Page 35 - CCCA61_2012

CCCA_V6No1_CrisisCommunication-FIN_CCCA_V6No1_CrisisCommunication 2/13/12 10:44 PM Page 35 Crisis Feature Team By Pablo Fuchs How to work with PR to get the best results when disaster strikes. I n-house counsel know what it takes to succeed in court. Understanding how to help their organizations win in the court of public opinion is another matter.The stakes are high and a blow to a company’s reputation can devastate the organization, even if it wins the case. “A lawyer could save a company millions of dollars in a courtroom, but the corpora- tion may lose a billion dollars in sales because of the hit it might have taken in terms of public opinion,” says Jeff Ansell, principal of Jeff Ansell & Associates Inc., a media strate- gy firm in Toronto, and author of When the Headline IsYou. “So, who’s the winner?” That’s a question most corporate counsel should be asking when they get involved in managing the fallout from a short-term crisis or a high-stakes, long-term litigation. It’s also a question they should consider when assessing how to get involved in a crisis: many, according toAnsell,want to take over the entire process rather than work with public affairs to mitigate the impact of bad news.They’re consumed by the threats the event poses to the organization and want to take over the messaging to win favour with the executive. “The problem with that is legal is just too predictable,” he explains.“I’d be very care- ful in putting up a lawyer as a spokesperson because it doesn’t send the right signal. In fact, when lawyers deal with the media, they get up and say something along the lines of ‘We’ll mount a vigorous defence,’ and that’s just trite garbage.” Instead, legal departments should work in tandem with executives and the public affairs team in order to ensure the messaging is just right.“In-house counsel have to speak the same language and have respect for public affairs,” says Ansell. “Both sides need to have a strong understanding of one another and identify each other’s needs.Too often, they go at each other, with legal prevailing.” PRINTEMPS 2012 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 35