Crisis & Reputation Management
Bell Yard's Crisis and Reputation Management practice centres on:
- rapid situation appraisal
- scenario planning and preparedness exercises
- messaging and spokesperson advice
- anticipation of how a situation might develop
- recommendation of effective responses for all audiences and
- a review of lines of command in pressurised times.
We work at the direction of clients' lawyers, in close conjunction with client senior management, their in-house PR and with Counsel. These mandates often require restraint, rather than pro-active external engagement: knowing when to contain an issue is as valuable as understanding when to tackle, or indeed initiate, media interest.
Reputations Affected by:
Regulatory Investigation
Bell Yard advises individuals, financial institutions and companies on the reputational aspects inherent in a regulatory investigation into their activities. We always work in tandem with the client's legal team, aiming to manage the impact of an announcement of an investigation and/or arrest, as well as preparing for the inevitable regulator's press briefing at the point of criminal charge or civil resolution.
Criminal Investigation
Whether company or individual, Bell Yard is mindful of the stringent rules of Contempt in relation to criminal investigations, at the point of investigation, arrest and most pertinently when a defendant is charged. Nonetheless, in many incidences the media clamour for information can be all-pervasive. Having access to experienced advisors to help calm the storm can at least help remove some of the immediate pressure from the shoulders of management or family and friends at a difficult time.
Inquests
Bell Yard understands the need for sensitive handling in the difficult circumstances of a coroner's inquest. Bell Yard can assist bereaved families, or their legal teams, with the drafting of statements designed to remove the occasionally intrusive pressure of media attention. We can also support businesses or other participants likely to be under the spotlight in inquest situations.
Social Media Storm
Like most storms, when they strike, they appear out of nowhere, hit hard and fast, generally worsen, cause havoc and soon disappear leaving a medium-to-long term mop up. Bell Yard works with specialist social media monitoring agencies to secure early notification of gathering discontent, works with clients to simplify and expedite a chain of command to manage communications in the face of a tech-aware, fast moving, consumer challenge to a brand's reputation.
For further information on the above areas of our practice, please call us to discuss.