Brand Presence for PI Lawyers: Ethics & Effectiveness

Jeremy Babener | Structured Consulting

Jeremy is a nationally recognized tax expert. He counsels plaintiffs and plaintiff-side law firms on settlement planning, helping to maximize recovery outcomes. He also reviews and structures settlement transactions for trust companies, insurance companies, and other financial institutions.

Jeremy has worked across a broad spectrum of cases and settlement sizes, including individual claims, mass torts, and class actions. His role often includes drafting and refining settlement terms, proposing tax-efficient and financial strategies, and negotiating their adoption with defense teams.

He has developed and evaluated financial vehicles, trust arrangements, and income deferral solutions. Among these is the Plaintiff Fund Charity, a no-cost program that protects plaintiffs’ Medicaid eligibility when they fundraise for medical needs.

Jeremy is an active member of the ABA TIPS Plaintiffs’ Practice Committee and leads the Legal Committee of the Society of Settlement Planners. Earlier in his career, he served as a Fellow in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department. He frequently speaks on settlement taxation and ethics at law schools such as NYU School of Law and the University of Chicago, contributes articles to Forbes, Bloomberg, and the ABA, and shares his insights on CNN, Fox News, and CNBC.

Melissa Delaney | Structured Consulting

Melissa Delaney is a public presence professional who works with attorneys and other brand professionals to elevate their company, practice areas, and individual brands. She often works with clients on crafting websites, social media strategies, digital content and communications, and assists with newsletter development, brochures and other client directed communications. Melissa also has great experience drafting requests for proposals (RFP’s) and pitches when firms are procuring work from potential new client businesses. She coaches attorneys both individually and in team environments, working with them to develop clientele and expand their personal brand through social media, networking, and other activities.

Melissa works with industry specific practice groups to develop specific marketing and business development goals, strategies, and action plans. Some of the practice groups she has experience supporting are Entertainment, Life Sciences, Intellectual Property, Finance, Project Development, Housing, Cybersecurity, Healthcare and FDA, Class Action, and several general Litigation teams that have a global reach. Using her Master’s degree in organizational psychology, Melissa helps law firms develop plans that are collaboratively oriented within and across groups of the organization.

She is known for being able to join and support teamwork seamlessly, a special skill that appeals to team leaders and team members who appreciate her insight into high-performing, goal-oriented teams. Additionally, Melissa works with companies to create corporate events which support their marketing efforts, including large corporate retreats, national conferences, local industry events, and in-house training sessions.

I. Ethical guidelines in lawyer external communications | 2:00pm – 2:20pm

II. Picking between public visibility strategies and tools | 2:20pm – 2:40pm

III. Balancing aggressive professional public visibility with professional integrity | 2:40pm – 3:00pm