Holland & Knight Adds Three Crisis Communications Professionals to Strategic Communications Team

WASHINGTON – February 15, 2012 – Today, Rich Gold, head of Holland & Knight’s Public Policy & Regulation Practice, announced that Audrey Young, Mark Meissner, and Stewart Gordon have joined the practice in Washington, D.C. with a firmwide focus on crisis and litigation communications services for clients. The trio join the already established Strategic Communications team that includes Aimee Steel, Karl R. Koch, Beth Viola and Kerry Feehery, and rounds out the team’s existing capabilities in public relations and strategic communications.

“We are always looking for ways to expand upon the services offered to our clients,” Gold said. “In today’s climate, clients are looking for the best value for their dollar. Keeping needed services under one umbrella is often the best financial route to take. Adding crisis communications professionals to the talent we currently have in strategic communications only broadens the capabilities we can offer, and allows for better cohesion among a client’s communications team and its legal or advocacy team.”

Young joins as a Senior Strategic Communications Advisor, bringing an extensive background in communications strategy and public affairs. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, she specialized in reputation protection for high profile individuals, health and environmental non profits and the heavily regulated energy, chemical, health care and financial services industries. She has designed, implemented and managed high stakes communications initiatives for some of the world’s leading corporations and celebrities, including developing messaging for corporate and non profit leadership facing government investigations, mass disasters, product liability, accidents and litigation, such as class actions and mass torts.

Meissner will also serve as a Senior Strategic Communications Advisor for the firm, providing strategic counsel on matters intersecting business and government. With more than a decade of experience managing public affairs and political campaigns, including his personal foray into the politics, he implements state and broad-based issues management programs for a wide range of clients. His own political experience includes work for Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). In 2002, Mark was a candidate for Indiana’s open second Congressional District seat and finished second among a field of five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

Gordon joins the firm as a Strategic Communications Advisor and has a specialty in implementing grassroots strategies for heavily regulated industries. Prior to joining the firm, he coordinated public affairs program logistics in multi-state efforts to amend public policy, managing teams in all fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Earlier in his career, Gordon spent ten years in logistics support for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington, DC, where he also acted as a liaison to high profile U.S. Administration and Capitol Hill offices. .

About Holland & Knight LLP: Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers and other professionals in 17 U.S. offices, as well as Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Mexico City. Among the nation’s largest law firms, Holland & Knight provides representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with access to attorneys throughout the firm, regardless of location. www.hklaw.com

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