Wahlberg, Woodruff, Nimmo & Sloane
Press conference receives national media coverage and results in dozens of new clients for law firm
Project Overview:
CKC Agency received an urgent phone call from a trial lawyer in Denver requesting our PR counsel regarding an extremely delicate situation with national news interest. His firm represented more than a dozen alleged sexual misconduct victims of a former University of Michigan physician from four decades ago…including the whistleblower who filed an original complaint in 1975.
He planned to go public with new evidence and unveil the whistleblower and a new victim within days. CKC Agency was hired to help bring this highly emotional story public, generate empathy for the alleged victims and to hold the University accountable without causing U of M to cut off discussions with the law firm.
Tactics Implemented:
CKC Agency recommended holding a press conference and shifted into high gear. By noon the day after the phone call, CKC Agency team members visited and booked a hotel conference room, made the necessary press conference arrangements for 10 a.m. event on the following day, wrote and distributed an approved media alert on PR Newswire, fielded media calls and coordinated details with the law firm.
All was falling into place UNTIL a hotel rep called at 5 p.m. that afternoon to say they were canceling the press conference because of the topic. After contacting our client, the CKC Agency team pulled out all the stops. By 8 p.m. we secured another press conference locale, made the necessary arrangements, updated and resent a press release on PR Newswire and alerted news desks and reporters.
Results Achieved:
The press conference was attended by all major print and broadcast news outlets (including the Associated Press) and media coverage went national. The law firm gained dozens of new clients.
