Elevating a National Litigation Firm’s Profile Through Strategic PR and Thought Leadership

CLIENT: 

Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC is a leading national litigation boutique with offices in Birmingham and Houston. With more than 70 attorneys, the firm is recognized for its expertise in high-stakes litigation, white-collar defense, NCAA investigations and corporate compliance across the United States.

THE CHALLENGE: 

When Lightfoot first approached Reputation Ink in 2017, the firm sought to expand its reputation beyond the Southeast. Although highly respected in Alabama and among its client base, the firm sought to establish itself as a go-to litigation firm on a national level. The firm had handled PR and content marketing in-house but needed deeper bench strength, strategic direction and greater media visibility.

The timing was critical: Lightfoot partner Jack Sharman had just been appointed special counsel to the Alabama House Judiciary Committee to oversee the impeachment investigation of former Governor Robert Bentley — a high-profile assignment with significant national media interest.

Beyond that opportunity, the firm wanted to:

• Raise its profile in the national legal and business media
• Strengthen its thought leadership footprint
• Support business development through content marketing
• Promote various initiatives and leadership transitions
• Gain traction in competitive legal rankings and awards

OUR SOLUTION: 

Reputation Ink developed and continues to manage a fully integrated public relations and content strategy for Lightfoot. We became an embedded extension of their marketing team, offering a comprehensive service that includes:

• Proactive media relations: We continuously pitch stories and secure national, trade and regional coverage. We’ve built media relationships that now rely on Lightfoot attorneys as expert sources in high-profile litigation and white-collar matters.
• Thought leadership development: We conduct regular knowledge extraction sessions with attorneys to develop bylined articles, commentary and thought leadership placements.
• Awards and rankings strategy: We manage nominations across dozens of key rankings, including Chambers, Benchmark Litigation, Lawdragon and ALM’s Trailblazers series.
• Content creation: We write, edit and update web copy, attorney bios, practice group descriptions and in-depth case studies that showcase the firm’s litigation prowess.
• Crisis communications: We’ve supported the firm through multiple high-profile and sensitive matters, providing media guidance and messaging strategy.
• Executive positioning: We’ve helped elevate key leaders through PR efforts focused on firm growth, innovation, and culture, including the transition to a new managing partner.

RESULTS:

• Massive earned media impact: Over 665 media placements in just one two-year span, with an audience reach of more than 1 billion and an advertising equivalency of $11M+.
• National recognition: Attorneys have been featured in Bloomberg, USA Today, Law.com, Law360, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and more — on topics ranging from the Theranos prosecution to crypto fraud to emerging courtroom technology.
• Media positioning success: Jack Sharman is now a go-to national commentator on white-collar issues, regularly quoted by Bloomberg and featured in legal media.
• Strategic firm milestones: Reputation Ink led media strategy for the Houston office launch, helped guide PR around leadership changes and supported marketing team transitions.
• Award wins: The firm and its attorneys have been recognized with dozens of national and regional awards, including the ALM Southeastern Legal Awards, National Law Journal Trailblazers, American Lawyer Industry Awards, the Burton Awards, Lawdragon, Women of Influence rankings and local business journal 40 under 40 lists.

MEDIA COVERAGE SNAPSHOT:

• The Birmingham Business Journal: “A Shifting Dynamic”
• Law360: “A Per Se Setback For DOJ’s No-Poach Prosecutions”
• Law360: “9 Years Post-Ritchie, Some Clarity On Texas Fiduciary Duties”
• Law360: “Fraud Study Reflects Juror Assumptions About Intent”
• The Atlanta-Journal Constitution: “Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley enter federal prisons”
• Law.com: “’Modern Juries Are Unhappy’: 6 Ways to Win Them Over”
• Law.com: “From Doorbell Cameras to 3D: Attorneys Explore New Technology in the Courtroom”
• Law360: “A Refresher On Witness Testimony In 3 Key Settings”
• Bloomberg: “The Men Who Flipped On Bill Hwang Were Trusted Lieutenants”
• USA Today: “Betsy DeVos’ family claims $100 million con with investment in health care startup Theranos”
• Law.com “Nosy, Daring and Unguarded: The Case for a More Conversational Practice of Law”
• Law360: “White Collar Archetypes: Wrangling The Shape-Shifter”
• Emerging Litigation Podcast: “Appellate Lawyers at Trial: Don’t Wait Until Your Ox is in the Ditch with Jeff Doss”
• Bloomberg Law: “Supreme Court Case to Test Reach of Mail, Wire Fraud Statutes”
• Law360: “4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial”
• Law360: “’Pig Butchering’: The Scam That Exploits Crypto Confusion”
• The Birmingham Business Journal: “Defense attorney talks strategy in the face of rising verdicts”
• Law360: “Elizabeth Holmes Begins 11-Year Prison Sentence in Texas”
• The Birmingham Business Journal: “Are David & Goliath trading places in the courtroom?” 
• Connecticut Law Tribune: “From Doorbell Cameras to 3D: Attorneys Explore New Technology in the Courtroom”
• Law.com: “How I Made Partner: ‘Prioritize Your Cases and Your Clients,’ Says Amie Vague of Lightfoot, Franklin & White”
• Law360: “4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare for Trial” 

“Partnering with Reputation Ink has been one of the best strategic decisions Lightfoot has made. Their team consistently goes above and beyond, anticipating our needs and transforming our communication challenges into opportunities. They’ve become an invaluable part of our marketing department, providing invaluable crisis management support, creative content ideas, and media relationships that have significantly elevated our profile. They continue to evolve alongside us, adapting their approach as our firm and strategy have grown while maintaining the same personalized attention we received from day one.”

Paula McCauley,
Director of Marketing and Business Development