A major scandal involving prominent Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein has made headline news in the local South Florida market.

It also has created a crisis for several people and entities whose lives he touched: the law firm he co-founded, the charities and politicians that benefited from big contributions, the savvy business people who learned they may have been defrauded of millions. The list goes on.

Many innocent people were sucked into this compelling real life drama and forced to respond.

It underscores the fact that any individual, company or non-profit can be thrust into a media or communications crisis with little or no warning. If they don’t have a thoughtful marketing, public relations and or crisis communications strategy in place, could put their own reputations at risk.

Do you have a plan for when a crisis hits?

If, not, now is the time to be thinking of one. The game plan going forward should be to:

1. Have a plan in place.

2. Prepare to be proactive, not reactive, and

3. Have your team installed and ready to act.

Among the key concepts to keep in mind:

- Establish a crisis plan and prepare a crisis management team to tackle the issue head-on. Appoint a spokesperson to be the voice of the organization.

- Get in front of the crisis. Consider how a crisis may unfold, and make certain your plan anticipates curves or bumps in the road.

- Don’t defend actions or positions. Any crisis communications plan to play up the positives, and downplay any negatives.

- Keep messaging clear for your core audience. In this case, that audience includes the law firm’s high-end individual and corporate clients. Whomever your audience is, keep them central to your messaging.

- Establish communications protocols and policies. Create ongoing public relations, community relations, public affairs and government affairs plans. Conduct training in crisis messaging.

- Anticipate crises and practice responses. Though few can anticipate the depth, scale or scope of every crisis, prepare a response and practice your reaction periodically.

In the current law-firm crisis, a firm partner hired an attorney, and a public relations consultant who – like Boardroom Communications Inc. – is versed in crisis communications and legal services communications. A name partner claimed ignorance regarding the entire affair, admitted crying in private – and even taking anti-depressants,  effectively drawing public sympathy.

The strategy can work. In a similar example several years ago, a Boardroom Communications law firm client had a major blow up with its managing partner. Boardroom worked closely with remaining partners to create a war-room-like atmosphere, gathering the facts, playing out different game-day scenarios, and setting the strategy.

The firm managed its message, and re-emerged successfully with its good name and reputation intact.

Will such a strategy work this time around? Only time — and the consumer sentiment of the firm’s well-heeled clientele — will tell.