Essential Job Functions:
Drive the planning and delivery of London-focused transactional media engagement in close collaboration with the Associate Director, through:
- Acting as a day-to-day point of contact with the press, with a particular emphasis on the firm’s transactional practices focused on financial services, M&A, private equity, private credit and capital markets.
- Leveraging knowledge of the financial services, asset management and private equity sectors to identify and pursue media opportunities that resonate with key target audiences.
- Identifying suitable profile opportunities including comment pieces, byline articles, case studies and more across national, broadcast, trade and regional titles.
- Building and maintaining relationships with target reporters and monitoring editorial calendars of relevant publications.
- Scheduling and organising media briefings, including preparing partners for media interviews and advising on press response techniques.
- Generating story ideas and pitching these to relevant titles to secure positive media coverage.
- Writing press releases, articles and other communications materials, including crafting angles to improve the newsworthiness of practice news/announcements.
- Building and maintaining media contact lists on our media database.
- Regularly attending practice group meetings and engaging directly with partners to identify and deliver media opportunities which support practice group business plans and enhance the firm's market profile.
- Working closely with external PR agencies to ensure EMEA PR activities are co-ordinated.
- Complying with and supporting PR team admin processes for proper media tracking, activity reporting, conflict checking, etc.
- Other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, skills and abilities:
- Excellent organization skills. Ability to prioritize and coordinate own work, multitask efficiently and work under tight deadlines and in stressful situations.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Capable of generating first drafts that require minimal revision.
- Good grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension.
- Proven ability to deal with complex subject matter – preferably legal.
- Attention to detail and quality work product.
- Experience using PR tools including PR media database and media monitoring platforms.
- Highly motivated and collaborative, with strong interpersonal skills and a proactive approach.
- Polite, professional, positive manner.
- Keen to learn and to develop.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
- Sound knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and social media channels including LinkedIn. Education and Experience
- Degree level educated. with an emphasis on English, communications or similar.
- 3-5 years of relevant PR / communication experience, including experience in financial services, asset management, private equity or private credit media relations.
- Significant UK media contacts including UK and global financial services and asset management media contacts.
- An understanding of the UK legal media landscape is preferred.
