Start free trial Share this post Law Firm Public Relations: The Complete Guide for 2025 Home Blog Digital Marketing Law Firm Public Relations: The Complete Guide for 2025 Updated on January 6th 2025 Irina Weber | 14 min read ”Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for.” – Helen Woodward. Many of you would probably say Amazon if asked where you shop online. While there are many e-commerce platforms, Amazon’s brand stands out because of its strong PR strategy, which has helped build trust, visibility, and authority over time. No matter its size, every business needs a solid PR program to create that same kind of recognition and loyalty. PR or public relations is critical to every business, including law firms. It involves establishing a positive and reputable brand image in the public, directly impacting the brand’s clientele, trust, and reputation in the marketplace. Now the question arises: how to establish a positive image of a law firm in the market? Let’s read ahead in this blog and uncover the definition, key strategies, and benefits of PR for a law firm. What is Law Firm Public Relations? Law firm public relations is not just about managing a law firm’s image in front of the public. It’s about shaping how potential clients perceive its legal services. How the public perceives the law firm is a crucial part of this practice. The primary benefits of this practice, such as better market exposure, enhanced brand reputation, and more clients, are a testament to its significance. The legal PR process has undergone a significant transformation in today’s digital world. Every firm’s PR strategy now includes digital elements such as social media engagement, media pitches, video marketing, etc. According to OnTheMap, 28% of the law firm’s marketing budget is now diverted toward these Internet marketing channels, reflecting the shift toward digital PR. The Benefits of Public Relations for Law Firms “If I were down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR.” – Bill Gates. Many big names in the legal industry rank PR as a key thing for business growth. But many of you wouldn’t believe it. So, here are some surefire benefits you get when investing in law firm public relations. Better visibility With modern-day legal public relations methods like social media, news releases, influencer marketing, etc., PR can be the best way to boost visibility. For example, in the case of a collaboration or launching a new service, you can pitch a press release to the media. Press releases boost business visibility. Due to press releases, 68% of the businesses have witnessed enhanced brand visibility. Trust and credibility Legal professionals can establish brand trust and credibility by using healthy legal PR practices. For instance, they can provide free legal advice to selected clients at trade shows or launch parties, receive a mention in the National Law Journal that proves their authority, engage in Q&As with clients, share success stories, or publish informative articles to attract more clients. Crisis management With access to established PR elements like press releases, trade magazines, etc., businesses can strategically manage crises without tarnishing brand value. In case of malpractice allegations or regulatory compliance issues, strong media relations strategies should be implemented to mitigate negative press and maintain the firm’s reputation. Attract new clients With a robust online presence via blogs, news releases, and influencer collaborations, law firms can use PR to actively boost their client acquisition rate by securing coverage in relevant media outlets and retaining their existing clients for a long time. This business development aspect of PR is crucial for a law firm’s growth and sustainability. A PR agency can help streamline this process. Effective Marketing Channels for Law Firm PR Today, effective marketing is imperative. As the competition is stiff, businesses need to leverage modern marketing channels to stay in the users’ eyes. For a law firm, there are several marketing choices: Social media platforms Social media is not just a platform; it’s a powerful tool for every brand. It can be the perfect catapult for a law firm to penetrate the market. With social media websites like Instagram, Twitter, and FB, a law firm can release news, partner with influencers and other businesses to announce collaborations, release their products, etc. It’s a game-changer for boosting visibility. “The connection between our law firm’s social media and business development strategy is critical; efficient use of social media increases lead generation and profitability,” said Brad Parker, Founder of Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers. “We also use social media to recruit top talent and improve collaboration in global firms.” With the availability of interactive infographics, videos, and short video content, businesses can promote client’s trust and engagement. Brands can even organize polls and launch digital events. Did you know? 84% of law firms generate leads through organic social media traffic. Press Releases and Online Publications Press releases and online publications include blogs, articles, emails, trade journals, and other gated content. Law firms can use these to spread knowledge among their clients and update them regarding their business, products, and achievements. “We publish press releases about our successes, announce new hires or promotions, and position ourselves as thought leaders in their respective practice areas,” noted Robert Hammers, Leader of Hammers Law Firm. “We send press releases for many scenarios, including adding or promoting new attorneys, winning awards and lawsuits, filing a lawsuit, having new brand partnerships, etc.” Digital publications about new laws and regulations can help clients get fresh information faster, which can help build brand credibility. Speaking Engagements Speaking engagements are one of the most effective PR channels. A person might not read a blog or a journal that carefully. But if you position yourself as a leader in the industry and speak at a trade event, you will be remembered for a longer time. Speaking engagements like live social events can help you convey your ideas more effectively. “Speaking engagements give great networking opportunities to connect with prospective clients and have significant face-to-face interaction before, during, and after the talk in your legal field,” said Sam Meenasian, Founder of USA Business Insurance. “You can also increase your name recognition, forge new connections, and expand your professional networks with new contacts.” Furthermore, speaking engagements, including announcements regarding achievements and collaborations in the legal industry, help generate demand. They are also a great way to create a positive media image, harness new clients, and market your services. These engagements help in marketing and inspire a positive image in the media. Key Metrics to Measure PR Performance While working on PR channels is necessary, measuring what your public relations efforts are bringing in is also essential. Here are some key metrics that a law firm should monitor to measure PR performance: Conversion rates: The number of clients subscribing to your services after interacting with your PR campaigns. Track your conversion rate via click-through rates, ROI, bounce rate, etc. Website Traffic: Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc., can be used to track website traffic. After a PR event, you can check how many users visited the page, stayed on the page, etc. Engagement metrics (likes, shares, mentions, comments): To capture engagement, social media posts, such as reels, shorts, stories, etc., can be tracked for likes, shares, and comments. Media coverage: Media coverage includes how the media has covered your efforts. For example, using Mention, you can check how your business is mentioned in their publications. Sentiment analysis: Sentiment analysis determines the emotional tone behind a series of words. It is used to gain an understanding of the attitudes, opinions, and emotions expressed in an online mention. The places where your business is mentioned can be analyzed for sentiments. Comments, conversations, and mentions in several online publications can be analyzed for positive brand perception. PR reach and impressions: Posting on social media channels can help determine how many people view your content. That is known as reach and can be an indicator of PR performance. Using a free social media scheduler, you can streamline your posting process and maximize reach, ensuring your PR efforts are consistently tracked across platforms. ROI: Calculate customer acquisition and revenue based on your PR efforts to determine the ROI. That will help you understand if your PR efforts are worth it. 7 Smart PR Strategies for Law Firms Knowing about the methods of PR for law firms is fine. But, it is also crucial to implement some strategies to get the best out of them. Here are some of the smart PR strategies: Set PR Goals for Your Law Firm The first step is to set your PR goals. A crystal clear idea of your goals can boost conversions, engagement, clients, etc. Your law firm’s goals and PR must sync to achieve success. If not, you may succeed in PR but not financially, saving time, money, and marketing resources. Understanding your target audience, segmenting it, and devising targeted and personalized brand messages for them is more important than ever. Ensure you build different customer personas for each segment you want to serve. Consider your client’s needs and pain points and detect how to market your law firm services. Without creating personas, your communication will seem ineffective and impersonal. Build a Strong Online Presence Being active online is essential for law firm PR. That includes active engagement with your target audience, having a user-friendly and well-designed website, writing regular blogs, prioritizing SEO, and having active social media profiles. Your law firm’s online presence plays a crucial role in shaping potential clients’ initial impressions of your business. It is essential to ensure that your online content effectively showcases your expertise and values to represent your firm accurately. “If you define the problem correctly, you almost always have the solution.” — Steve Jobs. Melissa Scartelli, Founder of Scartelli Olszewski, P.C., noted: “We collaborate with business and legal leaders where each has its vernacular, which sometimes leads to misunderstandings. So, it is crucial to collaborate with relevant industry experts, journalists, and media houses to help garner clients faster and build valuable content. That can include intel on new hiring, services, case victories, etc.“ Be quick to reply to comments on social media, join discussions, and answer questions. Being approachable and responsive helps build trust and strengthen relationships with potential clients. Create High-Quality Content Writing valuable content is one of the most effective ways to give value to your target audience and show your knowledge and expertise. Get inspiration from the high-performing content on the web. Learn from it and create valuable videos, infographics, podcasts, interviews, blog posts, and stories that respond to common legal questions and concerns. Focus on assisting client issues to nurture organic leads for the business. Your law firm should remain consistent and relevant to your audience. Create a content calendar to plan and schedule all your PR content activities. To save time and effort, you can prepare regular articles, press releases, and social media content in advance.Mushfiq Sarker, CEO of LaGrande Marketing, shared, “We’ve worked with hundreds of law firms, and for most of them, the number one traffic channel is organic search, and most of the traffic comes from blogs. Therefore, SEO is crucial for your successful content marketing campaigns. When planning for your content calendar, spend time identifying different search queries for which your potential client searches, and based on those, prepare your content calendar. You should always prioritize local instead of nationwide keywords to get targeted traffic with higher conversion potential.“ Leverage Social Media Keeping tabs on social media content is the way to go. As 40% of law firms are active on social media, it can be an excellent resource for your PR efforts. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help you reach a wider audience, promote professional communication, and assist clients remotely. Invest in sponsoring community events and golf tournaments. Social media marketing promotes these sponsorships, helps increase brand visibility, and builds a strong local reputation for law firms. It’s all about getting your name out there and establishing a positive online and offline presence in the community. Participate in Local Events Local events, like tech fairs, trade shows, etc., can help you establish a local presence. These events can help your brand reach the limelight through successful social interactions. You can also engage in pro-bono activities or sponsor community events to boost brand credibility. Engaging in these activities shows that your company is dedicated to the community and can result in positive publicity. Manage Online Reviews This report shows that 32% of people read reviews and testimonials before hiring a lawyer. Sharing online reviews on social media builds trust. Nothing is better for showing people trust you than reviews and testimonials from genuine customers. Ask your followers to review you on every platform where you have a presence, such as Google My Business and social media. Monitor online reviews. Apply sentiment analysis to them and reply appropriately to demonstrate authority, commitment, and credibility. Have a Crisis Management Plan Work on pre-establishing policies and strategies and a team to handle anything wrong with your clients or the market. Communicate responsibly with the public and media to ensure trust. Creating a crisis communications plan is one of the most effective ways to manage a PR crisis for law firms, as it allows them to follow quick and straightforward steps and instructions for your legal PR team. Once you have an action crisis plan, regularly train your employees and lawyers on this plan to ensure that everyone is ready to act and react well and knows their roles and responsibilities. That will help your law firm always be prepared for different situations. Bottom Line Mastering the art of PR and marketing is not a one-time job. As a brand, you will have several competitors on the market. Hence, it is crucial to undertake A/B testing to filter the best methods and get the most out of them. Law firm public relations can be tricky as there is a need to establish trust and credibility with the clients. However, you can do it quickly with modern methods and be backed by professional assistance. If you want to measure the success of your PR efforts for your law firms, you can use Mention to track your coverage. Start your 14-day free trial! Or book a demo. Irina Weber My name is Irina Weber, a freelance writer, and content strategist. I love helping brands to create, publish, repurpose, and distribute content through different marketing channels. I am a regular contributor to a lot of media outlets like SEW, SME, SMT, CMI, etc. Freelance Writer @Mention