Course Details

Litigation, Crises and Strategic Communications

During high-profile litigation and other crises, organizations must contend with multiple stakeholders – both inside and outside the legal system. Developments in a crisis are analyzed and influenced by employees, the media, elected officials, regulators, investors, advocacy groups and others. The opinion of these stakeholders, rather than the specific resolution of the legal issues, often determine the ultimate success of an organization’s crisis management strategy. An organization is often judged more on how it manages the litigation and crisis situation than how the actual situation is resolved. In today’s world, inside and outside counsel are often expected to go beyond their strictly “legal” duties and assist in helping the organization protect its reputation in a crisis. This course will explore how attorneys can provide broad crisis management advice to clients, rather than narrow legal counsel. The class will analyze the perspectives and motivations of different actors in a crisis and explain the intersection among legal issues, organizational goals and risk management.

Catalog Number: LITARB 608
Practice Areas: Civil Lit. and Dispute ResolutionConstitutional LawLegal Profession and RegulationLegal Skills Development
Additional Course Information: Experiential Learning, Professional Writing


Course History

Spring 2023
Title: Litigation, Crises and Strategic Communications
Faculty: Loeb, Harlan A. (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 2.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 18

Spring 2022
Title: Litigation, Crises and Strategic Communications
Faculty: Wentz, Pete (courses | profile)
Katz, Tilden (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 2.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 23