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If you need help or support with a PR crisis, business advice or handling communications, talk to our team.

020 7692 5675

Legal Response Retainer

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Expert strategic support when you need it most.

Alder’s Legal Response Retainer has been developed for clients facing legal disputes, investigations, or complex cases with unpredictable peaks and troughs of activity. As a crisis communications specialist, Alder’s team regularly works alongside lawyers and law firm partners to ensure strategic guidance complements legal advice and delivers coordinated support.

Designed to provide certainty and reassurance during the most challenging situations, such as criminal investigations, inquests and civil litigation, the Legal Response Retainer offers a pre-allocated bank of flexible and fully inclusive consultancy hours to ensure you have the right advice and support at every stage.

Why Choose the Legal Response Retainer?

Flexible support: Access a bank of hours that can be used at any point during the engagement;

Cost certainty: Smooths costs, making strategic advisory predictable even in complex, shifting environments;

Rapid response: Senior-level consultants are available 24/7, including public holidays, evenings, and weekends, to provide timely guidance;

Comprehensive monitoring: Proactive media and social media monitoring to spot emerging, potentially damaging risks early.

Strategic counsel: Tailored advice on messaging and stakeholder communications from senior, crisis communications specialists.

How the Retainer Works

Each retainer is bespoke, tailored to the client’s specific needs. The outline below is provided as an illustrative example.

Initial Phase: Immersion and Strategic Planning

  • Focused immersion in the specific legal or reputational issue at hand, understanding the context, key stakeholders, and sensitivities rather than reviewing broader company policies;
  • Interviews with relevant personnel, advisors, and stakeholders to understand perceptions, expectations, and potential consequences;
  • Targeted research and analysis of relevant public information, media coverage, social commentary, and previous incidents directly related to the issue;
  • In-depth consultancy session with senior management to share insights and provide practical, actionable recommendations for next steps.

Strategic Pack: Your Roadmap for Ongoing Support

  • Identification of key stakeholders and assessment of associated risks;
  • Creation of key messaging documents and draft communications for each stakeholder group;
  • Preparing responses to difficult questions to ensure clarity and consistency;
  • Advice on leak prevention and management to safeguard confidential information.

Ongoing Support: 24/7 Access to Senior Advisers

  • Partner-level consultancy and sounding-board advice;
  • Drafting or reviewing urgent media statements and stakeholder communications;
  • Optional training sessions to ensure key personnel are prepared to respond to media or stakeholder enquiries effectively;
  • Continuous, comprehensive online and social media monitoring for early identification of emerging, potentially damaging narratives;
  • Dedicated account manager.

Outcomes You Can Expect

  • Approach to PR and communications that anticipates the needs of all stakeholders and delivers clear, proactive, and effective messaging;
  • Confidence in handling complex legal or investigatory matters;
  • Consistent and legally compliant communications;
  • Reduced risk of reputational damage;
  • Predictable cost management in volatile situations;
  • Reassurance for leadership, boards, and other stakeholders that expert guidance is at hand whenever needed.

“We felt very supported with Alder’s sensible guidance. Alder was extremely responsive, and we have only positive feelings about the entire experience with Alder.”

Legal Director, national charity

“Very calm. Very responsive. Very measured and sound advice. Excellent to work with!”

Deputy CEO, regular client

“The training was excellent and really useful. I’ve had some great feedback and it’s certainly given us food for thought about how we can prepare for situations going forward.”

Deputy Head, independent school

Get in touch

To discuss how the Legal Response Retainer can support your organisation, email [email protected] or call 020 7692 5675 for a confidential discussion.