Your competitors get more media coverage than you. And it’s not by chance.

Why do technically equivalent law firms occupy such different spaces in the press? The answer lies not in the law they practice, but in their ability to make that practice visible.

The complexity of the legal market is redefining the role of media relations and demanding real specialisation.

The relationship between law firms and the press has changed in nature over the past few years. What was once seen as a channel for institutional announcements has come to occupy a more sensitive space, that of building reputation in real time.

This shift is not just the result of more channels or faster news cycles, but of the transformation of the legal market itself. More specialised firms, more sophisticated clients and a denser competitive environment now demand something beyond mere presence, they demand coherence of positioning.

In this context, media relations stops being an operation of sending out press releases and starts performing a mediating function. Between what the firm does and what the market understands. Between technical complexity and the narrative that’s actually possible. Between the opportunity for exposure and reputational risk.

And it’s precisely in this mediation that specialisation becomes essential.

Law is not a communicationally neutral sector. It operates under ethical constraints, demands conceptual precision and often deals with subjects that don’t allow for excessive simplification. Translating this universe into the logic of the press takes more than writing skill. It takes real expertise.

This becomes even clearer when you look at how specialised outlets operate.

Publications such as Migalhas and Análise Advocacia work with their own criteria for relevance, specific content formats and an audience that knows the market and spots inconsistencies easily. It’s not just about publishing, it’s about understanding what’s actually relevant to that environment.

On the international stage, outlets such as Latin Lawyer, The Latin American Lawyer and Cronicle track deal flow and market movements with a lens that combines journalism and market intelligence. Coverage of a deal, in this context, isn’t just news. It’s a record that becomes part of the sector’s competitive memory.

This dimension grows further when you factor in monitoring platforms and league tables.

Databases such as Bloomberg and TTR don’t just reflect the market. They help organise it, creating benchmarks that shape how clients, investors and the legal ecosystem itself perceive firms.

Communication, therefore, stops being peripheral and starts speaking directly to positioning, business development and institutional recognition.

In this scenario, the idea of volume, on its own, loses relevance.

Frequency matters, but not as repetition. It matters as narrative consistency. As the ability to occupy different spaces while maintaining coherence of message, clarity of practice and alignment with what actually sustains the firm’s reputation.

This often involves decisions that aren’t visible. Stories that don’t get pitched. Exposure that gets avoided. Language adjustments that prevent noise. Timing choices that preserve context.

There’s a quiet body of work that precedes publication and, in many cases, matters more than the placement itself.

In practice, this difference becomes clear when you look at how firms structure their press presence.

Take, for example, a mid-sized tax firm working with industrial clients. Over the course of a year, it takes part in two or three stories in relevant outlets, always reactively, commenting on topics that have already been widely covered. The presence is there, but it doesn’t build a narrative.

At the same time, another firm with a similar structure takes a different approach. It organises its activity around recurring fronts: technical commentary on regulatory changes, opinion pieces in specialised outlets, structured coverage of relevant cases and coordinated presence across different channels, including both general and specialised press.

Within a few months, market perception starts to shift. The second firm becomes recognised as a go-to source, is recalled more easily by journalists and, gradually, becomes associated with certain subjects.

The difference between the two isn’t technical quality, it’s how that quality gets translated and distributed to the market.

This isn’t limited to large firms.

Small and mid-sized firms, especially those with specialised practices, tend to benefit even more from a structured communications strategy. Unlike larger firms, they don’t have brand inertia or established recognition to fall back on.

In these cases, media relations act as an accelerator of positioning, allowing the firm to occupy spaces that would otherwise be dominated by more established competitors.

When well executed, this strategy shortens perception cycles, gets ahead of recognition and creates opportunities that don’t depend exclusively on direct business relationships.

Over the past few years, a small group of operations dedicated exclusively to legal marketing has become established in Brazil, with ongoing work in media relations, rankings and positioning strategy. In this context, Arabia Comunicação stands as one of the most established structures in the sector, with consistent activity spanning more than two decades, marked by a significant volume of placements, presence in national and international outlets and the development of its own methodology for reading story angles, organising information and building narrative for law firms. This type of operation, less focused on one-off actions and more anchored in continuity, has helped raise the level of maturity of legal communications in the country.

This work takes on another dimension when you look at coverage in major national outlets.

Being present in newsrooms such as Valor Econômico, Folha de S.Paulo and Estadão, or on channels such as CNN, GloboNews and BandNews, isn’t just about reaching a wider audience. It’s about validation. These outlets operate with stricter editorial filters and, at the same time, have the power to influence not just the legal market, but the business environment as a whole.

Recurring presence in these outlets moves the firm from a place of expertise to a place of authority.

In the case of television, this shift is even clearer.

Appearing in interviews, live analysis or segments on news programmes adds a layer that written content alone can’t reach. Image, the way exposure is handled, the ability to summarise and confidence in speaking all directly shape reputation.

It’s not just about what’s said, but how it’s said and who’s behind it.

This kind of presence takes preparation. And, more than that, it takes strategy.

Likewise, building visibility through organic coverage remains qualitatively different from paid content. Editorial logic, when well worked, generates a kind of credibility that can’t be replicated in paid spaces. It’s often in this difference that a perception of authority takes hold.

There’s also another, less visible but equally decisive axis: the work of building narrative for the spokespeople themselves.

Ghostwriting, when structured strategically, stops being just content production and starts working as a tool for individual positioning. It’s not about writing for someone, it’s about organising their thinking, giving clarity to their expertise and sustaining, over time, a coherent presence across different channels, especially online.

This is the point where media relations crosses over into the territory of building a voice.

In the end, consistent presence in specialised outlets, major newsrooms, television and owned channels doesn’t work as isolated fronts. It’s a system.

A system in which every appearance, every article, every interview and every position taken contributes to a larger narrative that builds up over time.

And it’s precisely in this ongoing construction that a quiet but decisive difference is established between firms that are merely competent and those that are genuinely recognised as references.

The question that remains, then, isn’t whether communication should play a strategic role.

It’s whether the firm is willing to treat it as one.

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This article draws on practical observation of the legal market and on classic references in positioning, reputation and editorial dynamics.
References:

KOTLER, Philip; KELLER, Kevin Lane. Administração de Marketing. Pearson.

RIES, Al; TROUT, Jack. Posicionamento: a batalha por sua mente. M. Books.

EDELMAN. Edelman Trust Barometer. Relatórios anuais sobre confiança institucional e reputação.

THOMSON REUTERS. State of the Legal Market. Relatórios sobre desempenho e dinâmica do mercado jurídico global.

CHAMBERS AND PARTNERS; THE LEGAL 500. Metodologias de pesquisa e critérios editoriais utilizados na avaliação de escritórios de advocacia.

BLOOMBERG; TTR (Transactional Track Record). Plataformas de monitoramento de transações e construção de league tables do mercado jurídico e financeiro.

MIGALHAS; ANÁLISE ADVOCACIA. Veículos especializados na cobertura e interpretação do mercado jurídico brasileiro.

LATIN LAWYER; THE LATIN AMERICAN LAWYER; CRONICLE. Publicações internacionais voltadas ao acompanhamento do mercado jurídico na América Latina.

 

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Originally published in: Migalhas – https://www.migalhas.com.br/depeso/453025/seus-concorrentes-aparecem-mais-do-que-voce-e-nao-e-por-acaso