August

The sudden death of a Bank of America investment banking associate in May reignited scrutiny of Wall Street banks’ treatment of junior employees that the industry is still grappling with months later.   In August’s latest Insights post, Managing Director Matthew Harrison and Associate Gloria Han break down Wall Street’s response to criticism and provide communications best practices for employers dealing with similar crises. https://lnkd.in/ehcx5g3h

We're serving up a combo meal. Our latest Insights piece from Nathaniel Johnson builds on our article from earlier this week regarding the shortcomings in Boar's Head's recent recall communications, exploring why McDonald's response to its recent E. coli outbreak has been more successful despite the similar circumstances. https://lnkd.in/gSZYGdZh

Boar’s Head is in the throes of major crises, facing recalls, plant closures, and high-profile media coverage questioning who actually runs the company.   In our latest Insights post, August Senior Associate Katherine Scotti and Associate Holly Lyne discuss how its communications strategy to address these cascading crises has failed to assuage stakeholder concerns, and where the company might go from here. https://lnkd.in/ggxPkTwc

This month, August celebrated its third anniversary. Here is a letter we sent to our clients, colleagues, and other friends of the firm that I wanted to share on LinkedIn as well. The letter references our incredible team and my gratitude and pride that they all are my colleagues. Thank you to our outstanding professionals and people: Beau Falgout, Ellen Davis, Cari Robinson, Nathaniel Johnson, Matthew Harrison, Christopher A. Patz, Jenny MacMichael Corcoran, Amelia Fogg, Katherine Scotti, Rudy Wong, Helen Ferguson, Gloria Han, Holly Lyne, and Steve Ginsburg. You all are the best and here's to many more anniversaries.

A recent profile of our client, Roberta Kaplan, highlights her decades of effective advocacy on behalf of her clients along with her landmark victories and dedication to the rule of law. It’s an honor and a privilege to work with such an enormously talented and dedicated lawyer with whom our firm shares many values. We congratulate Robbie on this richly deserved recognition.

August is excited to introduce Holly Lyne, who joined our team this month as an Associate based in New York. Holly brings communications and marketing experience to the firm, having most recently served as Grant Management and Marketing Coordinator at the Immigrant Family Services Institute. She is a cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied English and art history. Please join us in welcoming Holly to our team!

I enjoyed speaking with Cari Robinson, former Revlon general counsel, about what it took for her to land a seat on a board of directors.

Law360 recently featured August’s Senior Managing Director, Cari Robinson, as she shared her extensive legal experience, role at August, and path to becoming a public company board director at Aspen Aerogels. Cari described working at August and Aspen as “the best of both worlds” and advised GCs to “listen, learn and understand [clients] and the risks that they face.”   Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/ewyA8anq. 

What to say, what not to say, and how and when to say it can make or break a company's response to a crisis situation. August professionals Cari Robinson and Matthew Harrison recently spoke with Scott Moritz of White Collar Forensic LLC to discuss the important role of crisis communications during high-profile investigations and other crisis situations and shared best practices for corporate leadership teams to implement when managing the full life cycle of a crisis, including how to effectively prepare before a crisis even strikes.

After years of tragedies and self-inflicted wounds, Boeing finally may be poised for a turnaround after entering into a plea agreement with the federal government and appointing a new CEO. In his latest article, Managing Director Christopher A. Patz explores strategic communications lessons from Boeing's tribulations and the recent government enforcement actions against it, including what the company needs to do to avoid making the same mistakes moving forward. https://lnkd.in/gyV-vNWx