​​​​​​​Eye Communications, German Pillar of European Legal PR Agency Mirovia

Leaders League. Could you tell us a bit about Eye Communications and its history?

Matthias Struwe. I created Eye Communications 15 years ago as a full-service PR agency focusing on law firm PR in Germany. After five years as the director of global corporate communications at Rödl & Partner, where I build up and led a coms team for a truly international and multidisciplinary law and audit firm, the idea to work on an independent basis gradually took shape. I enjoyed inspiration and support from my then superior, Bernd Rödl, an entrepreneur with a true passion for business and innovation. My core USP, then as now, was having unique knowledge of the legal and financial market as well as of the key industries such as automotive or real estate and the key areas of advisory, such as M&A, intellectual property or taxes. Today, we have 20 years of experience advising law firms, we know the relevant outlets and journalists and are able to translate the expertise of lawyers into language the public can digest.

Could you share some insights on the legal marketing environment in Germany?

Professional communication is a key factor in building a strong reputation for law firms in Germany. About 20 years ago, firms here began to understand that raising awareness as experts and entrepreneurs was important in order to gain clients and talent. With the dot-com crash in 2000 and the lawsuits that followed, the legal, audit and business consulting industry had to set up strategies for litigation PR and crisis communication. Even though US-style class action does not exist in Germany, criminal investigations into companies, company leaders and management must be addressed with sophisticated communication strategies for both clients and law firms. With the emissions scandal and the ongoing proceedings against Volkswagen and other carmakers, litigation has changed dramatically. The Cum-Ex tax fraud has furthermore shed light on the reputational risk lawyer malfeasance can pose to employers.

What led Eye Communications to consider the Mirovia alliance? And why with these specific counterparts?

International law firms, especially those in the US and UK, seek to cover press relations in Europe on a cross-border basis. With the single market, core issues regarding their services to clients like M&A, antitrust, dispute resolution, trademarks and patents or real estate transactions have become cross-border, and hence lawyers operating at a global level need PR services ready to support lawyers across borders without losing time when expertise in a different country is needed. Mirovia is an effective response to this challenge, as it can provide communication services on a cross-border basis. We have enjoyed this relationship while working for various international law firms. Launching Mirovia has enabled us to institutionalize this relationship, agree on standards of quality and be able to pitch our services together.

Could you outline how the four specific legal PR agencies came together with that project?

Our collaboration started back in 2015 when one of the leading international law firms from the US decided to integrate PR services for their European offices. Marianna Valletta, with whom I had worked closely when she was in charge of PR services for Rödl & Partner in Italy, introduced me to Gus Sellitto of Byfield Consultancy, who organized a joint pitch. He also brought in Eliott & Markus from France. As we won the pitch, our collaboration began to develop rapidly including other clients – some on a European-wide, some on a UK-German or French-German basis. In November 2016 we all met in Paris and, during the meetings that followed, we came up with the idea of the Mirovia network.

What results do you expect this partnership to yield?

For our current clients, Mirovia is a significant step, as it reassures them  in their decision to work with us. Prospective clients are now able to grasp the advantages of working with a network of agencies that have a clear focus on and understanding of international legal communications.

How will it change the way you have been working so far? What challenges might you face?

The key challenge and opportunity for us is to expand the network and find other partners that fit the Mirovia vision. We have a great joint understanding of how we approach advisory services; we know and trust each other. This is a key requirement for others to join. We have already had fruitful discussions with other agencies, and are eager to add new members to the network in the near future.