The Power of Communication – Amy Van Prooyen Greenfield
The College of Humanities recognized Amy Van Prooyen Greenfield as one of two Distinguished Alumni for 2008-2009. Mrs. Van Prooyen Greenfield was honored during the College of Humanities Convocation ceremony in May of 2009.
The Power of Communication
By Rochelle McConkie
For Amy Van Prooyen Greenfield, communication is key.
“‘No comment’ is really not appropriate in this day and age,” said Greenfield, who was recently named the 2009 College of Humanities Distinguished Alumna for her work in crisis and litigation communications.
After graduating from the University of Utah summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in communication, Greenfield went on to found Van Prooyen Greenfield LLP in 2003, where she serves as managing partner. The firm provides communications counsel for clients involved in high-profile litigation and other situations that could impact corporate reputation, helping clients articulate their positions to the public by providing context and clarity to their case in order to protect the image of the corporation. Greenfield advises clients on the public implications of legal decisions, and counsels them how to effectively work with the media before, during, and after the case is resolved.
With her firm, Greenfield has offered communications counsel for two of the largest corporate bankruptcy cases ever filed in the United States, including advising the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders in the Adelphia Communications cases and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the WorldCom, Inc. cases. She also represented a Major League Baseball player in the investigation and report conducted by the former senator from Maine, George Mitchell, on performance-enhancing substance use in baseball, in which she helped the player avoid testifying in a congressional hearing and return to play for spring training. Through litigation communications, Greenfield was able to mitigate the impact of the investigation on the player’s career and reputation, as well as protect the reputation of his team and family members.
Communications counsel is offered with the understanding that “the legal and media worlds operate by different rules,” according to a chapter Greenfield authored in the PR on litigation communications. “With the media spotlight shining brighter than ever on the business world, companies involved in litigation need to worry not only about what happens in the court of law, but how it affects their reputation in the court of public opinion,” Greenfield wrote with Lori Teranishi, chief operating officer of the firm and friend of Greenfield from her undergraduate days at the University of Utah. What happens in the court of public opinion is often much more powerful and harmful than the decisions rendered in a court of law, Greenfield said, and they are often rendered much more quickly.
In litigation communications, public relations tactics and a firm understanding of the law go hand in hand. Greenfield’s background in public relations dates back to her undergraduate degree in mass communication, which she received from the University of Utah in 1992, but her interest in law was sparked during a media law class with professor David Vergobbi, who also chaired Greenfield’s master’s committee. Greenfield said Vergobbi’s class “ignited a passion” in her that inspired her to go to law school—after earning her master’s degree in 1995, Greenfield obtained a law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1999. Vergobbi said Greenfield was an impressive student because of her “tremendous” enthusiasm and conscientious work ethic. Greenfield had a great interest in law, especially the First Amendment, he said, and her master’s thesis examined a new interpretation of the First Amendment with regards to speech and freedom of the press.
“She just stands out,” Vergobbi said. “I was always deeply impressed with her motivation and drive. Very quickly, it was apparent that she had outstanding intellect—she took to the material right away.”
Greenfield also cites experiences in the classrooms of L. Edna Rogers, Nickiann Fleener, and Leonard Hawes as being pivotal in her academic and professional development. Greenfield recalls not receiving the highest of marks in Rogers’s class, but acknowledged that “somehow she still managed to view me with respect, and seemed to teach me if there are obstacles to find the courage to work your way around them.” The University recently awarded Rogers with the Calvin S. and JeNeal Hatch Prize in Teaching.
Greenfield said her education in the College of Humanities enabled her to think analytically and look at the bigger picture in the world, as well as see the impact of writing the “right response” in legal situations. She made some of her best friends, including Teranishi, in the College of Humanities, and as her business partner, Greenfield said she has always been able to trust Teranishi because of the foundation they both have from the College of Humanities. Greenfield maintains connections with the University of Utah through her involvement on the Humanities College Partnership Board and has stayed in touch with academia by lecturing at Georgetown University, the Legal Marketing Association, and other law firms.
During her school years, Greenfield worked as a reporter in Utah’s skiing industry, and she worked at FHP Healthcare in Salt Lake City while earning her master’s degree. Greenfield went on to work for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications in New York, where she provided public relations counsel for global health care corporations, and later served as a vice president in Edelman’s Issues and Crisis Management practice, overseeing Litigation Communications for Edelman New York. At Edelman, she advised on communication for international global product recall cases and has also provided counsel for environmental cases, sexual harassment claims, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and issues arising from changes in management.
“It was an eye-opening experience to the power of communication,” Greenfield said. “Legal issues and communication are intertwined.” Although Greenfield’s firm is located in New York and San Francisco, Greenfield plans to return to the state of Utah with her husband, Van Greenfield, and her five-year-old son Shiloh, whom she said was skiing shortly after he began walking. Greenfield said she owes the Distinguished Alumna award to her family and those who have supported her in her academic and professional pursuits.
“Several people are here today who have had such a profound impact on my life path, and I am grateful for what each of them has taught me along the way,” Greenfield said at a luncheon honoring the Distinguished Alumni on May 7, 2009. “This award is really a shared honor with each of them for allowing me the opportunities not only to succeed but also to fail graciously at times and learn from my experiences.”