Les Zuke, director of communications, joined King & Spalding in October 2004. He is responsible for external and internal communications, media relations and reputation management for the firm and its offices, working with the firm’s chairman, practice group leaders and office managing partners. He is resident in the New York office.

Zuke has extensive experience in PR and communications across diverse industries.  Previously, he was head of global public relations at international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Before that, he held senior communications positions at international accounting giant Ernst & Young, financial services group Quick & Reilly, tobacco titan Philip Morris U.S.A, soft drink marketer The Seven-Up Company and others. He was also a contributing reporter for the nation’s largest chain of weekly newspapers.

Throughout his career, Zuke has established cutting-edge operations in public relations, media relations, investor relations, editorial services and has produced award-winning programs and publications.

Under Zuke’s direction, King & Spalding won the 2008 PR News Legal PR Award in the media coverage category for “outstanding media relation efforts related to the positive media coverage of a law firm." Marketing the Law Firm newsletter ranked King & Spalding’s marketing and communications department the eighth best in the nation in 2008, saying it is an example of “how first-class, first-rate marketing and communications can move the agenda of a law firm forward in a strategic manner and in so doing become invaluable to the success of the firm.” In 2003, PR Week magazine named Zuke’s public relations department at Ernst & Young one of the top five in the nation for the effective direction of crisis and media communications activities in the face of widespread corporate and accounting industry scandals.

Zuke received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Missouri—St. Louis and attended Washington University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.