ABSTRACT
Communicators and lawyers collaborate regularly in organizations, but sometimes fractured relations between these professionals can undermine the effectiveness of organizations navigating a public relations crisis. This chapter provides an overview of the respective responsibilities of each of these professional functions and the risks they are charged with managing. Lawyers have considerable responsibilities related to how organizations communicate, particularly during a crisis, ranging from communications during trials and litigation to ensuring that organizational communications comply with governing regulations. Similarly, communicators have substantial responsibilities in managing an organization’s reputation, relations with key stakeholders, including members of the media, and developing internal and external communications, to name a few. Due to these different areas of focus, when organizations confront a crisis, leadership can be confronted with a choice between divergent advice from lawyers and communicators. The chapter provides an examination of the pitfalls of either legal or communications prioritized responses to crises and suggestions for how organizations may achieve a more balanced integrated approach to crisis management that weighs legal and communications risks. Several real-world case studies are provided throughout to illustrate these points.
