Litigation PR must take into consideration the characteristics and differences of criminal and civil law.
In criminal law, effective strategic legal communication can help to exonerate the client and thus defend the client against the prosecutors.
In civil law, effective litigation PR can help to ward off or win existing claims.
Be it in the sphere of criminal or civil law, litigation PR can definitely influence the judicial climate to the advantage of the client, for judges, assessors, jury members, district lawyers and witnesses also watch the media.
Criminal Law:
Within criminal law, litigation PR focuses on supporting the defendant long-term. In doing so, litigation PR can become a highly effective instrument of defense: during the investigation phase, it provides a necessary corrective to the sovereignty of information and interpretation of the department of public prosecution; furthermore, exonerating information can be obtained with the help of litigation PR.
In this way the initial advantage that the department of public prosecution has in the media can be lessened, and information can be added or newly adjusted. It has been proven that litigation PR can influence the course of investigation of the department of public prosecution.
As there are often well-founded doubts in regard to the neutrality of the latter, one of the primary tasks of litigation PR is to correct the perception of the defendant in the eyes of the public and the rest of the parties to the proceedings.
Civil Law:
Even in extremely complex legal cases involving controversial issues and high values, powerful and effective litigation PR can definitely succeed in bringing the parties to the dispute together to reach a settlement.
Postulated claims can successfully be strengthened through effective litigation PR, in regard to the legal opponent as well as the public.
In the case of weak and shaky facts of a case, effective litigation PR can – in acting as a deterrent – play a part in helping the claimant recognize his weak position and lack of public support early on and thus refrain from legal proceedings or a lawsuit.