Media and Government Relations

Another Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey specialty area is media and government relations.

Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey regularly consults with corporations and executives confronting potential crises that require a guiding hand. In resolving these situations, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey's collective experience as, and with, government officials, and our relationships these officials and with members of the media are important tools at our disposal. We get these calls because we get results for our clients.

The ability to work with the media in a case often transforms the result for a client. The lawyers at Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey have significant experience with both electronic and print media in investigations, indictments and litigation. Contrary to conventional wisdom, on many occasions we have advocated that our client talk with the press – usually with successful and satisfying results. Silence, or "no comment" may be the prudent course in other cases. There is no formula here; each case requires a carefully tailored strategy based on its own circumstances and advancing the objectives of our client. When appropriate, we work together with top public relations professionals to chart the best strategy. We will not make public relations decisions out of fear, inexperience or inaction.

Here are some examples of our efforts in this area:

 

Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey Helped Guide the New Red Sox Owners through AG Probe

Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey played a quiet, but crucial role, in its representation of New England Sports Ventures, Inc., in its 2002 acquisition of the Boston Red Sox when the Massachusetts Attorney General threatened to halt the sale. With the looming prospect of the re-opening the bid process to purchase the team, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey interceded and helped secure a settlement that allowed the sale to the new owners to proceed.

Residential Youth Home Survives Inquest and Media Onslaught

Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey represented a non-profit residential facility for troubled youth in which a teenage resident with a history of violence died while being restrained by two employees. Media coverage in the wake of the incident was intense and overwhelmingly negative fueling demands for action against our client. The district attorney commenced an inquest, an investigative process overseen by a judge, to determine whether criminal charges should be brought. Employing a strategy that it developed on behalf of the client, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey was able to change the media coverage to accurately relate the unfortunate circumstances of the event and sympathetic efforts by the facility. The inquest judge ultimately found no culpability. Our client was exonerated and, reputation intact, returned to providing services.

Legislator Quickly Cleared in Court, and in the Court of Public Opinion

In cases where concerns of public perception and personal reputation are paramount, keen investigative work is often the best defense. For example, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey succeeded in turning a potentially damaging media story about a Massachusetts legislator into a legal and public relations victory through a quick and effective internal investigation. Our high-profile client had, only the day before, been sued for sexual harassment. By arranging a near-immediate meeting with plaintiff's lawyer and producing compelling evidence demonstrating that the client was the victim of nothing more than unrequited affection, we not only forced the prompt dismissal of the lawsuit, but were able to coordinate news stories that discredited the allegations, thus protecting our client's reputation.