Washington, District of Columbia, United States
I am a skilled communications and public relations professional with nearly 25 years of experience in the legal and professional services industries. In 2022 I joined leading IP firm Knobbe Martens as its inaugural director of communications and PR. Before then, I served for more than a decade as global director of communications for Akin Gump, an Am Law 50 firm and among the largest public policy firms in Washington, D.C. In my role I develop and lead the execution of communications, PR and content strategies that raise the profile of the firm and its lawyers before highly valued audiences. I collaborate with individual lawyers, firm leadership and business services teams to promote the firm's leading practices, client-facing work, thought leadership and innovative initiatives. Throughout my career I have launched and led digital content and communications efforts; developed close and productive relationships with reporters at top-tier media outlets; created and overseen internal firm communications programs; advised on crisis situations; and successfully led and mentored multi-office communications teams. The greatest pleasures I derive from my career are collaborating with others, and problem solving in a stimulating environment.
I serve as the global head of communications and public relations for Akin Gump, one of the world's largest law and policy firms with 20 offices across the globe. No day is typical, but on any given day my tasks can consist of developing a response to an inquiry from a global media outlet and serving as firm spokesperson concerning the firm's role in a prominent, headline-grabbing matter; pitching a story or source to targeted outlets and reporters regarding a hot issue or trend in a particular area; developing talking points and coaching lawyers on media interviews and press engagement; seeking a profile-raising opportunity for a client success or firm achievement; preparing firm leadership and other internal communications; overseeing the publication of content to firm social media feeds; directing the publication of a thought leadership piece; and guiding the production of a podcast interview. I lead an internal team of six, along with two external agencies, one of which is based in the UK. I have led the firm's PR and communications efforts through such issues as: the election of the firm's first new chair in two decades (and its first-ever woman chair); the onboarding of substantial teams of lawyers under challenging and highly visible circumstances in the firm's Washington, D.C., New York, London and Hong Kong offices; the onboarding of dozens of lateral partners, including a number former members of Congress and those who have come from high profile positions in government agencies; launching the firm's first strategic internal communications vehicle; the firm's leading response to worldwide and industry calls for racial equity and social justice; and developed internal messaging around and served as firm spokesperson for strategic and crisis communication matters--among many other endeavors far too numerous to mention.
In this role, I worked directly with the Director of Communications to handle media relations, public and internal communications for Akin Gump. I worked directly with our attorneys, practice groups and firm management to identify, pursue and secure targeted media opportunities across a variety of publications. I also sought to maintain strong relationships with journalists who operate in the legal industry and in the firm's key industries of service. My role extended to advising on and drafting key internal communications messages, developing targeted media outreach plans for specific cases and representations, and participating in the identification and drafting of nominations and survey responses for prominent industry awards and recognitions.. While in this role, some of the highlights of my work included: - playing a key role in media outreach for over two dozen laterals, including nearly a dozen partners in the firm's global project finance team, a former U.S. congressman and a number of partners who are among the preeminent practitioners in their fields; - developing a media plan and securing coverage in local and national print, web and broadcast outlets for the firm's pro bono representation of a group of Holocaust survivors; -conducting targeted media outreach and securing coverage of the firm's pro bono representation of a group of Washington, DC taxi drivers in a lawsuit against the city; -successfully pitching the firm's work in key, high-profile areas to secure commentary and/or coverage in relevant media outlets; and -securing placements of articles authored by firm attorneys in key national and industry publications, including publications in the corporate, energy, health, labor and mergers & acquisitions spaces, among many others.
I oversaw all client-facing communications for Venable. My responsibilites ran the gamut, from providing editorial direction on client alerts and newsletters, to editing news releases, authoring website content, creating and maintaining communication templates, developing social media strategies, and just generally being a go-to guy on my team for all things communication-related. Most members of our BD team had my extension on speed dial. During 2010, I led our team's comprehensive outreach efforts centered on the 2010 mid-term elections and their ramifications, which resulted in a significant amount of press coverage for the firm. I also focused on ways that our attorneys could leverage social media tools in an exciting and effective way.