blog home Criminal Defense How to Handle a High-Profile Arrest: A Legal and PR Playbook

How to Handle a High-Profile Arrest: A Legal and PR Playbook

By Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney on June 5, 2025

In the age of instant news, social media amplification, and viral headlines, a high-profile arrest can trigger a media storm before the accused ever steps foot in a courtroom. For public figures like actors, executives, athletes, influencers, and politicians, a single incident can threaten careers, reputations, and personal freedom simultaneously.

At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, we’re often called upon to handle high-stakes criminal cases involving intense media scrutiny. We’ve represented clients whose arrests made national headlines. In these cases, your future depends on PR and legal crisis management in addition to having an effective courtroom strategy.

The Challenges of a Public Figure Arrest

Unlike ordinary criminal cases, arrests involving celebrities or high-profile professionals demand immediate and strategic responses across multiple fronts:

• Legal jeopardy: A conviction could mean jail, fines, or professional disqualification.
• Reputational fallout: Damage to brand, endorsements, shareholder confidence, or political capital.
• Public relations: Narrative control is crucial, especially when accusations go viral before facts are vetted.
• Digital permanence: Headlines don’t fade. Online coverage may linger for years, affecting long-term career prospects.

These complexities mean that legal strategy cannot be separated from communications. Every statement, silence, motion, or filing becomes part of a larger narrative—one that must be carefully managed.

Fast Response Criminal Defense

Time is critical. The first hours following a high-profile arrest are when the most damage can be done or avoided.

Call Experienced Counsel Immediately

Don’t speak with the media or law enforcement before consulting a Los Angeles defense attorney. At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, our attorneys are available for urgent consults and jail visits 24/7. We act quickly to:

• Contact the arresting agency or DA
• Review probable cause for the arrest
• Arrange bail or release on bond
• Preserve any available exculpatory evidence
• Halt premature or damaging public statements

Begin Legal Damage Control

This involves more than bail hearings and arraignments. Our team works fast to:

• File motions to seal or delay the release of booking photos and arrest reports
• Push for quiet, early negotiations with prosecutors
• Challenge improper search warrants or detainment
• Protect the client from overreaching pretrial restrictions

Crafting a Coordinated Public Relations Strategy

After an arrest, silence can be interpreted as guilt, but so can the wrong words. That’s why every public figure arrest protocol we implement includes a disciplined media response plan.

PR and Legal Alignment

We work closely with publicists, managers, and PR firms to ensure every media-facing action supports the legal strategy. Messaging must be:

• Fact-based, not speculative
• Respectful of victims or accusers (when applicable)
• Designed to avoid waiving rights or creating evidence
• Structured to counter bias without igniting backlash

Controlled Messaging Channels

A social media apology or off-the-cuff comment to paparazzi can do more harm than a formal charge sheet. That’s why we often advise:

• Temporarily suspending social accounts
• Limiting appearances or public engagements
• Designating a single point of contact for press inquiries
• Issuing brief, vetted statements through counsel

Managing the Narrative Over Time

Once the arrest is public knowledge, the story doesn’t stop—it evolves. How you handle developments over the following weeks can mean the difference between rehabilitation and long-term fallout.

Legal Tactics With PR Impact

We use procedural moves, such as dismissal motions, suppression of evidence, and sealed filings, both for legal advantage and to shape perception. Each of these actions tells a story:

• A motion to suppress illegal evidence suggests misconduct by authorities
• A reduction of charges communicates a lack of prosecutorial confidence
• A sealed indictment signals the case lacks public relevance

Where appropriate, we file these motions in ways that allow our team to reference them without violating ethics rules or gag orders.

Trial Publicity

If the case proceeds to trial, jury bias becomes a concern. At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, we use multiple tools to manage this:

• Filing for change of venue if the local jury pool is prejudiced
• Demanding jury sequestration in extreme cases
• Crafting voir dire questions that expose media-driven bias
• Using expert witnesses to debunk public misconceptions

Protecting Your Future

A high-profile arrest can derail a career, but it doesn’t have to define it. Our defense extends beyond the courtroom to rebuild what’s been damaged.

Licensing and Employment Implications

For professionals, athletes, or executives, charges may trigger reviews by licensing boards, league offices, or corporate compliance departments. We coordinate responses to these entities and, when necessary, represent clients in parallel administrative proceedings.

Sealing, Expungement, and Record Correction

If charges are dropped or resolved favorably, we pursue the following:

• Expungement of arrest records (where available)
• Motions to seal court files
• Public updates to correct the record via press or legal filings

Long-Term Reputation Management

Even after charges are resolved, Google remembers everything. We work with vetted communications professionals to monitor search results, combat misinformation, and implement long-term content strategies that help restore public trust.

Elite Defense for High-Profile Clients

High-profile criminal cases are not just about the law. They are about strategy, perception, and control. At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, we combine courtroom skills with executive-level crisis management.

Our attorneys include former prosecutors and nationally recognized defense lawyers who have handled some of the most high-stakes criminal matters in California and across the country.

Speak With an Experienced High-Profile Arrest Defense Attorney in Los Angeles

If you’ve been the subject of a high-profile arrest in Los Angeles, there’s no time to waste. Media exposure and prosecutorial momentum build by the minute. Let Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP protect your rights, your reputation, and your future. Call (213) 688-0460 to request a confidential consultation today.