Aman Abbas: Innovative architect of law firm practice development & litigation PR in India

In today’s e4m PR & Corp Comm Luminary series, we engaged in a candid conversation with Aman Abbas, the CEO and Co-Founder of Commwiser.

Aman Abbas is a distinguished leader with more than over two decades of experience in the PR & Comms industry. With a background deeply rooted in legal and regulatory environments, Aman puts the ‘wise’ in Commwiser and has guided Commwiser to become a pivotal player in these sectors. He’s a trailblazer in law firm marketing and litigation PR, who played pivotal role in shaping up communication strategies for global giants like KPMG and also for reputed orgnaisations like Amarchand Mangaldas. Under his leadership, he has navigating India’s complex regulatory landscape and opened new avenues of growth and innovations in the PR industry.

How a Single Moment Shifted His Career from Advertising to PR

From the early stages of his career, Aman has embodied the core principles of the "2 Ps of PR": leveraging third-party platforms and opinion leaders to amplify his clients' messages.

Some journeys are sparked by a single, defining moment. Similarly, for Aman Abbas, it was a TV program called ‘Dream Merchants’ that inspired him to build a career in advertising. However, his path took an unexpected turn during an internship at an ad agency, where he discovered the burgeoning field of public relations. He further added, "I got to know about PR, which I felt was a faster-growing field that would create a huge impact in future. That is when I decided to pursue a career in PR."

His Journey from Law to PR

Aman Abbas career trajectory has been marked by a series of unplanned yet strategically significant roles. Reflecting on his unexpected entry into the legal industry, he shares, "Joining the legal industry was just not planned and wasn’t on my radar even remotely. The reason why I took it up was because I had a much larger role as a director of strategy." He shares that his tenure at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) allowed him to spearhead the firm's brand transformation during a critical period, driving both internal and external strategic initiatives.

His stint at KPMG was equally impactful as it provided him with a global perspective. "KPMG is a powerhouse of knowledge where you get to work with some of the most talented people in the country. It was my first real opportunity to work with multi stakeholders across the globe," he explains. He further added that KPMG offered him the chance to learn and excel in his work and be one of the top-rated employees in a short span.

Recalling the acquisition phase at 2020 MSL, formerly 2020 Media, he shares, "2020 Media was one of the best PR agencies when it came to systems and processes. 2020 MSL also nurtured some of the best PR talent in India."

His Bold Move to Address the Legal Industry’s Strategic BD Deficit

During those times, the legal industry was quite isolated from the dynamic demands of marketing and public relations across Asian region. Reflecting on his time at Amarchand Mangaldas, India's largest law firm, Aman notes the absence of specialized law firm marketing professionals in the region. "The legal industry is very close-knit globally, and there was a huge gap when it came to law firm marketing professionals," he recalls.

This realization, coupled with the growing complexity of business activities and the inevitable rise in litigation, inspired him to take the bold step and make a real difference by starting his own firm which he named Commwiser. "One needs to understand the judicial process well while managing the reputation of corporations, brands, or individuals. I didn’t see anyone with this skill set in India, which prompted me to think of taking this up as an opportunity," Abbas further explains.

This is how Aman started Commwiser, a reputed legal PR firm that has been supporting the industry both in India and abroad for many years.

The Inception & Impact of LawWiser

In the face of adversity, innovation often finds its roots. Sharing about the inspiration behind LawWiser, he illustrates, "When Covid struck, all the physical events, travels and meetings came to standstill. So initially we conceptualized LawWiser as a platform on which law firms and clients could engage in an intellectual dialogue. It worked fairly well initially and we got many clients supporting us."

Explaining the new vision for LawWiser after the pandemic, he mentions, "As time passed by, people preferred physical interactions, which made us think of our next step, So, we developed it as a knowledge platform for the businesses in general and legal community in particular. Also, since video content became the preferred choice of the audience, we thought it could also be a good way to explain complex legal issues as well." Understanding the rapid pace of policy and regulatory developments, he transformed the LawWiser into a knowledge platform tailored specifically for businesses and the legal community. The platform now captures and analyzes these developments, providing much-needed clarity and practical guidance from leading experts.

Sharing the unique features of LawWiser than other knowledge sharing platforms, Aman explains, “LawWiser’s focus is on knowledge dissemination around corporate laws whereas most of the other platforms are more ‘news’ driven. We do many online and offline sessions purely focused on technical learning and that is what differentiates us from others.”

His Other Ventures Before CommWiser

Aman's entrepreneurial journey doesn’t include only Commwiser but also some ambitious ventures. He believes that true innovation often requires independence and stated, “I feel if you are a free thinker, you should be on your own.”

Abbas shared with us that one of his early ventures was a biryani business in Gurgaon. However, this venture did not succeed. Moreover, his quest for innovation continued with a concept he believed had great potential - Yoga holidays. He notes, "I spent a considerable amount of time researching that. I met a lot of people across Goa, Rishikesh etc. to understand the space but eventually didn’t pursue it." He believes that the idea was promising but the timing was not right, as the onset of Covid-19 changed everything and he couldn’t pursue it further.

His Impactful Campaigns

Talking about some of his successful campaigns, he reflects, "The list is really long and I can write a book on it."

He further shared that one of his standout campaigns was for the Almond Board of California in the early 2000s, where he skillfully orchestrated a multi-faceted story and enlisted influencers like nutritionists and chefs. This innovative approach captivated media attention and set a benchmark by becoming a non-media case study in Perfect Relations.

As his career progressed, Aman continued to make waves with high-impact campaigns. He played a crucial role in Google's 'Google Bus' initiative, which aimed to enhance internet awareness across India. Additionally, his work on a contraceptive awareness campaign in rural India helped to address critical social issues.

His Vision for the Future of PR

Sharing his vision for PR in the Legal Knowledge-Sharing Industry, he mentions “For the knowledge sharing industry or professional services industry, PR is their saviour because many of these industries are regulated industries in India. Besides that, the best way to market these firms is through leadership marketing. Since they already produce high quality content, it is easy to channel this knowledge to engage with their customers.”

Highlighting Commwiser’s integral role in shaping the future of PR, Aman asserts, “We track India’s policy and regulatory developments extensively and we offer proactive advice to our clients based on our own predictive tools.”