Crisis Management

The fundamental mission of the Crisis Management Group at Belongia, Shapiro & Franklin, LLP is to take the lead in responding to “bet-the-company” or other major legal crises for our clients. Unexpected crisis events – a catastrophic facilities explosion, a publicly announced criminal indictment, the discovery of financial statement errors, reports of product defects, a corporate governance or compliance failure, just to name a few – can quickly destabilize a company. Instantaneous and sustained response is crucial, especially when media scrutiny is immediate and intense.

Why Belongia, Shapiro & Franklin, LLP Our strength in corporate crisis management is predicated on some very specific characteristics of the firm, including immediate and ongoing availability of seasoned leadership, our experience in key practice areas involved in many corporate crisis situations, we understand disclosure and communications requirements, and we have an integrated team approach.

Effective crisis management requires seasoned leadership from the outset and throughout. A group of our partners, particularly from those practice areas noted below, have had extensive experience in managing corporate crises. One or more of these partners, as the specific situation requires, will lead our team and provide highly responsive strategic and tactical guidance and judgment which is likely to be critical to the crisis management effort.

Successfully managing a crisis is not only about the quick and effective response on day one. While the company’s immediate response and its actions during the days and weeks that follow are often most helpful – or harmful, managing the crisis almost always is a longer term and more extensive effort. Since multiple concurrent challenges often arise from a crisis, there is a continuing need to be aware of and cross-check decisions on all fronts to be sure that a global strategy is being followed, rather than being undermined by isolated actions in one arena. We have the resources and demonstrated commitment – including a critical emphasis on team integration and communication – to stay the course.

For more information about our Crisis Management Practice, please contact:
Mark D. Belongia
312.582.1605