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Black Letter Communications Blog

Expert pr advice for the legal sector

Justin Penrose


Former journalist and published author Justin Penrose spent 10 years as crime correspondent at the Sunday Mirror before moving into legal PR, joining Black Letter in 2019. Here he talks about his passion for breaking the news, giving victims a voice, and the importance of being able to spot a story.

One of my inspirations to become a journalist came from an unlikely source – the dark lord himself, Darth Vader.

I was studying history at Leeds University, with no clear idea of what I wanted to do, but I’d always liked writing, and I plucked up the courage to volunteer for the student newspaper.

I started out writing film reviews before eventually being promoted to arts editor and was tasked with interviewing David Prowse – aka Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, which was at the time being remastered for re-release.

A huge Star Wars fan, it was and will remain one of my career highlights, although I remember he was still very bitter that George Lucas had dubbed his voice in the films, replacing his distinctive West Country drawl with the more dulcet tones of James Earl Jones!

I’d been bitten by the writing bug but couldn’t afford to put myself through a journalism qualification and so, after graduating, I decided to return to my home town in Kent and try my luck with the Kent Messenger. I pitched the idea of writing features on quirky local sports clubs – everything from rollerblading to sand-yachting – and luckily, they said yes. I owe a lot to them because that led to me later being offered a traineeship at the paper and discovering where my real talent lay, in finding and reporting the news.

Most people don’t realise it but there is a real craft to news writing. You have to not only identify the story but be able to describe it in the first sentence – anything less and your audience loses interest. At that time, local papers were thriving, and the Kent Messenger was a busy newsroom with some great reporters to learn from. I later became crime correspondent and got to work on some very high-profile cases such as the trial and subsequent retrial of Michael Stone for the murders of Lin and Megan Russell, and the attempted murder of Megan’s sister Josie.

I’ve always been ambitious, and I liked the idea of ‘breaking’ the news, so I eventually moved to the nationals who, more often that not, are the ones to do it. I worked as Kent and Sussex correspondent at the Press Association for two years before starting to do shifts at some of the tabloids. One of the most terrifying experiences of my entire life was walking into the newsroom of The Sun, but I learnt a lot while I was there.

I will always remember the advice the then chief reporter gave me: “Treat everyone the same, from the cleaner to the Queen”. Firstly, why wouldn’t you, but you also never know where you’re going to get a story from. He also instilled in me the importance of asking the final question ‘is there anything else?’ Had he not asked this at the end of an interview with former MI5 boss Stella Rimington, he would not have discovered the warts and all book she was about to release about her time with the security service.

It sounds cliched to say no two days were the same, but they really weren’t. The Sun loved its stunts – I was once labelled ‘Kid Brother’ and forced to go up in a cherry picker above the Big Brother House – but we also broke some really significant stories. I secured the first interview with the family of Britain’s first suicide bomber, something which I always refer to in our PR workshops when lawyers assume that their clients won’t want to speak to the media. Often, people find it comforting and cathartic to share their side of the story in the hope that others will understand and learn from their experiences.

From The Sun I moved to the Sunday Mirror where I later became crime correspondent. It was, I maintain, the toughest beat on Fleet Street but the best and a force for good. I broke stories that helped put a terrorist back behind bars and led to two of the perpetrators of a knife attack handing themselves into police. I spent 10 years there but, post-Leveson Inquiry, the landscape for journalists changed significantly and it felt like the right time to try something new.

During my time at The Sunday Mirror, I had interviewed three young men who were wrongfully convicted of drug dealing in Dubai and forced to spend a year in one of the country’s toughest jails. I teamed up with one of the men, Karl Williams, to turn their horrific experiences into the book ‘Killing Time’ which was subsequently made into a six-part docudrama for the BBC.

It was while waiting for the book to be published that I took the leap into legal PR. It seemed like the natural next step after so many years spent covering crime stories, but it was a real eye-opener discovering all the different areas of law. My first job was at Slater and Gordon Lawyers, and it was there that being a journalist really came into its own. Lawyers often don’t realise that the cases they’re dealing with are so newsworthy, but as a journalist you’re instantly able to see the story. They may not all make the national news, but an important part of what we do is helping people get seen where they want to be seen, whether that’s a trade publication or the legal media.

There are also occasions when you can effect real change. That might be by highlighting an issue of public interest in the media or by putting pressure on the other side in a case (no one likes bad publicity!) Whilst at Slater and Gordon, I helped to publicise the ultimately successful campaign to keep black cab rapist John Worboys in jail as well as shining a light on the immense harm wrought by rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson, leading to a compensation fund being set up for his victims by the healthcare provider under whom he had practised.

I helped Slater and Gordon to achieve record coverage and did the same as PR manager at Hodge Jones & Allen before moving to Black Letter in 2019. I had met Kerry and her team before and their approach to PR really chimed with my own – we’re results-driven but we’re also honest, we call a spade a spade.

I’ve freelanced in the past so have experience of how different agencies work and I genuinely believe our way is the best – that’s why so many clients have been with us for such a long time. We deliver the coverage, but we also act as a strategic sounding board, advising on everything from internal messaging to handling a full-scale reputational crisis. If we don’t think something is going to work, then we will say that to our clients. That is, after all, what they’re paying us for.

I’m still a news journalist at heart and I love litigation PR. I’m lucky enough to work with several law firms brimming with newsworthy cases such as Broudie Jackson Canter who are giving a voice to bereaved families involved in the Covid inquiry.

Outside of work, I’m a father-of-four including to my two-year-old Emlyn who definitely rules the roost at home. I love travelling and recently returned from a trip to Australia with, despite the combination of a toddler and two long-haul flights, my sanity still intact! I’m a Liverpool fan and love travelling to matches when I can. When time allows, I’d also love to try my hand at writing another book – this time crime fiction. All those years spent covering grisly cases will come in handy, I’m sure.

Find out more about the Black Letter Communications team

Justin Penrose