The death of the ‘cheat’s charter’

Brief

A leading independent law firm — which had little previous engagement with PR — required extensive media support for a landmark case that represented a true turning point in UK family law and promised to set new precedents around revisiting previously agreed divorce settlements.

Solution

We spearheaded an aggressive but highly strategic media engagement program around the court decisions, preparing for every possible scenario, to maximize the potential brand impact for the firm. Our team undertook comprehensive media training and prepared an arsenal of statements, press releases and briefing documents. We also arranged briefing sessions between our client and top national journalists to cut through the complexity of the legal issues under consideration, as this was the first time a UK Supreme Court family judgment had been launched to the media in this way.

Outcome

One of the largest press packs of journalists and photographers the Supreme Court has ever seen gathered to hear the judgment in this landmark case. We secured 64 pieces of coverage around the world; visits to the firm’s website increased by some 85 percent while visits to the lead partner profiles also shot up to unprecedented levels. Three new instructions for the client were driven directly from the exposure, and we were shortlisted for a major PR industry accolade for the campaign.