Month: February 2018

Crisis and Litigation Communicator´s Alliance expands to new continent

The CLCA is pleased to welcome Australia’s premier provider of crisis and litigation communications – “Australian Public Affairs” (APA) – as a new member bringing a wealth of experience in this new southern hemisphere market for the alliance. For further information click here

Crisis and Litigation Communicator´s Alliance expands to new continent

Australian Public Affairs (APA) selected to join worldwide expert network

The Crisis and Litigation Communicator´s Alliance (CLCA) continues to grow steadily and is pleased to welcome the Australian Agency “Australian Public Affairs” (APA) as a new member to its worldwide network. APA specializes in Crisis and Litigation Communications, besides covering the complete portfolio of classic communication services.
Tracey Cain, Managing Director from Australian Public Affairs sees potential for clients to benefit from APA’s association with CLCA. “We are Australia’s premier provider of crisis and litigation communications and note that with increasing globalization the Australian marketplace is a significant element in legal decisions and the management of stakeholders around complex legal and regulatory challenges and opportunities. In CLCA we found a network of like-minded firms that wish to make an intellectual contribution to communications around legal issues and matters. Together we can offer clients a seamless communications solution across multiple jurisdictions. We are honoured to have been selected to be part this world-leading network.”
“The CLCA continues its usual growth course with big steps. We are delighted to have Australian Public Affairs and for being represented in the Australian market. We can tell that with the new English-speaking market we are well prepared for the future. Our new member convinces through an interdisciplinary approach and rich experience in various areas of legal communication “, noted Martin Jenewein from Schneider | Minar | Jenewein Consulting and Chairman of the CLCA.

Crisis and Litigation Communicators‘ Alliance continues its expansion

Czech Republic and Slovakia added as new markets, member exchange in the Netherlands

The Crisis and Litigation Communicators Alliance (CLCA) is pleased to welcome the Czech agency “Marcus and Art” as a new member to its network. The agency with offices in Prague (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovakia) specializes in Litigation PR, Crisis Communication and Digital Marketing. For the CLCA, this partnership opens up new possibilities.

“We at Marcus and Art are proud to become a member of the world’s leading platform for international Crisis and Litigation PR professionals. We look forward to cross-border projects with our partners and representing the CLCA in our two markets,” said Mirek Denes, Managing Partner at Marcus and Art.

Member Exchange in the Dutch Market

The CLCA is also welcoming a new member firm in the Netherlands. At the end of 2017 former Dutch member, Van Kempen Associates, left the network on account of the retirement of their founder from PR and the termination of their business activities. The CLCA is delighted to have found a high-calibre replacement member with the agency HuijskensBickerton. The team of HuijskensBickerton is based in Amsterdam and specializes in Crisis Communication, Corporate Communication, Financial Communication and Public Affairs.

“We have been following the CLCA for several years and are pleased to be the new Dutch member of the alliance. We look forward to future cooperation with the CLCA and the opportunities it can bring,” says Charles Huijskens, Founding Partner at HuijskensBickerton.
Martin Jenewein, Chairman of CLCA and Senior Partner at the Vienna based agency Schneider | Minar | Jenewein comments: “We are delighted that we were able to continue our expansion course and to widen our network. The CLCA is on a growth path and is attracting some excellent new member firms – that is very exciting.”

The Crisis and Litigation Communicators´ Alliance (CLCA) is a global network of owner-managed PR consulting firms who are leaders in the areas of Crisis Management and Strategic Legal communications in their respective markets. Clients can benefit from the collaboration of members on cross-border matters and the CLCA’s specialist expertise in international disputes (especially European Competition Law and Cartel cases, Cross-Border Litigation, Class Actions, Regulatory Enforcement cases, Fraud and Employment related disputes).

CLCA predictions for 2018

We asked three CLCA member firms to give their top 3 predictions of where they see workflow arising in 2018 and here is what they have to say:


Richard Levick, Chairman and CEO of LEVICK our US member firm:

1. Cyber will move into 3.0, where full disclosure is expected and there will be real loss of life, safety and health, not just information. Companies will be more on the defensive than they have been in the past. The question media will ask is, “What was your prophylaxis?” Companies better have a good answer.

2. Continuation of #MeToo targeted reputation challenges against high profile individuals (in the arts, politics, finance, etc) with Wall Street, law firms, and other industries not escaping the heat either. The obvious media question for companies is going to be: “What did you know and when did you know it?” with the potential for reputations to turn toxic if culture is called into question. It will also be important to navigate a path of fairness to the accused as well as alleged victims and other potential victims. HR will be under tremendous pressure to operate with due process.

3. Litigation funding is on the march. Not just in the US but globally. Disputes from fraud cases to divorce cases are now being financed by third-party funds and companies are increasingly striking deals with funders to take litigation risk off-balance sheet. This in turn means funders will have a skin in the PR dimension of cases. Watch this space….


Louise Beeson, consultant at Bell Yard Communications in the UK:

1. Expect more gender equality lawsuits (recruitment, pay and discrimination challenges). Companies in the UK with over 250 staff are now obliged by law to publish gender pay gap information which is proving incendiary at organisations like the BBC, in financial services firms and at certain global law firms. We are likely to see class action cases as well as employment claims from high profile senior managers.

2. There have already been legal challenges against the UK Government about their conduct of the Brexit process. 2018 will be the year Brexit spawns commercial and employment disputes – for example, employment claims from EU employees based in the UK who find themselves subject to discrimination, disputes over business contracts being lost due to Brexit or challenges to insurance policies being changed to take account of Brexit. This one will run and run for years to come, of course, as the detail and practical reality of Brexit begins to bite.

3. With the advent of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, new types of legal case will surely follow. Query will we see tighter regulation of cryptocurrency operators in 2018 with enforcement actions too and will there be a rush of claims from those who experience wrongdoing in cryptocurrency transactions – from fraudulent misrepresentation to fintech fails. This is clearly not just a UK trend. Given cryptocurrencies and their investors rely on various different underlying legal systems, the potential for multi-faceted cross-border disputes is high.


Uwe Wolff, CEO of NAÏMA Strategic Legal Services in Germany says:

1. I predict growing interest in our reputation-management service for the aftermath of a legal crisis. Executives involved in litigation don’t want their name forever tied to allegations or disappointing court judgments, which have reputation longevity thanks to the internet. Given not all online media reports will qualify for the right-to-be-forgotten, there are PR programmes and activities that can help to reposition personal reputation. Insurance companies are becoming increasingly receptive to covering these PR related services.

2. An increasing number of companies are finding themselves victim to deliberate and damaging fake-news media attacks. These may be orchestrated by protest groups, subversive competitors and eccentric hackers through to those with an interest in benefitting financially from such an attack. Companies need the right IT experts and the right communications partners to fight off these attacks and restore reputations.

3. Companies need compliance systems now for monitoring everything from employee behaviour to anti-bribery policies. And ironically these raise the bar for reputation fall-out if there is a compliance violation. The Supreme Court in Germany recently ruled that companies will face a less harsh sentence if their compliance system failed. With every failure comes a communications crisis ….