PR Executive

The PR Executive will contribute to the PR team's day to day activities, helping to drive PR activity and media coverage for the Firm, working closely with others in the team to support on a range of activities across sector group PR, firmwide PR and international PR. The PR Executive will get involved in a broad range of PR activities and be part of a team which drives the Firm's marketing communications, spanning the full mix including media relations, digital marketing, campaigns, design and brand management, events, awards, and thought leadership across the Firm and all of its practices and sectors.
This role is crucial for supporting the team in enhancing the Firm's brand presence, engaging multiple stakeholders, and effectively communicating and protecting our value proposition on a global scale. This role will provide additional capacity to the PR team, who work together to manage a busy law firm press office and deal with often complex communications challenges for a diverse range of stakeholders each day. The role will play an active part in achieving press coverage for the Firm and will also be crucial in giving the team the necessary capacity to balance admin, logging coverage, tracking issues etc. with proactively building journalist relationships and delivering top-tier media coverage.
This role will also work closely with the other parts of the Marketing and Communications and Business Development teams to make sure that communications activity is carried out in an integrated way.

Role Purpose
Provide capacity to Firm's PR / external communications function and contribute to executing the Firm's go-to-market strategy and building the Charles Russell Speechlys brand, internally and externally. As a key member of the team you will get involved in enhancing, promoting and protecting the Firm's reputation and brand with external stakeholders.

Key Relationships
Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs
PR & Communications team
Our PR Agency
Marketing & Client Development Team
Key Partners, lawyers and other stakeholders in the Firm, aligned with Firm strategy
Knowledge Development Lawyers

Roles and Responsibilities
•Comply with all relevant legal and regulatory obligations including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations, and Principles.
•Build relationships with Marketing and Client Development colleagues, with Partners and teams, and across the Firm, to help you deliver effective and measurable media relations activity in line with the Firm's core strategic pillars;
•Work with Marketing and Client Development colleagues to provide PR advice for events, thought leadership and other projects, and everyday engagement with the media;
•Develop your own relationship with our PR agency, and support the PR Manager and Senior PR Executive in developing and sustaining the PR team's relationship with the agency;
•Contribute to PR plans and strategies for your relevant sector groups, and support on delivery;
•Work with the PR Manager, Senior PR Executive and PR agency to ensure effective media relations;
•Monitor daily media for comment opportunities;
•Respond to media enquiries and liaise directly with Partners and lawyers in the Firm;
•Build relationships with journalists to proactively generate PR opportunities;
•Set up and host media meetings and provide pre-briefs and follow-up to partners and lawyers;
•Write press releases and communications packages;
•Write other PR material, for example firm and sector fact sheets, media briefing notes, and legal award submissions;
•Drive the process and calendar with the wider Marketing and Business Development team with content for awards and legal directories;
•Seamlessly work with the wider communications team to ensure joined-up approaches to internal and external communications, and social media;
•Help to maintain media lists, PR opportunity trackers, PR calendars, plans and the administrative elements of other documents and systems;
•Manage ad-hoc tasks such as researching service providers, helping prepare and deliver internal presentations and media training;
•Report coverage via monthly reports, and via the news section of our intranet and internal newsletters;
•Upload media coverage to the website via Episerver, and liaise with the social media team to suggest suitable social copy for wider consumption.

Skills and Experience
•Has 3 years + PR experience in a business-to-business environment, preferably in a law firm or other professional services firm;
•Is computer-literate, skilled in the Office software suite, and used to logging coverage and activity in Microsoft Excel;
•Experience of using PR systems such as media database and monitoring services desirable;
•Has a genuine interest in news, with an understanding of business issues and the media landscape;
•Is of graduate calibre or similar, with qualifications in PR or journalism;
•Contacts within the UK national and sector / trade press desirable.

Person Specification
•Has excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with superb attention to detail;
•Is confident and persuasive when speaking to journalists and lawyers, often at a senior level;
•Is a team player with a positive, proactive attitude, able to work collaboratively with others;
•Will develop professional relationships and work effectively across the Firm within an established team;
•Is a self-starter with a consultative and flexible approach;
•Is well-organised with a proactive approach to work;
•Is solution-oriented, good at problem-solving and calm under pressure;
•Is diplomatic, particularly when handling sensitive and confidential issues;
•Able to deal with sensitive and confidential information.

Competencies
•Working together
•Integrity and respect
•Inclusive
•Personal impact and growth
•Driving high standards
•Commercial mindset
•Client - centric
•Teamwork
•Responsible Business
•Attention to Detail

Hybrid working - We adopt a hybrid and flexible working approach, dependent on the requirements of the role and subject to manager approval.

For a detailed specification please download the job description in the documents section of this page.

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