PRCG | Haggerty LLC has an international reputation for excellence in the management of complex crisis issues, litigation communications, and other sensitive public perception matters. A true pioneer in the field, PRCG brings a depth of critical understanding and a breadth of resources and experience that is unique in the public relations field.

The firm has been frequently lauded for its work, with Chambers Partners, the international directory, calling the firm “a powerhouse. . . thinks on a different level than other PR firms.” And in 2017, PR News names PRCG CEO James Haggerty one of its “50 Trailblazers of Public Relations” for his groundbreaking work in handling sensitive legal and crisis communications issues.

PRCG is a member of the Crisis Protection Network, a worldwide association of senior communications professionals in more than 16 cities around the globe.

Litigation Communications

  “…the lawsuit is backed by an unusually sophisticated communications effort.”

          — AdAge magazine

     “…James Haggerty literally wrote the book on litigation public relations.”

          — Holmes Report

PRCG | Haggerty is a pioneer in the field of litigation public relations and litigation communications, with a 25-year track record of working some of the largest high-profile cases of their kind in history.

Originally published in 2003, PRCG | Haggerty’s CEO Jim Haggerty’s book, In The Court Of Public Opinion: Winning Strategies for Litigation Communications (Hart + Harvest Press, 2022) was the first book of its kind to look at the interplay of media and public opinion during the litigation process. Now in its Third Edition, In The Court Of Public Opinion is considered the definitive treatise in the field. Financial Times has called  In the Court of Public Opinion “the perfect handbook for this age…” A 20th anniversary edition will be published in 2023.

Over the years, PRCG | Haggerty and our consultants have worked both nationally and internationally on numerous high-profile legal matters, including:

• One the largest international criminal fraud cases in history;
• The largest intellectual property verdict and appeal in history;
• Several of the largest antitrust cases in history;
• Several of the largest pharmaceutical class actions in history;
• The largest single-family Holocaust restitution claim in history;
• The largest class action lawsuit ever filed against the United States government;
• The most dominant sports “Name, Image and Likeness” lawsuits in history;
• The most expensive divorce and child custody case in history; and
• At the time, the largest employment discrimination class action in U.S. history.

PRCG | Haggerty also successfully advised Consumers Union (nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine) on two high-profile defamation cases—the infamous Suzuki Samurai rollover case and a product disparagement lawsuit brought by The Sharper Image Corporation over the Ionic Breeze air cleaner. We have also worked on sensational murder cases and a host of other sensitive and highly-charged cases involving (among other areas): product liability, business fraud, defamation and First Amendment issues, real estate, organized labor, sexual harassment, intellectual property, money laundering and bribery, bankruptcy and international espionage.

Our philosophy when advising on the communications component of high-profile cases is as follows: we believe that effective handling of communications in legal disputes is a litigation management function. We offer strategic and tactical services that ensure that the public relations component of major litigation is given the same detailed attention as other aspects of the case — to the benefit of the litigation itself and the overall reputation of the clients involved.

Crisis Communications

“…the finest demonstration I’ve ever seen of a) owning up to the mistakes; b) figuring out what went wrong; c) explaining what happened; and d) putting into place ways to prevent future such messes.”

— Director of a nationally known university journalism center

Whether in corporate, financial, legal or sports-related arenas, PRCG | Haggerty’s communications services have been recognized for the ability to effectively control narratives and mitigate damage during sensitive communications situation involving crises, legal issues, reputational attacks and other matters.

Some of PRCG’s crisis-related experience over the years has included:

• Industrial accidents and explosions;
• Cyberattacks and ransomware crises;
• Product recalls and social media-driven disparagement of products and brands;
• Human resource issues, including allegations of discrimination, harassment, insider trading and theft of trade secrets;
• Higher education crisis preparation and response;
• Sports-related crisis matters, at both the collegiate and professional levels; and
• Reputational attacks against high-profile individuals, celebrities and athletes.

PRCG CEO James F. Haggerty is the author of one of the seminal books in the field: Chief Crisis Officer: Structure and Leadership for Effective Communications Response (Paperback Edition, Hart + Harvest Press, 2023), which has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur and Fortune, among other venues. The firm espouses a “360 degree view” of reputation management, providing a suite of strategies and services designed to inoculate against negatives and build your balance in the “credibility bank” before a crisis hits. Chief Crisis Officer was published in paperback edition in 2023 by Hart + Harvest Press, with a compelling new Preface on the COVID-19 crisis and Russia’s 2023 invasion of Ukraine.