No matter what industry you work in or what your specific role is, if what you do includes some form of “communications,” you will inevitably cross paths with lawyers. “Comms” people understandably cringe at the thought of a lawyer – or anyone else – disassembling our team’s creative idea or pushing the bounds of an already tight review timeline.
Sound familiar? Well, as you know, your company hired the Legal teams to keep its best interests at heart and protect it from litigation. Ironically, that’s also part of your job as a Communications person. Therefore, it makes sense that Legal and Comms should be on the same team, no? Here are five tips that might help make Legal reviews a lot less painful.
- Engage early. Lawyers, like communicators, have an important perspective to offer. If you bring them in at the beginning of a project, they can usually flag potential hurdles you might face. Better yet, if they understand the purpose of the project, they’re more likely to help clear the legal path so everyone’s objectives can be met.
- Provide context. Educate your Legal team on your role, the goals of your program and the specific communications channels you’re trying to use. If you get your Legal Department to be advocates for your work, it’ll be much easier to produce without a hitch.
- Explain why. Sometimes we don’t spend enough time explaining such basics as why we’re targeting a specific audience or the research we’ve used to build a program. After all, communications is a science. Be prepared to explain why you’re implementing a new communications channel or why you want to say something without all the legalese.
- Update often. We all know how quickly plans and programs can change. Be sure to loop in your Legal contacts so there aren’t any surprises during that last round of approvals.
- Say “thanks.” A simple “thank you” can go a long way toward building a future working relationship. Moreover, it’s the right thing to do at the conclusion of any project. It’s social interaction 101, and there’s no faking sincerity.
What other tips do you have for working with your Legal departments?