Media Skills: The Lawyer As Spokesperson
By Roger J. Dodd and Claudia N. Oltean
Published by LexisNexis
For more information and to order Media Skills: The Lawyer As Spokesperson Book and DVD go to LexisNexis
The dynamic new offering is from noted trial advocate Roger J. Dodd and public relations specialist Claudia N. Oltean.
Read more about the authors
Media Skills: The Lawyer As Spokesperson is a comprehensive work,
the first or one of the only books of this type, written exclusively
for the broad legal community, including judges and lawyers across
the practice areas.
The book and companion DVD
feature detailed instructions for proactively setting media
strategies, handling challenging or unsolicited media interactions, initiating press
coverage, building spokesperson skills, sharpening interview skills,
preparing clients for interview, and building beneficial ongoing
media relations.
The content of Media Skills: The Lawyer As Spokesperson
is drawn straight from the professional
experience of the authors, Roger Dodd and Claudia Oltean (an
attorney with significant national media credentials and a PR
specialist with a successful track record for promoting attorneys
and helping them defend their clients in the news media). Also
included are real-world examples from select other attorneys to help
illustrate and demonstrate the book’s key concepts and techniques.
These are attorneys who have embraced press opportunities, gained
skills as a spokesperson and navigated challenging press situations.
Other examples are drawn from topical, high-profile legal cases,
celebrity or corporate situations and their parallel news stories.
Highlights of Media Skills: The Lawyer As Spokesperson include:
- 5 Media Spokesperson Success Keys
- Potential Case “Press Points”
- Bar Rules and Ethics Governing Media Interaction
- 12 Media Rules of Engagement
- PRIME: Five Steps To Interview Success
- Two Kinds of PR: Proactive and Response
- Why, When and How To Respond To Media Requests
- ABCs of Initiating Media Coverage
- 4 Levels of Response To Adverse Publicity
- Creating Compelling Press Releases
- Planning Powerful News Conferences
- Techniques For Handling Specific Types of Interviews
- Guidelines For Dressing The Part of Spokesperson
- Techniques for Staying on Message
“Lawyers who ignore the media in the modern age do so at their own
peril. They risk ceding the court of public opinion to their opponents.
Over the course of the last two decades, the public has become more
aware of how the law affects their lives and it is essential for lawyers
to become more media savvy. In the court of public opinion, which often
is shaped by news media, there is no presumption of innocence. This is
why lawyers need to find their own voice and learn to shape their own
message to convey to the media.
Lawyers and judges no longer have to go into the media fray unaided.
There is now an important guide to the right and wrong way to handle
situations when your case hits the news.”
Stephen N. Zack, Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP, Miami, Florida, and President Elect, The American Bar Association