Luigi Mangione. Sean “Diddy” Combs. Mike Lindell. Some names are so notorious that media attention is a given. But what about those cases you didn’t expect to go viral and then turn into an all-out media circus by surprise?
Many a lawyer has had a case dropped in their lap that blows up in the public sphere. At the same time, almost no lawyer has been trained in what to expect or what to do when your seemingly little case develops a large media profile. Law schools don’t teach communication strategy, but the lack of a communication strategy can damage your case and harm your client. So what’s a lawyer to do?
In the new issue of Washington State Bar News, we attempt to provide insight into these types of high-profile cases. First, WSBA Communications Specialist Colin Rigley shares the experiences of several lawyers who have found themselves on the business end of a media circus. Additionally, legal ethics expert Mark Fucile elucidates the Rules of Professional Conduct that guide what lawyers can and should say when they make public statements to the media.
Of course, that’s not all we have in store this issue. In his latest Innovation in Law column, Jordan Couch shares a vision of AI and the law, “a vision of more people having access to help with their legal problems, of courts being more accessible and less overburdened, and of lawyers enjoying their work more and making more money while working less.”
Jaclyn C. Celebrezze, assistant teaching professor at UW School of Law, provides helpful techniques for writing drafts and “for tackling the attorney-writer’s most common issues: getting started, pushing for progress, and knowing when to stop.”
And we have so many more features and columns, including a look at our pro bono organization of the month, the legal clinic at El Centro de la Raza, disciplinary and other regulatory notices, a spotlight on the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, insurance coverage and Washington’s wage transparency law, and more.
