Why Us?

Home to the best trial lawyers in the world, we have built our reputation by achieving victory against the odds in “bet the company” litigation.  In virtually every legal sector, our lawyers have achieved unparalleled success, winning 88 percent of our trials, and generating more than $70 billion for our clients.  From white collar to antitrust to the entire range of financial issues and cross-border disputes, we have lawyers around the globe ready to respond to any challenge.  In high stakes matters, things move very fast, and bad news—and false news—spreads literally in minutes.  Getting a verdict from a judge or jury can take years, but in the court of public opinion, verdicts are rendered almost immediately and can directly affect a company and its leaders—especially the CEO and the GC—long before the first court hearing.

Great lawyering means a lot more than just crafting winning legal strategies.  Litigation or government scrutiny may be one part of a larger crisis, and the pieces need to be managed together.  That means managing the public trial—or more often the public media circus—so you don’t lose your reputation, your business, or your soon-to-be-filed court case before you’ve even had a chance to see a judge.  It means recognizing all the audiences you must effectively communicate with in order to win the battle: the court and jury, of course; but also the “mainstream” media, the trade press, the bloggers and other “influencers,” investor relations in all its forms, your customers, your employees, your competitors, all of whom are making decisions in real time when crisis hits.

At Quinn Emanuel, we know crisis management requires a proactive, multi-disciplined approach and have the experience to fight in every arena.  It requires not only knowing your business and the law but also understanding how the media works, knowing who the opinion-makers are, and sending the right message to the public and to specialized audiences, as well as the courts.  When troubles hit, we hit the ground running.  Our lawyers know how to get to the top fast; to mobilize the third parties you need to support your case; to build a story or kill it. We work across time zones, across the world, 24/7.  When Los Angeles sleeps, Europe wakes up, then New York, Chicago…not to mention Australia and Asia.

When is a crisis really a crisis?  When it threatens your company, your CEO, your business, and your relationships. It can begin as an existential threat or just the hint of trouble.  A lawsuit can be the crisis or an outgrowth of one.  A crisis can be caused by an employee or an act of God, a terrorist strike or a dealer who finds a defect.  It can be a massive cyber breach, a multi-pronged government investigation, a come-from-nowhere complaint against your CEO, a disgruntled former-employee-turned-whistleblower, a phone call from a regulator, or a sick customer halfway around the world, who could be the first of many.  

We have created a special practice group with attorneys whose bags are always packed and ready to tackle a crisis wherever and whenever.  Our attorneys take immediate action to navigate any predicament, implement tactical communication plans, and lead clients through challenging situations.

And we don’t just deal with crises after-the-fact.  We help clients think through pressing corporate issues, mitigate risk and develop effective legal, policy and communications strategies before crises hit.  From the workforce diversity and sexual harassment issues making headlines to corporate governance, information leaks and the boundaries of free expression to sustainability issues, the products of tomorrow and heightened regulatory schemes, we provide informed thought leadership, and concrete roadmaps to success.  We can help with a broad range of issues of concern to c-suite executives – and those that should be. We conduct internal reviews, leverage best practices, and build proactive strategies to enhance your brand and impress your stakeholders.  We stay up at night solving problems you may not even realize you have.

Who We Are

The Crisis Law & Strategy Group operates both in the United States and around the globe because the needs are everywhere. With 31 offices worldwide, we will be by your side from beginning to end.  We know what to do, who to call, how to move, what to say, because really, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past two decades.  Now, we do it in double time around the world.  We’d like to meet with you and your top leaders so you know what we do and how we can help.

We have pulled together a select group of lawyers with decades of experience in the public and private spheres into a multi-disciplinary group that can handle any crisis.  The group is chaired by firm Founder and Chairman, John Quinn, who has built the firm into a global litigation and arbitration powerhouse, Ambassador Crystal Nix-Hines in Los Angeles, and Co-Managing Partner and former Special Counsel to the President Bill Burck in Washington, D.C.  As described below, they are aided by an impressive team of lawyers and former government officials, who bring decades of experience and contacts to bear, including former prosecutors adept in government investigations, former senior government officials who know their way around Washington, Senate-confirmed appointees who know how to prepare for congressional hearings, media experts with decades-long relations and a savvy sense of how to use them, and skilled trial lawyers who know how to best position our clients and force opponents onto the defensive.

What We Do

Strategic & Communications Expertise.

Quinn Emanuel’s Crisis Law & Strategy Group specializes in providing unique depth and breadth of support. We can provide rapid response to address crisis management and communications issues whenever they arise. But we also do much more than that, working with clients to provide global, long-term thought leadership and vision, often at intersections of strategy, regulation and litigation.

We may come into play when clients brace for impending regulations that could adversely affect them, or as they strive for new or modified regulations; when clients mount internal investigations to assess the scope of risk; when clients undertake public advocacy around their key policy goals; or when clients strive to promote diversity and inclusion and workforce compliance matters. Our expertise has been utilized in a broad range of contexts and fields that call for incisive, rigorous analysis, quick-thinking, and a strategic vision. And we are always keenly mindful of the prospects and sensitivities of litigation, working hand in glove with our litigation teams on a daily and hourly basis.

For consumer-products companies facing litigation and regulatory actions in multiple jurisdictions and abroad.

• Developed forward-leaning jury instructions for use across jurisdictions with the goal (ultimately successful) of creating favorable, novel precedent;
• Coordinated substantial amicus efforts across jurisdictions in order to broaden support for client’s positions;
• Presented analyses of future litigation risks and regulatory trends likely to impact client (including risks and trends relating to other industries);
• Engaged in advocacy in advance of laws introducing class actions in France;
• Developed a communications and branding strategy, including white papers and oral testimony to key stake-holders.

For the technology and content industries.

• Created coalitions, including with competitors, to advocate for policy positions across the tech and content industries;
• Advised technology executives on quick changes to business and licensing practices to head off public crises;
• Coordinated national public and amicus support around key priority issues;
• Drafted postings addressing public concerns;
• Engaged in quiet outreach to complaining parties to address and resolve issues.

For the sports industry.

• On the eve of a news story by a national publication alleging workplace misconduct including sexual and racial harassment by the owner and CEO of an NFL team, we devised a legal and communications/public relations strategic plan. Our work in the first 48 hours following the news breaking of the workplace misconduct was recognized by Sports Illustrated as “a brilliant stroke of crisis management.”
• Prepared a plan for protecting the NFL’s interests in the face of an independent investigation commissioned by the NFL into allegations of workplace misconduct by the owner and CEO and the workplace conditions for team employees generally. The plan included crafting a strategy for the team to cooperate with the League’s investigation with minimal workplace disruption; anticipating and planning for NFL response to external factors (threatened lawsuits, additional media reports, upcoming team sale); preparing witnesses; formulating consistent public relations strategies and communication between the club and independent investigators. We successfully executed this plan, and the club was sold in May 2018 for nearly $2.3 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a sports franchise.

For entities facing workforce-related issues.

• Reviewed institutions’ recruitment and retention of diverse employees, and recommended diversity initiatives for company adoption and implementation;
• Designed and implemented effective governance and compliance programs for public companies;
• Created and implemented a national program to investigate sexual misconduct and to compensate victims;
• Developed a communications strategy to address public concerns and branding.

For entities facing regulatory issues.

• Successfully organized and represented a collection of pharmaceutical compounders when they confronted a new threat from a drug manufacturer that brought a novel theory to the ITC, arguing that importation of an active ingredient violated FDA exclusivity.! Had the action gained traction, it could have posed a huge threat to existing business and opened up new fronts of exposure.! Instead, we convinced the ITC to reject the action without instituting an investigation – something the ITC almost never does.
• Worked with energy companies to anticipate and get out in front of various emerging threats, including from governmental investigation and regulation, and private actions that threaten to create dangerous new fronts of exposure for them.
• Mobilized residents of Puerto Rico and concerned observers to develop and pursue a groundbreaking challenge, now on file, to the ways that the U.S. Government discriminates against Puerto Rico when administering welfare benefits.

For the defense industry and non-profits facing legal risks abroad.

• Advised entities on contractor liability and accountability, as well as ways to mitigate risk and ensure compliance with FCPA and other laws;
• Helped companies with crisis management in conflict and post-conflict environments.