NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- H/Advisors Abernathy, a leading strategic communications advisor, today released proprietary research providing insight into how companies should prepare for litigation communications and how they can leverage the media to effectively shape the court of public opinion.
The report, titled “When Lawsuits Make Headlines,” is based on a comprehensive analysis of top-tier media coverage of U.S. corporate litigation. H/Advisors Abernathy analyzed 785 cases involving at least one corporate litigant that were covered in 1,578 articles across Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.
Key findings include:
- Media interest often peaks at the initial legal filing.
- Initial filings generated far more media coverage than responses to complaints, settlements or rulings, underscoring the importance for defendants of being prepared to respond quickly and effectively to the initial—and likely biggest—news cycle in the litigation.
- On-the-record statements are underutilized – most media articles about corporate litigation quoted legal filings.
- The U.S. District Courts of the Northern District of California, Southern District of New York, and District of Columbia generated the most media articles.
- Cases involving high-profile defendants operating largely in the heavily scrutinized tech and financial services industries topped media coverage.
“Our proprietary research identifies how corporate litigation matters are often framed by the media,” said Tom Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at H/Advisors Abernathy. “Companies must be thoughtful about how they frame their filings in particular, most importantly from a legal perspective, but also with an eye toward making sure their position is properly and strongly articulated in the court of public opinion.”
Ranked by Chambers and Partners as one of the top firms in the country for litigation communications, H/Advisors Abernathy is highly experienced at helping clients navigate challenging and complex legal matters. The firm’s Litigation Communications team has worked alongside in-house and external legal counsel through numerous IP litigation cases, material contract disputes, workplace-related issues, product liability matters, white-collar crime, government investigations and more.
“H/Advisors Abernathy’s data-driven approach enables legal teams not only to respond to public narratives, but to proactively shape them—aligning communications strategy with legal objectives to strengthen a company’s position inside and outside the courtroom;” highlighted Karina Byrne, Managing Director and one of the firm’s leading litigation communications practitioners.
The full report is available for download using this link: bit.ly/LitigationCommsReport
About H/Advisors Abernathy
H/Advisors Abernathy specializes in advising CEOs, board directors and senior executives on effective stakeholder communications and engagement. For over 40 years, the firm has been entrusted by clients across sectors to help build, protect, and enhance their reputation, overcome challenges, and seize new opportunities. H/Advisors Abernathy operates from offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. and, as a core member of H/Advisors, strategic communications experts dedicated to enhancing reputation and building trust to fulfill ambitions. Founded in 2001, H/Advisors employs 1,500+ multi-disciplinary experts in 40+ offices across Europe, America, APAC and the Middle East.
For more information, please visit https://abernathy.h-advisors.global.
Follow H/Advisors Abernathy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/h-advisors-abernathy.
Contact
Angela Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Director of Marketing
H/Advisors Abernathy
Angela.gonzalez-rodriguez@h-advisors.global
