Director of Communications

New York, NY 

JOB SUMMARY

The Director of Communications is responsible for the implementation of a proactive firm wide internal and external communications and visibility strategy, program and budget.  The Director leads, develops and manages communication professionals in supporting and guiding the Firm’s public relations and media relations programs with various targeted media regarding all newsworthy developments involving individual attorneys, practices, leadership, administrative departments and the Firm as an institution. The incumbent also supports and advises designated spokespersons for interviews, journal articles, select speaking engagements or other media events.  The Director also coordinates media training for various partners, manages the production and distribution of internal and alumni communications and leads media coaching sessions for attorneys of all levels.

JOB RELATIONSHIPS

The Director of Communications reports to the Global Director of Business Development and Marketing and works closely with the Firm Chair, practice area and office leaders, as well as individual attorneys. The Director of Communications will provide direction and guidance to the Firm’s Communications team and communicate with the entire Marketing and Business Development Department, clients of the Firm, attorneys, and administrative staff.  This position manages 3 communications staff that supports all practices and operational departments globally.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Primary

• Establish, implement and guide plans for crisis communications, media relations, internal communications, social media, articles and thought leadership, survey responses, and award submissions. Provides counseling, coaching and training to attorneys and other individuals to support these efforts.
• Work with Firm and practice leadership to develop key messages and strategic communications platforms to support business objectives and enhance the Firm’s brand.
• Manage the Firm’s communications department.
• Orchestrate the organized, consistent and timely sharing of information about client matters and other potentially newsworthy content by nurturing relationships with practice leaders, active dealmakers and key associates. Work with all parties to ensure that such information is properly vetted before sharing externally. In some cases, facilitate conversations with clients and other stakeholders to ensure coordination for messaging and external promotional activity.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with editors, reporters and other key influencers at media outlets of interest to the Firm.
• Collaborate with the Firm’s business development team, practice managers and attorneys to craft messaging, develop appropriate content, spot market trends, and identify thought leadership opportunities.
• Work with internal and external stakeholders-including Firm leadership, general counsel and the Business Continuity Team-to anticipate crises and other communications challenges, develop plans and protocols for navigating special situations and execute the appropriate responses.
• Implement policies and procedures to increase efficiencies and reduce costs across the entire PR budget.
• Leverage trends, macro and micro market developments and other “hot topics” to develop timely and provocative commentary and thought leadership that elevates the Firm’s brand and attorney profiles in a manner that directly supports the business goals of the Firm and the practic Tactically, these efforts may include client memos and alerts, byline articles, media interviews, background briefings, roundtable discussions, speaking engagements, media statements and/or commentary and other means of expert positioning.
• Work with Firm leadership, attorneys and external agencies to assess and evaluate pay-to-play programming, inbound inquiries and solicitations for commentary from media, think tanks and other external parties.
• Drive internal communications strategy, including development of specific Firm wide and departmental memos, talking points and other content from various Firm leader Regularly monitor marketplace developments that may impact the Firm and its brand in the marketplace and coordinate necessary responses with Firm leadership and the Global Director of Business Development and Marketing. Play a supervisory role in the development and refinement of content for the “Firm News” portions of the intranet.
• Develop a media database and topics calendar for key legal and business publications.
• Serve as content advisor to marketing and business development colleagues involved in certain branding, attorney biography, advertising, digital marketing and sponsorship activities, as well as alumni outreach programs, to ensure consistency of voice and substantive messaging.
• Conduct regular analyses of practice area visibility efforts and benchmarking against peer firm Leverage information to develop and present strategies to Firm leadership and practice area leaders in order to constantly improve the platform and maximize visibility.

Team Management and Firm Citizenship

• Responsible for managing and mentoring all members of the communications team, as well as providing guidance as necessary across the Marketing and Business Development Department on project and initiatives involving a communication or visibility strategy.
• Coordinate with all other groups within the Marketing and Business Development Department on various initiatives, including Marketing Services, Central Resources, Business Development teams, and Events.
• Develop and maintain relationship with other Firm departments and liaise as needed on various projects.
• Play a leadership role in the Marketing and Business Development Department, along with other senior team members, to generally advance the platform and ensure the success of the Department.

Secondary

• Conduct performance reviews on staff.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Education

• Minimum of B.A. or B.S. degree in liberal arts, marketing, business, communications or related discipline Advanced degree / JD preferred.

Experience

• Must have at least 7+ years of broad-based public relations and communications experience within a large professional services firm or corporate environment.  Law firm experience preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Must have strong orientation to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively with attorneys, professional level staff, and peers.
• Ability to act in a professional manner at all times.
• Ability to act with a high degree of integrity and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple assignments.
• Ability to work under pressure with interruptions and tight deadline.
• Desire to be proactive and highly responsive to attorney requests at all times.
• Willingness to regularly work late hours and occasionally on weekends.

Job Specific Skills

• Proven track record in developing media contacts and relationships with national or trade media; experience with international media highly desirable.  Must have a solid understanding of the legal industry, as well as the regional and national business environment.  Must have strong image and presence that engenders confidence from Firm management and attorneys.  Must display excellent verbal and written communication skills plus exceptional interpersonal skills.

Attendance

• All positions require punctuality and regular attendance.

Technological Skills

• Familiarity with MS Office Suite and media databases.

*This Position Description is intended to reflect in general duties and responsibilities and is not to be interpreted as all encompassing.  Nothing in this job description restricts the Firm’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.