How to Get Press as an Attorney

By Sam Harris, Digital Networking Agency · Last updated 9 August 2026

Reporters need lawyers constantly. A ruling lands, a law changes, a case gets attention, and somebody has to explain what it means to readers who are not lawyers.

Being the attorney who takes that call is a skill, and it is learnable. Here is how it works, and where the rules sit.

Start by separating the routes, because they are treated differently — by editors and, more importantly, by your bar.

  • Earned editorial. A journalist quotes you, or writes a piece built on your explanation. Free, and entirely their decision.
  • Bylined commentary. You write the piece yourself for a publication that takes outside contributions. Some are open submissions, some are paid contributor programmes.
  • Sponsored content and directories. Paid placements, labelled as such. Legitimate, but likely to be treated as advertising by your regulator.
  • Agency-managed placement. You pay for story development, writing and outreach. The work is what you are buying.

Where a route involves payment, assume the advertising rules apply and check. That single habit avoids most of the trouble lawyers get into with publicity.

Pick a lane a reporter can use

Generalists do not get called. Specific, narrow expertise does.

Decide what you want to be the go-to explainer for — employment classification disputes, a particular category of immigration filing, construction defect, whatever your actual docket is heaviest in. Then make it visible: your firm bio, your LinkedIn headline and your pitches should all say the same narrow thing.

A reporter on deadline is scanning for the person who has obviously done this hundreds of times. Breadth reads as vagueness at exactly the moment you need to look certain.

You have more raw material than you think, and almost none of it involves discussing your clients.

  • New rulings and rule changes in your area. The explanation of what changes in practice is the story, and it is time-sensitive, which is exactly what a reporter wants.
  • Patterns in your intake. The mistake you see people make repeatedly before they call a lawyer, described generically, is genuinely useful to readers.
  • Legislative and regulatory movement. Being early on a bill nobody has covered yet is the easiest way to become a source.
  • The news cycle. When a big case is in the headlines, reporters need practitioners who can explain the mechanics without hot takes.

Note what is missing from that list: your results. Case outcomes are the thing lawyers most want to talk about and the thing editors are least interested in.

How to handle the call

Answer quickly, or say clearly when you can. Confirm the deadline first and work backwards from it.

Agree the terms before you speak — on the record, on background, not for attribution — and do not assume anything is off the record because you said so afterwards. Then answer in short, plain sentences. Every legal term you use unexplained is a sentence the reporter cannot print.

Never discuss a matter you are handling, an opposing party, or anything covered by confidentiality. If a question goes there, say so and offer the general principle instead. Reporters respect that boundary; they deal with it every day.

The compliance layer

This is the part that needs your own judgement rather than ours.

Attorney advertising and solicitation rules vary by state bar, and what counts as advertising, what needs a disclaimer, what constitutes a prohibited claim of specialisation, and what must be retained on file are all jurisdiction-specific. Multi-state practices have to satisfy every bar they are admitted in. Client confidentiality is absolute regardless of what is already public, and informed written consent is the only route around it.

So: write to educate rather than to claim outcomes, avoid anything that could be read as a promise about results, keep copies of what publishes, and have your firm's ethics counsel or your bar's advertising guidance sign off before publication. We are not going to tell you what your rules say, and neither should any agency.

Building a record that compounds

The first placement is the hard one. After that, journalists find you because other journalists used you.

Keep the pieces linked from your firm bio, described accurately and without implying the publication endorses your practice. Follow up with the reporter when the story you explained develops. Say yes to the small outlets and the podcasts early, because the record is what makes the larger names plausible later.

Digital Networking Agency does this for law firms and places clients in outlets including MSN, CEO Weekly, NY Weekly and Digital Journal. What we will not do is guarantee an editorial placement in a top-tier publication, because nobody controls that decision. If a firm tells you otherwise, they are selling something they cannot deliver.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need my bar's permission before speaking to a journalist?

Generally no for genuine editorial commentary, but advertising rules and disclaimer requirements differ by jurisdiction and can cover more than you expect. Check your own state bar's guidance or ask ethics counsel rather than relying on general articles like this one.

Can I talk about a case that is already public?

Public record does not release you from confidentiality or your duties to a client. Speak about legal principles instead, and get informed written consent before anything else.

Is a bylined column better than being quoted?

They do different jobs. A quote is faster and carries the reporter's implicit vetting; a byline gives you the full argument and a permanent asset. Most firms end up using both.