Public relations crises don’t just affect a company’s communications team. The legal team also can feel the sting of a public downfall.

Law.com details this in James F. Haggerty’s recent article “What Sensational Media Cases Can Teach Us About Proper PR Response.” It’s the first in what he promises to be a series detailing the lessons learned from high-profile cases.

The series offers a lawyer’s take on PR crises.

Here are a few lessons PR pros can take away from the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn:

1. “If your litigation-communications response is tailored only to respond to the first-day crisis, rather than the rhythms of the litigation itself, it will likely fail.”

2. “You can lose the initial battles, but still win the war.”

3. “Globalization brings a global media audience.”

4. “Eventually, another story will bump you from the headlines.”