Posted November 14th, 2013 in Top Stories with Tags legal marketing association, Minnesota, nilan johnson lewis, law

Nilan Johnson Lewis Awarded Media Relations Honor from Legal Marketing Association’s Minnesota Chapter

Minneapolis law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis announces that it was awarded first place honors for excellence in media relations by the Minnesota Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association at its annual “Your Honor Awards” ceremony, held at the Hennepin County Bar Association in Minneapolis.  The award was co-received by the firm’s public relations agency, Kohnstamm Communications, in recognition of the firms’ collaboration on a visibility and awareness media campaign surrounding the Minnesota Legislature’s passage of an employment bill dubbed “Ban the Box.” The bill, which passed in Minnesota legislation in May and will take effect in January, removed the box on job applications that requires an applicant to check “yes” or “no” in reference to his or her criminal history.

The LMA Your Honor Awards recognizes excellence in 11 different categories of legal marketing based on a campaign’s strategic objective, creativity, execution, results and outcome. Nilan Johnson Lewis and Kohnstamm Communications received a special “standalone standout” designation for receiving particularly strong judges’ scores in a category where there were no other finalists.

“We are extremely proud to accept this award,” said Jenna Gruen, director of marketing and practice development with Nilan Johnson Lewis. “We’re happy to have been at the forefront of this important legislation.”

Nilan Johnson Lewis’ labor and employment practice group along with its shareholder, Joe Schmitt, closely monitored the legislation as it made its way through the Minnesota State Legislature and to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s desk. Schmitt collaborated with Kohnstamm to successfully conduct educational media outreach around key turning points and implications of the legislation. Raising awareness around “Ban the Box,” Kohnstamm Communications helped the law firm successfully exert thought leadership with both local and national media, including four print, eight online and six broadcast media placements.

The press release can be viewed here.