It’s often thought that public relations and legal departments are always at odds. The classic cliché is of a PR person suggesting an idea only to be rebuffed by the lawyer in the room because it could, from his or her point of view, expose the organisation to enormous liability.

This may happen in some cases, but most of the time the goals of PR agencies and lawyers are aligned. At the end of the day, both are protecting the reputation of the organisation that engages them, and from my perspective, that alone makes it worthwhile to work together ‒ especially when it comes to complex cases.

There is no more obvious case than crisis communications situations. Our agency’s crisis communications practice is based on strong relationships with legal authorities [or: with lawyers]. One of the first questions we ask when a client contacts us for crisis communications support is whether an in-house or an outside lawyer is handling the case. We want to make sure that everything we do from a communications standpoint takes account of the potential risks of litigation. Thanks to this synergy of professions, we can have access to research and certain things that only lawyers are able to provide.

While the relationship between PR and lawyers may seem fraught with tension, in reality it’s quite the opposite. Law firms that regularly work with PR agencies and vice versa quickly realise the value each brings to the other in terms of helping a client achieve their goals. It’s a necessary relationship to help organisations through good times and bad.

Over the years, I’ve worked with several legal bodies myself on issues ranging from crisis management to M&A projects. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned.

Everyone around the table
The legal team is usually involved in major decisions by default, but as public relations professionals we can also play a crucial sounding board role in the decision-making process. Too often, we reactively step in to clean up the mess rather than prevent or at least mitigate it. If everyone gets around the table from the outset, public relations can play a valuable role in shaping strategies rather than just reacting to the situation.

Strength in unity
Crisis communications involves planning for the worst- and best-case scenarios and putting appropriate contingency plans in place. Yet often both parties operate in isolation, unaware of each other’s existence or the implications they may have. By working together, communicators and lawyers can not only ensure alignment, but also help strengthen or support the other in achieving broader goals.

What if it goes viral?
Everyone in public relations knows that one wrong move can result in unwanted media coverage that can snowball. This point is sometimes overlooked by the legal department, which very often focuses primarily on the legal procedure and protocol to be put in place. Experience shows that by working together, lawyers and communicators can protect the company in a way that also takes account of the image risks, for example the risks if certain legal proceedings are made public.

Reviewing documents destined for the public
These days many legal documents are considered public or have the potential to become public. So it’s crucial for the lawyers and public relations consultant to review all the important legal documents together. Whether they’re contracts or complaints, all these documents should be treated as if they could potentially fall into the public sphere. A simple review can help make them as ready as possible and prevent any potential negative exposure.

In conclusion, the kind of collective intelligence described in this article, although fed by what may be different points of departure, emerges through the progressive and controlled convergence of points of view.