Blog

Kerry Jack

_{17 December, 2025}

How to get on journalists’ call lists

When it comes to legal commentators it’s common to see the same lawyers appearing regularly in the media. It may not be immediately obvious why or how some lawyers become the go to legal commentators in their practice area. Yet with focused effort, most lawyers can establish themselves as trusted media experts.

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Lucy Gardner

_{25 November, 2025}

Media training: Journalists are not out to get you

Sweaty palms, racing heart, and an empty head…sound familiar? You are not alone. It is estimated that nearly half of the British population has a fear of public speaking (YouGov Poll 2023).  Add a camera to the equation and the knowledge that millions of people will be watching your debut - live on the six o’clock news – it's understandable, you may experience an overwhelming desire to run away and hide under your desk. Or in a wine cellar.

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Sue Carr

_{16 October, 2025}

Are you fluent in chatbot? Why you should be and why media matters

A new study from the creators of ChatGPT has pinpointed the professions most at risk of being replaced by AI. With everyone from sales staff to software developers, and nurses to private investigators on the list, you’d be forgiven for thinking that PR might be there too. After all, if a bot can write a court judgment (a leading judge made headlines when he admitted using the “jolly useful” tool to summarise an area of law that he wasn’t familiar with) then surely it can create convincing content, right? Wrong.

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Louise Eckersley

_{9 September, 2025}

Legal influencer shows power of LinkedIn

Over the summer it was reported that national firm, Witan Solicitors, awarded a training contract to a paralegal, in part because of her rising profile on LinkedIn. Naturally the new trainee, Xiao Pan, was already delivering excellent work but with an impressive 7,000 plus followers on the social media platform, her online presence helped to tip the balance. That Xiao’s LinkedIn profile caught the eye of senior leaders in her organisation is testament to the growing importance of LinkedIn to the legal profession

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Justin Penrose

_{6 August, 2025}

How to get your comments used in a media bun fight

In my former life as a Fleet Street hack I would often bemoan PRs who cluttered my inbox with anodyne drab comments reacting to the latest Supreme Court judgment. Now firmly ensconced on the other side of the fence as poacher turned gamekeeper, I can see why so many quotes that are sent to journalists will never be used. Some lawyers and legal PRs simply don’t know what reporters want or how to get their comments used during a media bun fight.

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Neil Rose

_{24 July, 2025}

What next for legal journalism?

Perhaps the hardest part of the Black Letter Communications ‘In Conversation’ event last month for both me and the Law Society Gazette’s John Hyde was being asked to say something nice about each other. It’s not that we don’t respect what the other does (at least I think he does) but as reporters who cover similar beats, there is naturally a bit of professional rivalry. But in large part, we were in agreement as we debated the legal market and the state of legal journalism.

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Kerry Jack

_{25 June, 2025}

When words backfire: The BMA misstep

As a PR consultant, I’m used to analysing how organisations present themselves in the media. But even I had to do a double take when I opened my Times app this week and saw the headline: doctors “excited” about further strikes. “Excited”? That single word leapt off the screen. Not “determined.” Not “prepared.” But excited, as if the disruption of patient care and the cancellation of over 1.5 million appointments was something to look forward to. It was, frankly, a monumental own goal.

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Lucy Gardner

_{28 May, 2025}

Prevention of Future Death Reports: Why do we keep getting it wrong?

Failure’ by mental health services, ‘avoidable’ death during surgery, ‘unlawful killing’ are just three of the estimated 37,000 inquest conclusions that will be read out to grieving families in 2025. One-fifth of deaths – 125,000 - are deemed avoidable each year in England and Wales, and require a formal, public hearing to determine where, when, and how someone died. Through our legal PR work, we support families of the deceased through the deeply emotional process of inquests and the often intense media attention that accompanies them.

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Sue Carr

_{25 April, 2025}

Why inaction on climate action is bad news for law firms

Some of the world’s largest law firms have been publicly called out for exacerbating the climate crisis in a damning report by the Law Students for Climate Accountability. The campaign group’s Law Firm Climate Change Scorecard, which ranks the 100 leading global firms annually according to their fossil fuels work, found that more than a third (38%) had actually increased it over the last five years. These included A&O Shearman, Clifford Chance, Freshfields and Linklaters – four of the five Magic Circle firms.

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