Richard Levick, Esq., who pioneered the fields of disaster and litigation administration, died on Tuesday from problems of most cancers. He was 65.
As chairman and CEO of Levick, he labored with firms and international governments on a number of the highest-profile crises of the previous few many years together with the Gulf oil spill, the Venezuelan monetary disaster, Chinese language commerce wars and extra, based on his biography on the agency’s web site.
Levick additionally represented the Catholic Church throughout clergy abuse scandals, reminiscences he recounted in a 2018 Forbes op-ed.
“So, I entered our engagement with this order of the Church instinctively conscious of the stakes; instinctively conscious that, when a terrific establishment is mortally wounded, we’re all harmed,” Levick wrote. “All of us lose some important consolation, some sense of shared mission. The longer any establishment ignores the causes of its crises, the better the peril it should in the end face.”
Maybe most famously, Levick represented a gaggle of accused terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay, the Washington Submit reported. Many mentioned they have been wrongfully arrested in Afghanistan.
Levick’s technique concerned humanizing the Kuwaiti males and emphasizing the American values he mentioned have been violated by their detention, looking for frequent floor with conservatives on Constitutional points associated to habeas corpus and due course of.
“With out query, he was the daddy of contemporary fame administration,” mentioned Max Marcucci, senior vice chairman at Levick. “Coming from a authorized background and dealing with legislation companies to signify the legislation companies themselves and to signify their purchasers, that’s actually the story of Richard and his legacy.”
Levick earned his J.D. from American College, the place he would later change into director of the Faculty of Public Affairs Management Program. He additionally held a grasp’s diploma in environmental advocacy from the College of Michigan. He was a member of the college at Fordham Legislation Faculty and gave lectures at establishments together with West Level, Harvard and Georgetown Legislation.
Levick co-authored 4 books, together with “Cease the Presses: The Disaster and Litigation PR Desk Reference,” was a frequent commentator within the media and hosted the “In Home Warrior” podcast.
Levick’s agency will host a celebration of life, with particulars forthcoming.
Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications, remembers her early profession days within the trade and Levick serving to her to navigate. “I’ve realized a lot from Richard through the years, and am saddened by his passing. We’ve misplaced an trade icon who was so clever, supportive, humorous and type.”
An e-mail despatched from Marcucci remembered Levick as a person with ”seemingly boundless power, ardour, thirst for information, and humorousness.”
“We are going to miss Richard deeply, however his legacy will reside on via the work that we do day-after-day, the individuals who have been made higher for having identified him, and the numerous reputations that have been saved due to him.”
Allison Carter is govt editor of PR Each day. Observe her on Twitter or LinkedIn.
