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UK Job Description
The Firm
Reed Smith is a global law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 30 offices throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.
Operating as one global partnership, we represent leading international businesses from FTSE 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises; advising clients on cross border transactions, international commercial disputes and regulation. We specialise in industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, energy and natural resources, entertainment and media, shipping and real estate.
We all share a common culture, with core values supporting the firm’s commitment to add value, achieve excellence, and promote professional development. London is our largest office with approximately 700 people, including over 350 fee earners across the full range of commercial practice areas. Consistent with the firm’s strategy, the office has grown significantly over the past five years. Key to this growth has been our ability to successfully integrate new hires into our business and give them a platform to flourish. We place a huge significance on listening to our people and incorporating their ideas wherever possible.
Responsibilities
As part of the global corporate communications team, this role supports the firm’s brand proposition and content strategy. The ideal candidate for this role, which reports to the corporate communications director, will be an adaptable team player, driven to engage with teams locally and globally to execute PR and communications activity. This position places a premium on quality writing.
Working Closely With Colleagues In The Firm’s In-house PR Team And The Firm’s Outside PR Agencies To Strategically Raise The Firm’s External Profile. With Primary Responsibility For All PR Activity For EMEA And Oversight For Selected EMEA PR Agencies. Responsibilities Include:
- Developing and maintaining strong media contacts with the legal media, national and regional media and sector trade media for which the role is responsible
- Ensuring entry into relevant awards and survey features (including selection, drafting and entering) for the areas that the role supports
- Proactively identifying media opportunities, drafting and canvassing press releases, pitching story ideas, ghost writing of some bylined articles and working to ensure maximum coverage of stories and the firm’s work
- Communicating the firm’s purpose and vision (such as its innovation proposition). Drafting messaging for media consumption and other channels
- Coaching and advising partners with press enquiries and media interviews
- Acting as point person for all media enquiries and lead on response to crisis comms issues, in addition work with regional senior management to pre-empt and plan for crisis comms situations
- Supporting the firm’s initiatives with media outreach and award submissions
- Communicate some of the firm’s financial and legal obligations
- Manage all PR agency relationships across the region for which the role is responsible along with the Assistant Director of External Communications
- Responsive to ad hoc enquiries of a communications nature, including briefing materials, social media messaging, and other deliverables
- Responsibility for managing junior members of the team, PR agencies and other supplier relationships (i.e. media monitoring)
- Working closely with the firm’s global brand manager and regional marketers on the consideration and PR execution of brand campaigns for the areas and local markets that the PR manager supports.
- Support other external communications outreach, such as developing campaigns and producing social media and web content, as well as internal communications outreach.
- Represent PR team at industry and practice group meetings, providing progress updates and delivering PR and media relations training where required
Key Skills, Attributes and Experience
- Creative and dynamic writer – ability to write for different audiences and in different tones
- Excellent understanding of the legal and trade media
- Creative and critical thinker – can rework an idea into something media friendly, generates ideas for partners/BD who might need some encouragement
- Proactive
- Excellent time management
- Resilience and ability to work under pressure
- Stakeholder management – handling difficult partners, pushing back and being authoritative when necessary
- Good at networking – within the legal PR and journalism industry, as well as internally within the firm
- Ability to work as a team and also independently
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to track analytics and evaluate PR performance
Competencies
- 5 years of experience in professional services or media environment is preferred
- Some legal knowledge/law firm background is desired but not essential
- Word (advanced level)
- Excel and PowerPoint
- Extensive knowledge of Outlook essential
- Good typing skills
- Proofreading experience.
- HTML
- Social media
At Reed Smith, we welcome direct applications either in response to one of our advertised vacancies or on a speculative basis. Please click on the “Apply Now” button to submit your details and we will be in touch.
No search firms/agencies please.
Reed Smith's success depends heavily on the effective utilization of qualified people, regardless of their race, ancestry, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability, veteran's status, or any characteristic protected by law. As a firm, we adhere to and promote equal employment opportunity for all.
We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you have a disability or a long-term health condition and require adjustments to be made for you within the recruitment process, please contact a member of the Recruitment team. For more information on our approach to diversity and inclusion please visit our website . 
