In today’s 24/7 news cycle attorneys must be cognizant of media attention and how to handle high profile cases that end up becoming newsworthy. Nowadays, you can take a case involving a 16 year-old high school student doing a partially nude photo spread for the school newspaper and wake up with 50 voicemails the next morning from various local and national media outlets. How do you handle this media attention?
Join Dan Gilleon as he discusses the risks, benefits and ethical pitfalls of handling cases with high media attention. The main topics discussed during this presentation include the benefits of media exposure for your case, issues to consider when your case becomes newsworthy, the ethical & tactical risks of media coverage and the fine points of presenting your case to the news media. Further items discussed include getting more witnesses & evidence from media coverage, three types of media exposure, commentator issues, getting authorization from your client, journalism ethics, the risks of not commenting on a case, preparing your client for the possible negative reactions, making sure the case has already been filed, intangible benefits, creating sound bites, using the media to level the playing field for your client, negative public perceptions, getting informed consent from your client, releasing confidential information, trial publicity rules, – affecting the outcome of a case, – irritating the judge, criminal cases, confidentiality, extortion, live vs. recorded interviews, ways to get media coverage, trust and appearance.
Daniel M. Gilleon has spent more than a decade at the forefront of San Diego personal injury and civil rights litigation. Known as a tenacious litigator, his outstanding track record makes him a distinguished legal voice in the local and national media. Mr. Gilleon practices in the areas of personal injury, employment law and civil rights.