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News is all around us yet one of the most common questions a PR or journalist gets is ‘what makes a story?’ There is no simple answer, more a litany of potential facts that make up the story jigsaw when dealing with legal and litigation PR.

For those unversed in journalism or legal PR the prospect of writing a legal press release can seem like a gargantuan task. But in reality, if you follow a few simple pointers you should be able to produce a press release that sends out the message you are looking to get across and get the coverage you desire.

All lawyers tread a fine line in media interviews, but this applies even more so if you’re the country’s most senior judge. Despite the tough questioning, our country’s top judge showed she’s mastered the art of broadcast interviews.

Being able to pitch effectively to journalists is a vital part of PR. These days journalists are incredibly busy, often responding to a 24-hour news cycle and working to short deadlines while being inundated with emails. So making sure your pitch to media gets noticed can be a challenge. There are some key things you need to do.

The upside of using a press release service is that with just a click of button you can reach thousands of outlets. But the reality is that press release submission sites are automated, faceless services. The process reminds me of throwing mud to the wall and seeing if it sticks. Strategic, they are not.

Last week, as well as updates on the dreaded ‘B-word’, my twitter feed was full of photos of women working in the law, posted by those involved in the mass photo shoot organised by the First 100 Years project to celebrate International Women’s Day last month. Almost 1,000 women had their photos taken and the photos have now been circulated to everyone pictured.

It was refreshing to see the Law Society Gazette this week bring some much-needed balance to the gross misreporting about clinical negligence claims. All too often, those who receive a clinical negligence pay-out are described as scroungers by the media and their compensation treated as though it is a windfall.

Before I started working with the Chartered Institute for Legal Executives (CILEx) at the end of last year, I didn’t really know a great deal about Legal Executives, despite having worked in the legal sector for many years and my 96 years old Grandad claiming to be CILEx’s oldest member!

Black Letter Communications is proud to be working with The First 100 Years, ­the ground-breaking project charting the journey of women in the legal profession. This year is a pivotal year for the project as it sets out to mark the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919