Oleksiy Shevchuk, Partner at BARRISTERS, LLC: Know-How for Law Firms on How to Win a PR War

Today, February 19, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is hosting a legal workshop titled “Investment ABC: ‘KNOW HOW’—The 2019 Course,” organized by the law firm EVRIS and the Barristers Law Association.

As part of the event, Oleksiy Shevchuk, an attorney with the “Barristers” Bar Association, spoke about so-called “life hacks” for law firms to win the PR war.

“We have become a ‘society of four screens.’ We constantly consume information from our phones, tablets, and computers, using the Internet and social media.

Law enforcement agencies have also moved into this arena. Even ‘giants’ like the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) are waging a war by shaping a certain information landscape—and they often win.

Therefore, it is also crucial for law firms to utilize the PR arena.

How-To Guide for Law Firms on Winning the PR War:

Have a professional legal journalist on staff;
Have your own small media outlet and become a primary source of information.
Don’t be afraid to use internal security materials to have a full range of options when defending your clients’ rights (qualification commissions, internal security);
Become a journalist yourself. The Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure provide journalists with numerous safeguards. Sometimes a journalist can gain access to places where a lawyer cannot.
Leverage expert analysis.
Do not be afraid to hold officials accountable.

Our company was one of the first to implement information warfare for defense. Don’t be afraid to step into the public arena.”