Bell Yard Press Coverage/Releases

Press Release

Premier PR Firms Launch First International Communications Network for Litigation and Corporate Crises

16 November, 2009. London: Bell Yard Communications today announced its participation in a new international network, established to provide clients with seamless crisis and litigation communications support around the globe. The five founding members of the Crisis & Litigation Communicators’ Alliance (CLC-Alliance) each are highly regarded boutique agencies in their respective markets, specialising in crisis and high-value litigation PR advisory. The founding members are Bell Yard (UK), Hellerman Baretz (USA), Results: S. Holzinger! (Germany), PreventK (Austria) and Roland Binz Kommunikation & Image (Switzerland).

The number of business crises straddling national borders has increased in recent years. The arrest of a German hedge fund founder for allegedly defrauding banks on two continents, and the accusations of a worldwide campaign by Intel to protect its microprocessor monopoly are two recent examples. In addition, increased co-operation among international regulatory agencies and the rise in prosecutions based on the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and analogous statutes (such as extradition legislation) has impacted the legal landscape in the UK. Observing this trend, the members of the CLC-Alliance decided to establish a collection of top-flight consultancies in key jurisdictions, on-call to provide expert guidance wherever events are anticipated, or unfolding.

"A legal crisis doesn’t need a passport," said Melanie Riley, Director of Bell Yard. "Wherever a client litigation occurs, through our membership of the CLC-Alliance, we can now guarantee to provide overseas expertise of the same calibre as we expect to provide our clients domestically."

Legal disputes typically increase when economic times are tough, as evidenced by a recent survey (Fulbright Litigation Trends) which found that nearly half of UK and US public companies foresee more disputes in 2010, as compared to a third last year. Likewise the UK High Court has seen a 10% rise in cases filed in the past year (source: Reynolds Porter Chamberlain survey, Oct 2009), spanning credit-crunch-related litigation to high-value employment contract disputes and divorce cases.

"Litigation Communication has never been in greater demand," commented Stephan Holzinger, inaugural chairman of the CLC-Alliance. "What was essentially a US-born discipline is finding increasing application in Europe as the need to better manage communications around litigation grows and parties become more sophisticated, with financial sector litigation being at the forefront in many markets."

The CLC-Alliance has ambitious plans to expand its geographic footprint in the coming months and is accepting enquiries from crisis and litigation communications consultants in territories not already represented by its founding members. Applicants must share the philosophy and focus of founding members. More details can be found on the new CLC-Alliance website www.clc-alliance.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Bell Yard Communications UK: The only London-based PR firm focused exclusively on litigation PR, Bell Yard's experience, whether for claimant or defendant, spans financial industry litigation through to celebrity disputes, with employment, intellectual property, personal injury, extradition and fraud cases to name but a few, in between. Founder Melanie Riley is widely regarded as one of the foremost practitioners of litigation PR in the UK market. Bell Yard has an established and respected reputation in the City of London legal community. Recent instructions include: representing Gary McKinnon in his campaign to halt his US extradition and seek a UK prosecution; working with Results S. Holzinger! on a UK/German bank bonus dispute; spearheading a campaign against an unsustainable eco-town development in the West Midlands; and representing a UK trader in his successful £20m fraudulent misrepresentation claim against a US broker.

Hellerman Baretz Communications US: Working with the US's most prominent law firms and attorneys, Hellerman Baretz Communications specialises in litigation PR in high-stakes, 'bet-the-company' lawsuits. The agency has managed the PR for many of the nation's most visible disputes involving financial services, healthcare, intellectual property, among many other issues. The agency's two partners — John Hellerman and Spencer Baretz — are nationally recognised litigation PR and crisis communications experts: John was dubbed a "PR whiz" and a "top media relations pro" by both Law Practice Management and PR Week magazines; and Spencer Baretz, called a "communications expert" by The American Lawyer Magazine, is also an attorney who practiced at one of New York's largest law firms after clerking for U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser, one of New York's most respected Federal Judges.

Results: S. Holzinger!: specialises in crisis and litigation communications and executive reputation management. The Munich-based firm, with a representative office in Berlin, successfully represents family offices, entrepreneurs and board members in high-stakes crisis and litigation matters. Stephan Holzinger is author of the first German book on litigation communications ("In the Name of the Public"), listed among the top 5 business books in getAbstract AG's 2009 international book award. He is a member of the Reputation Institute in New York, a university lecturer and frequent speaker on crisis and litigation communications.

PreventK: is the only consulting company focusing on crisis prevention, crisis and conflict management and litigation communication in Austria. The Viennese company has a reputation among private enterprises and organisations for navigation management through all kinds of crises and conflicts and turning threats into new opportunities. Both founders personally possess great experience and know-how in matters concerning crisis management and litigation communication, including criminal cases, plea bargains, antitrust litigation, natural catastrophes as well as man-made disasters, restructuring processes in small and big companies, downsizing, large scale lay-offs, hostile takeovers, negotiation and conflict resolution, and product recalls on an international level.

Roland Binz Kommunikation & Image, Switzerland: Roland Binz is one of the leading and most experienced professionals in crisis communications in Switzerland. He is co-founder and vice president of the Swiss Crisis Communication Association. Following his studies in law at the University of Berne Roland Binz worked for 8 years as a court reporter and political editor for the well-known daily newspaper "Der Bund" in the federal capital. Binz was subsequently nominated Public and Press Officer for the Swiss Army within KFOR after the Kosovo war in 2000. From 2001 till mid 2009, Binz garnered broad experience in crisis management, corporate communication and public affairs as the corporate spokesperson and Deputy Head of the Press Office at Swiss Federal Railways. In June 2009 he established his eponymous business consultancy for crisis & litigation communication and reputation management.

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