THE CHALLENGE
When the South Florida real estate boom was at a fever pitch, the law firm of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod became the “go-to” firm for both residential and commercial developers – as they literally helped build the Miami skyline. With the real estate meltdown in 2008/2009, the firm desired to be the “go-back-to” firm for distressed properties and assets. Building upon its preeminence as a mid-size firm, Bilzin Sumberg sought a public relations agency partner to help the firm and its senior partners breakthrough the clutter and communicate its unique experience and depth of expertise. The Agency also had the distinctive challenge of becoming a trusted resource for reporters because TMA was the third Miami PR agency chosen to represent Bilzin Sumberg within a five-month timeframe.
PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES & TACTICS
The Agency utilized media relations as the key component to position Bilzin Sumberg as the industry leader and the firm’s lawyers as thought leaders. By positioning a new practice group – the Distress Properties Group – as a cross-disciplinary association of experts, TMA was able to communicate how the firm was innovating to meet the needs of a dramatically changing economy. In addition to proactively placing by-lined articles, viewpoint pieces and attorneys as quotable sources in trade and business media, TMA created a DPG “elevator pitch” for immediate distribution to reporters who were writing real estate meltdown stories on deadline and needed legal commentary.
THE RESULTS
- After nearly three years of successfully representing Bilzin Sumberg as the firm’s PR agency partner, TMA catalogued more than 300 print, broadcast and electronic articles that either featured the firm or quoted attorneys as experts.
- These articles represented a combined readership/viewership of 223 million impressions.
- Coverage included: National Law Journal, Law 360, The Associated Press, Reuters, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, The Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, New York Newsday, ABA Banking Journal, Wealth Management Magazine, Florida Real Estate Journal, Daily Business Review, Florida Trend, Law.com, Miami Monthly magazine, El Nuevo Herald, Florida Investor, South Florida Business Journal, And many others
- A story about Bilzin Sumberg’s work in the Agency’s monthly e-newsletter, TMAgazine, generated four new business inquiries for the law firm.