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Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP

Communications & Media Relations

What's it like to work with F3?

While your legal matters are in the hands of some of the best-regarded education lawyers in the business, communications and media relations pros working closely with those lawyers help ensure honesty and transparency as matters are tried in the media, the community, and the homes of students. Here at F3, our highly experienced communications team is in-house and prepared to step in on a moment’s notice.

What can F3 solve for you?

For better or worse, public education is more than ever under the spotlight. When your legal matters trigger community and media questions or concerns, or become the subject of social media scrutiny, count on F3 to help you plan strategy, craft messages, coach those whose job is to deliver those messages, and work closely with the media to ensure your message is understood.

“Our job is to anticipate challenges and help you manage them – to provide an extra layer of comfort, beyond the legal, that the right message is getting through in both everyday matters and the most stressful of circumstances.”

– Terilyn Finders, Chief Client Services Officer

While your legal matters are in the hands of some of the best-regarded education lawyers in the business, communications and media relations pros working closely with those lawyers are best suited as your advocates in the court of public opinion. We understand well the ability of public opinion to shape perception around legal matters, which is why F3’s team of communication professionals is ready to assist. Here at F3, our highly experienced communications team is in-house and prepared to step in on a moment’s notice. Our communications group – including the firm’s Chief Client Services Officer and Director of Government Affairs working closely with assigned counsel – provide media training, communications audits, press releases, talking points, and counsel on the many specific issues boards and administrators face, and can step in whenever an urgent need occurs. 

Our communications team is called upon constantly to help districts and colleges address projects that may be controversial or misunderstood, such as protests and free speech issues, high-profile litigation, campus consolidations, school property sales or conversions, or college and school funding; layoffs and other personnel matters; and litigation of every kind. We create campaigns to ensure truthfulness and transparency; train district and college personnel on proactively developing productive relations with local and other media; advise superintendents, presidents and senior administrators on responding to inquiries from the media the community, the board, and from parents; train on social media best practices; and finally, guide boards, administrators, and school and college officials through even the most unexpected and extreme crises. 

Communication Audits 

Clients often ask us to review and assess their communication protocols for operational efficiency and effectiveness. Our goal is to get you ahead of media and community inquiries and demonstrate transparency while we’re working the legal end. Beginning with a clear understanding of your objectives, we look at your existing communication policies and procedures to ensure they will achieve those objectives. Who are the designated spokespeople for various situations, and what are they empowered to communicate? What are the district policies regarding websites and social media, and have they kept up the technology and best practices? Are existing policies being followed? We can help you update existing communication policies and procedures, and develop new ones where they’re needed. 

Media training 

The training we provide begins with a close look at your goals, challenges, and opportunities. Our mission is to train those responsible for communicating with the media and the public – as well as internally – in the tools and processes that will engender confidence. The point is to give you confidence and never leave you wondering what to do. When should you get ahead of an issue by reaching out before you’re forced into reactive mode? What types of communications are appropriate for specific situations? How should you present a calm and in-control presence in a true crisis? These are the kinds of questions we can help you answer, and every school and every district is different, both in the communities they serve and in the people who are in the public eye. So, our training is never cookie-cutter. And it’s never the same kind of training that a corporation, for example, would receive. We are schools and educators, after all, with a unique mission, public perception, and need for great sensitivity. 

F3 is known for these strengths

  • Providing communications support for legal matters handled by the firm
  • Understanding clients’ desired outcomes
  • Communications that promote honesty and transparency
  • Auditing communications policies and procedures
  • Helping develop ongoing media relationships for districts and colleges 
  • Media training customized for specific districts and schools
  • Creating talking points, press releases, and campaigns attached to operational matters 
  • Strategic planning of media responses
  • Helping clients stay calm and focused in emotional situations
  • Advising on responding to social media attention
  • Managing contentious public events and meetings
  • Providing training sessions as requested on media relations generally and on managing communications around specific issues

Related Professionals

  • Media item displaying: Terilyn Finders

    Terilyn Finders

    Chief Client Services Officer

    Oakland
    510.550.8208 510.550.8208
    tfinders@f3law.com

  • Media item displaying: Laura Preston

    Laura Preston

    Director of Government Affairs

    Sacramento
    916.604.3084 916.604.3084
    lpreston@f3law.com

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