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31 October 2025 / Justin Penrose
Issue: 8137 / Categories: Features , Media , Marketing , Profession
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Making the headlines

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Want the press to notice your firm, lawyer or case? Ex-Fleet Street staffer Justin Penrose reports on what makes the news

As a former Fleet Street journalist turned legal PR, one of the most common questions I hear from lawyers is: ‘What makes a news story?’ Everybody reading this would probably give a different answer, but that’s the crux of it. It is never one thing.

Journalists are always looking to answer the questions: who, what, where, when, why and how? These are the central tenets of every story, whether it be a corporate legal matter or a murder trial.

So, the who. Who is involved? It’s a lot more interesting if it’s David Beckham than Joe Bloggs. Is the person involved a judge or a PR man? I think you can work out which one is more newsworthy. Is there a big brand involved? Again, it is more interesting if it’s Coca-Cola than Dad & Son Builders.

Where did it happen? It’s more interesting if it happened at Buckingham Palace

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
NLJ this week: Family law urged to ditch adversarial instincts
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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