Episode 83 - Douglas Szabo and Gail Lamarche of Henderson Franklin on responding to crises and the role of law firm leaders

Professional service firms are well versed in reacting to large-scale events, whether it’s an economic crisis, a global pandemic or regulatory changes. How firm leaders respond, manage and communicate the subsequent impact with their people and clients is critical.

What many firms are less used to handling, is a natural disaster of epic proportions. On this episode of the CMO Series, Ed Lovatt welcomes Douglas Szabo, Managing Lawyer, and Gail Lamarche, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Henderson Franklin to hear what happened when Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida last year, and how the management team responded in the wake of a 500-year flood.

Ed, Gail and Douglas discuss: 

• The immediate response when the hurricane hit and the first priorities
• How the senior management team came together to respond and the communications plans that were put into action
• How  crisis plans were implemented or changed as things developed on the ground 
• The importance and impact of thoughtful and authentic internal communications 
• The priorities and processes of communication with external clients in the aftermath of a crisis
• The unintentional outcomes that resulted from  the experience and how they might influence future processes
• Lessons and advice for law firm leaders and marketing professionals on planning crisis communications so they can be better prepared for potential future events