Manager, Media Relations

White & Case

  • New York City, NY
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 month ago
Firm SummaryWhite & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be.With lawyers operating from more than 40 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the world’s key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work.It’s not just about our global network of offices; it’s the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients, value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. It’s one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work.Our lawyers are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative and committed to excellence. Our people represent 90 nationalities and speak 80 languages.Position SummaryThe Manager, Media Relations works directly with partners and business services leaders to provide media relations advice and execution, with an emphasis on proactive work to manage firm announcements, protect and promote the firm’s reputation and leverage practice and industry expertise to join public conversations about current issues in the news.The Manager will lead the practice-wide Americas-based media relations programs for the firm’s Disputes Practices, which include Litigation, International Arbitration, White Collar, Intellectual Property and Trade, as well as Pro Bono and Global Citizenship. The manager will also spearhead Americas media relations activity for the corresponding Global Industry Groups, which include Life Sciences & Healthcare and Technology.This role is part of a global Media Relations team. Based in New York, the Manager will interact with lawyers and colleagues across the firm’s 11 offices in the US and Latin America, as well as colleagues in offices across our EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.The TeamThe Manager, Media Relations is part of a global team spread across locations including New York, London, Paris, Hamburg and Melbourne.The Manager will sit in the Americas team, with peers that are also in the New York office. Reporting to the Associate Director of Media Relations for the Americas, the Manager’s immediate team consists of another manager and a specialist. The Director of Media Relations also sits in New York.The Broader FunctionThe role resides within the Global Marketing and Business Development function, an integrated team of more than 250 marketers based throughout the firm’s 43 offices across the globe. Marketing and BD consists of several key departments: Business Development, Marketing Technology, Creative Services, Global Events, Integrated Marketing and Communications. Together, we drive the firm's strategic growth by delivering innovative marketing solutions, fostering client relationships, and enhancing the firm's market presence. Our collective objectives are to support the firm’s business goals, promote its global brand, and create a cohesive and compelling narrative that resonates with clients, prospects and employees alike. Through collaboration, creativity and strategic insight, marketers at White & Case ensure that we reach and engage our target audiences effectively, elevating the firm’s reputation and contributing to its success.Led by a new CMO, marketing at White & Case values team members who bring a broad range of experiences and expertise, from both within and outside the legal industry. The team’s mission is to make White & Case one of the world’s best and most respected brands.Duties and Accountabilities1
  • Manage the Americas media strategy for a portfolio of the firm’s Disputes practice areas (Litigation, International Arbitration, White Collar, Intellectual Property and Trade), Pro Bono and Global Citizenship and select Global Industry Groups (Life Sciences & Healthcare and Technology), with an emphasis on executing through proactive planning, tactical coordination and measurable outcomes that are in line with the overarching Americas and global media relations strategy
  • Act as the primary media relations contact for the firm’s Global Practice Leads, Global Industry Leaders and partners in the portfolio, confidently offering strategic media relations counsel that both protects and promotes the firm’s reputation as an elite global law firm
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with mainstream media, disputes trade press and legal trade press
  • Generate and pitch story ideas about the firm’s practices and areas of expertise, securing a wide range of media placements including thought leadership commentary, Q&As, features, bylines, podcasts and other broadcast placements
  • Manage media monitoring and track tangible earned media results for the Disputes portfolio and manage quarterly media relations activity reports for stakeholders across the firm
  • Write press releases, backgrounders, and draft Q&As and statements
  • Provide media coaching and preparation to key spokespeople ahead of media engagement
  • Ensure that all media opportunities are vetted in line with firm policies and procedures
  • Maintain strong relationships with business development colleagues to ensure that media relations strategy and activity for each practice is in line with business development and branding goals
  • Collaborate with other Communications team members to increase partner, practice and overall firm visibility, ensuring cross-over between internal and external communications issues are effectively managed
  • Leverage thought leadership content for media relations activity, including devising strategies and executing pitches that result in strategic media placements for the firm
  • Ensure that media relations messaging is globally consistent, while being regionally nuanced
  • Contribute to a collegial, engaged, high-performing team and cultivate junior team members
  • Provide support to senior members of the Media Relations team when necessary
  • Assist in managing activities of the firm’s external public relations agency in the Americas
Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • At least five (5) years’ experience in the media relations field, including meaningful experience working in-house or in a PR agency; professional services experience is preferred
  • Ability to use databases, newswires and other data sources related to media relations
  • Excellent writing and editing skills; a persuasive communicator to internal and external audiences
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a focus on storytelling and customer service
  • Proven ability to develop media relations plans and strategies to support specific, actionable business objectives
  • Knowledge of relevant firm computer software programs (e.g., Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint), with the ability to learn new software and operating systems
  • Flexibility to adjust hours necessary to meet operating and business needs
  • Ability to work with team members from different cultures spread across multiple offices and geographic regions
  • Ability to distill complex legal materials into actionable media narratives
  • Strong problem-solving, relationship-building and interpersonal skills across a range of tasks and audiences
  • Creative thinker who excels at identifying issues and opportunities in the business press and developing solutions to address them
  • Ability to handle sensitive matters and maintain confidentiality
  • Meticulous attention to detail
  • Client service orientation
  • Avid news consumer
  • Strong judgment, critical thinking, decisiveness
  • Curiosity and an open mind for learning about issues and trends that are relevant to the firm’s business, practice areas and industries
  • Ability to work independently and proactively, adaptive to changing and sometimes competing demands
  • Deadline-driven, and able to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously to deliver quality work
Location & Reporting
  • This role is based in New York.
  • This role reports to the Associate Director of Media Relations.
Equal OpportunitiesWhite & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact talent.acquisition@whitecase.com.Benefits at White & CaseWhite & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.1The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

White & Case