DRD Partnership

Firm Details:
Chairman: Alasdair Douglas
Number of employees: 22

Firm Overview:
DRD Partnership (DRD), founded in 2012, is a strategic communications consultancy with expertise in litigation and the management of reputation risk. DRD is based in London but works internationally in multiple jurisdictions across all major geographies. Clients of the firm include public and private companies, public bodies, institutions, private equity and hedge funds, representatives of class actions, private individuals, trustees and international governments.
DRD has built a senior team, including former practicing lawyers, communications specialists, investment analysts and public affairs advisors, with the technical experience and skills needed to provide expert advice and support in complex litigation and disputes. The team team includes five partners with expertise across a full range of issues, disputes and conflicts.
DRD understands both the constraints and opportunities of communicating during legal and regulatory processes, enabling it to devise strategies and targeted programs to anticipate, manage and react to reputational aspects of a legal matter. Acting as an interface between the court of law and the court of public opinion, DRD works closely alongside legal advisers, in-house general counsel and senior management. It bases its recommendations on a thorough understanding of the legal strategy and a forensic analysis of likely scenarios, risks and outcomes.
In many instances DRD works with its public affairs and regulatory teams to understand the impact and influence of political audiences in challenging or contentious situations.

Services:
The firm work across multiple sectors and jurisdictions, advising claimants and defendants in the UK and internationally on a range of civil and criminal matters including:

• Contractual disputes
• Collective actions
• Employment
• Extradition
• Family
• Fraud & White-Collar crime
• Investigations & Inquiries
• Media & defamation
• Personal injury
• Privacy & Confidentiality
• Professional conduct & governance
• Trusts

Notable Practitioners: 

Claire Davidson – Founding Partner
A co-founder of DRD Partnership and former Chief Executive of Weber Shandwick, Claire Davidson has worked across a wide spectrum of sectors and delivered strategic communications programs in over 100 countries. Claire works with clients on value protection, risk mitigation, litigation communications and issues management, providing guidance on communications strategies addressing regulation and market access, as well as counsel to international corporate leadership teams, international NGOs and leaders of campaigns for human rights.
Email: [email protected]

Lawrence Dore – Founding Partner
Prior to co-founding DRD Partnership, Lawrence Dore was a City investment analyst, moving first into investor relations and then financial communications at firms including CitigateDeweRogerson and Brunswick. He co-founded Mantra PR in 2000, then joined M&S plc as Interim Head of Financial and Corporate PR. Lawrence advises a range of clients with a particular focus on litigation, risk preparedness, crisis management and reputation management.
Email: [email protected]

Kate Miller – Partner
Kate Miller advises corporates, institutions and individuals on critical communications issues including media and stakeholder relations, reputation and crisis management, litigation, campaigns and cyber. Kate started her career as a litigator at Allen & Overy, moving to Brunswick in 2000 to specialize in financial and corporate communications. Since 2012 she has focused on reputation management.
Email: [email protected]

Jon McLeod – Partner
Jon McLeod leads DRD’s competition and regulatory practice and has worked alongside leading legal firms in a wide range of transactions and investigations. Before joining DRD, Jon helped set up the Business Banking Resolution Service. Previously, Jon was a Partner and Head of Public Affairs at Brunswick Group and the Chair of Weber Shandwick’s UK corporate, financial and public affairs practice.
Email: [email protected]

Pete Bowyer – Partner
As the leader of DRD’s public affairs team, Pete Bowyer is an expert at creating and running integrated government and media relations campaigns to influence public policy. Before, Pete was a Senior Director at Weber Shandwick and Managing Partner at Maitland Political in addition to being an active member of the Labour Party.
Email: [email protected]

Practice Areas:
■ Litigation & Disputes
■ Crisis & Reputation Management
■ Competition & Regulatory
■ Public Affairs & Campaigns

Recent work has included acting for:
■ Clients facing regulatory investigations in the UK and overseas
■ Multiple group and class actions across a range of sectors including banking, leisure, energy, professional services and technology.
■ Advising pension fund trustees around potential regulatory changes and various ongoing litigation.
■ Advising multiple clients across a range of high profile trust disputes in the UK and overseas.
■ Clients facing public inquiries and select committee hearings.
■ Corporates, institutions and private individuals facing the threat of incorrect, inaccurate and damaging media reporting.
■ Multiple hedge funds facing investor claims.
■ Companies and institutions responding to governance, safeguarding, harassment and misconduct issues.
■ Acting for both claimants and defendants in competition and cartel claims
■ Representing claimants in substantial greenwashing actions