For years they have been on separate paths, but since crisis is a synonym of corporate reputation, clients no longer worry about hiring a law firm when looking for a solution to their conflicts, but for several years they have understood that simultaneously they should look for someone who watches over their public image before it causes reputational damage and economic costs.
This is something that many traditional law firms were slow to notice and they even refused to share their strategies, obviously for reasons of confidentiality and trust; however, experience has taught me that cases that have been successful in their final resolution are not only those that are won in courts but those that have been handled jointly by professionals from various fields, so that the day after a legal decision a person can look at their peers peacefully.
This surely requires a coordinated work from the beginning, although of course always with the premise that the communication strategy needs to be subject to the legal strategy, unless otherwise mandated by the client.
However, communication professionals are little served by learning about the progress of their client’s case in the news or by the court. If there is no joint work in decision-making and definition of strategies from the beginning, you run the risk of taking false steps.
