3) ensure you are actively following the advice you’re giving clients.

These three simple steps will ensure your voice remains one of authenticity and trust.

Welcome to Phase 2 of the pandemic, where government officials debate how to reignite the economy and businesses start evaluating its services and restructuring based on how clients/industries have been impacted.

Now that the general public has come to terms with the world’s immediate response to coronavirus (with quarantines, social distancing, and the like), we are able to shift our focus to the remainder of 2020 and beyond.

(If you need to assess the future of your law firm’s revenue, check out President of BTI Consulting, Michael Rynowecer’s LinkedIn post on how to do just that.)

While your firm adapts to Phase 2 changes, remember that every move you make sends a message to the marketplace.

There are typically three types of responses to change: 1) none; 2) client-assisted; and 3) proactive.

1. The firms that are averse to change will fall even further behind its competitors post-pandemic.

2. The firms undergoing client-assisted change will survive, and may realize they have been forced into conversations with clients today that they should have been having on a more regular basis before Covid-19 hit.

3. The firms that are proactive about change, and were most likely already prepared for a crisis, will find and take advantage of opportunities even throughout Covid-19.

Keep in mind that these proactive firms have the capacity and predisposition for change. Meaning they have a firm culture that accepts and ushers along change.

As “client-assisted” and “proactive” firms embrace change and pivot to Phase 2, firm leaders should focus on protecting and shoring up its core business (its existing clients). Firm leaders should also pursue client development rather than business development, ensure its prices are stable, and continue modernizing technology.

These actions should be paired with a review of a firm’s entire ecosystem, including clients, partners, employees, future employees, and law school students. How a firm addresses these groups will directly impact its reputation.

While your firm adapts to Phase 2 changes, remember that every move you make sends a message to the marketplace. Consumers and the media are hyper-focused on the ongoing response to Covid-19. That said, they will undoubtedly notice your firm’s reaction to it and subsequently evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.

So, as you enter Phase 2 of Covid-19, make sure you are diverting resources to loyal clients who need help and treating your people right. If you follow these two rules, your brand’s messaging will align.

The entire world is dealing with the coronavirus crisis and by the time this pandemic has passed, we will all be experienced crisis communicators.

But in the meantime, there are best practices that you should implement today because how your law firm responds to this ongoing pandemic will impact its reputation. The following recommendations, provided by John Hellerman during a recent Legal Marketing Association webinar, will give your firm a competitive advantage.

Unlike typical crises, where we (as consultants) help clients through a perceived wrongdoing, Covid-19 has fallen on all of us through no act of our own (accept the one person who ate a raw bat). That said, it’s important to know basic crisis communications principles in case this is your first time navigating one.

The right solution at the wrong time is the wrong solution.

Keep in mind that a story will be told about a business in the midst of a crisis regardless of whether or not that organization responds, so (even in normal times) it’s best to participate and have some influence on how you are perceived.

Once you’ve decided to participate in the crisis conversation, you have to identify a spokesperson (or spokespeople). This is key, as who you pick determines whether your firm maintains or regains credibility. Typically, the person with the highest authority in any given situation is a technical expert. So, in the case of coronavirus, the spokesperson should come from firm leadership and the larger crisis team should include your main department heads – especially your technology folks as employees continue to work remotely.

Though we advise clients to have a team and plan in place before crises hit, not many out there anticipated a global pandemic. At this time (at the very least), you should have internal and external communications strategies, which should include telling employees first about any new developments. After all, the media likes to go to employees for information as reporters prefer the perceptions of frontline workers over ‘biased’ leadership. So, make sure your employees are well-informed and have the appropriate tools (written policies, resources, education, etc.) to communicate.

Throughout this pandemic, you must communicate often and on schedule. You can’t over communicate, but you can communicate the wrong things. You need to be relevant (don’t recreate the wheel) and be as human as possible (with a mindset of flexibility and empathy).

There has been rapid communication in our legal community’s response to the coronavirus. And necessarily so, as this frequent communication will eventually make your voice a trustworthy one. Your audiences will be able to weigh your real-world authority against rumors and unknowns, and help keep clients and employees relatively calm during these unprecedented times.

Such rapid dissemination of content and information requires that the crisis team meet daily and review what works and what doesn’t. Doing things that are just part of a template becomes a time management issue. So, forget about all of those unnecessary tasks for the foreseeable future. 

Yet, there is one task that all firms should be doing. Someone should document what is communicated each day. The Covid-19 crisis is going to last a long time, so it will be crucial to sit down afterwards and debrief with this daily journal in-hand.

Hopefully, the journal will reflect how you communicated and engaged with clients solely about their needs. Forego short-term advantage (pitching for business) for long-term opportunity (helping clients with the issues they are facing today). The right solution at the wrong time is the wrong solution.

In fact, be overly accommodating and innovative so that you ultimately ‘compel’ new business. How can your entire network and resources benefit your clients? Can you expand your stakeholder map?

Outside of communicating with employees and clients, take advantage of social media now more than ever and pitch media (the appropriate channels) when you have a relevant expert with unique knowledge to share. Regarding this last piece, since we are living through uncharted territory where drastic changes and details about the virus are released seemingly minute-by-minute, ensure the partner or thought leader is on board with your media outreach beforehand. You need to be able to fulfill interest, once it’s secured.

With every activity, remind yourself that this is not business as usual. We will all be in crisis mode for so long that it will become our new normal. With that in mind, humor is a tremendous resource in normal circumstances and especially in the most dire of times (with the appropriate tone, of course). 

If you need help fleshing out your firm’s continued response to the coronavirus, contact us.