En el presente artículo, haremos un repaso por el panorama actual en lo que se refiere a la publicidad realizada por parte de los despachos de abogados en sus páginas web. Estudiaremos cual es la visión predominante al respecto y cuál ha sido la evolución en lo referente a su regulación y al uso que los grandes despachos de abogados en España han hecho de esta. Para ellos, hemos seleccionado una muestra de los 70 despachos de abogados más grandes en España, a nivel de facturación nacional y global, para analizar sus webs y comprobar si respetan punto por ponto la normativa que regula la publicidad en el ámbito de la abogacía. Los resultados han sido algo inquietantes, ya que del análisis se desprende que, ni la regulación de la publicidad en este sector está bien definida, ni los grandes despachos de abogados parecen respetarla completamente.

Introducción: Los hospitales privados, a pesar de su enorme peso dentro de la economía y de la sociedad, tradicionalmente han tenido poca presencia en la prensa. En el presente estudio, analizaremos el impacto que tuvo la creación del Xanit Hospital Internacional dentro del panorama de los hospitales privados malagueños en la prensa local. Objetivo: Analizar si un hecho tan relevante y significativo como la creación del mediático Xanit, les ha ayudado a lograr una mayor presencia mediática. Metodología: Analizaremos todas las noticias de los 6 principales hospitales privados de la provincia de Málaga en los 3 periódicos de mayor importancia de la provincia, durante un periodo de 5 años. Resultados: Los centros sanitarios privados han incrementado su presencia en las noticias de la prensa local, siendo además el Xanit Hospital Internacional el que ha aparecido un mayor número de veces en prensa, a pesar de no ser el hospital privado más importante de la provincia. Conclusiones: La repercusión de los hospitales en la prensa local es baja, y con noticias de bajo impacto. Sin embargo, la creación del Xanit ha provocado un ligero aumento en esta tendencia.

In this article, we will initially review the current scenario regarding the use of new technologies by law firms, to later analyze what is the subjective view that large law firms in Spain have about the adoption of the new technological tools in their professional activity, especially in terms of communication with clients, and if they respect the existing ethical standards regarding advertising. To do this, we have developed a survey model covering the key aspects in the matter, sent to the 70 most important law firms in Spain, obtaining as a result that the use of the new tools is already a reality in issues such as document management, use of web pages or that of social networks, but not yet in other sections such as the use of Artificial Intelligence or Big Data. As far as respecting ethical standards is concerned, the opinion of the offices is that these are respected, although it can be inferred from some answers that this is not entirely the case. The development of this research is not without complications, since lawyers have traditionally been a very closed and hermetic union, reluctant to show their working methods and, even more, to vary it through the use of new tools. On the other hand, determining the sample has not been easy either, since large law firms normally operate through multiple companies, which makes it extremely difficult to discern the total turnover of each of them, beyond of the official figures that appear in the commercial registers. This is due, among other factors, to the anachronistic idea that a lawyer does not need anything more than codes and a text editor to carry out his work, since, on the other hand, communication with clients is considered as a residual aspect. That said, it should be noted that, despite all this, we have found a very high predisposition to participate in the present study, and that the responses obtained have generally been very direct and concise, without trying to avoid questions such as that of respect for professional deontology. On the negative side, perhaps we have noticed that there is a worrying degree of ignorance regarding the technological tools available for practicing the legal profession, which contrasts strongly with the existing panorama in the Anglo-Saxon market, in which the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence are not only an available option, but they have become essential tools and the most valuable allies when it comes to undertaking judicial strategies or communicating with their audiences. This ignorance is not about isolated cases, but, on occasions, its Communication Directors or similar figures, who consider that tools as old as SMS or telephone calls are “new communication tools”. Another surprising aspect is the treatment and importance that these macro-companies make of an aspect as important as communication, surprising that on many occasions, they do not have a specific person responsible for these tasks, being frequent that these are carried out by lawyers, partners or heads of other departments.

Resumen En este artículo, inicialmente daremos un repaso al panorama actual en lo referente al uso de las nuevas tecnologías por parte de los despachos de abogados, para posteriormente analizar cuál es la visión subjetiva que los grandes despachos de abogados en España tienen acerca de la adopción de las nuevas herramientas tecnológicas en su actividad profesional, especialmente en cuanto a la comunicación con los clientes, y en qué medida lo hacen respetando la normativa deontológica existente al respecto en materia de comunicación. Para ello, hemos elaborado un modelo de encuesta abarcando los aspectos claves en la materia, enviada a los 70 despachos más importantes en España, obteniendo como resultado que el uso de las nuevas herramientas es ya una realidad en cuestiones como la gestión documental, el uso de páginas webs o el de las redes sociales, pero aún no en otros apartados como la utilización de Inteligencia Artificial o Big Data. En lo que se refiere al respeto de las normas deontológicas, la visión de los despachos es que se respetan, aunque se puede desprender de algunas respuestas que esto no es del todo así.Palabras clave: Despachos de abogados, relaciones con los públicos, nuevas tecnologías, comunicación.AbstractIn this article, we will initially review the current scenario regarding the use of new technologies by law firms, to later analyze what is the subjective view that large law firms in Spain have about the adoption of the new technological tools in their professional activity, especially in terms of communication with clients, and if they respect the existing ethical standards regarding advertising. To do this, we have developed a survey model covering the key aspects in the matter, sent to the 70 most important law firms in Spain, obtaining as a result that the use of the new tools is already a reality in issues such as document management, use of web pages or that of social networks, but not yet in other sections such as the use of Artificial Intelligence or Big Data. As far as respecting ethical standards is concerned, the opinion of the offices is that these are respected, although it can be inferred from some answers that this is not entirely the case. The development of this research is not without complications, since lawyers have traditionally been a very closed and hermetic union, reluctant to show their working methods and, even more, to vary it through the use of new tools. On the other hand, determining the sample has not been easy either, since large law firms normally operate through multiple companies, which makes it extremely difficult to discern the total turnover of each of them, beyond of the official figures that appear in the commercial registers. This is due, among other factors, to the anachronistic idea that a lawyer does not need anything more than codes and a text editor to carry out his work, since, on the other hand, communication with clients is considered as a residual aspect. That said, it should be noted that, despite all this, we have found a very high predisposition to participate in the present study, and that the responses obtained have generally been very direct and concise, without trying to avoid questions such as that of respect for professional deontology. On the negative side, perhaps we have noticed that there is a worrying degree of ignorance regarding the technological tools available for practicing the legal profession, which contrasts strongly with the existing panorama in the Anglo-Saxon market, in which the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence are not only an available option, but they have become essential tools and the most valuable allies when it comes to undertaking judicial strategies or communicating with their audiences. This ignorance is not about isolated cases, but, on occasions, its Communication Directors or similar figures, who consider that tools as old as SMS or telephone calls are “new communication tools”. Another surprising aspect is the treatment and importance that these macro-companies make of an aspect as important as communication, surprising that on many occasions, they do not have a specific person responsible for these tasks, being frequent that these are carried out by lawyers, partners or heads of other departments. Keywords: Law firms, public relations, new technologies, communication.

En este estudio analizaremos el uso de las nuevas tecnologías para librar una batalla paralela, y no menos efectiva, a la que se desarrolla en los tribunales. Trump, sabiendo que las elecciones de la nueva era de la comunicación digital se ganan en las redes sociales, independientemente de la veracidad o no del discurso difundido, se ha apropiado especialmente de una de ellas, Twitter. Ante esto, las asociaciones de abogados, como la Asociación Americana de Abogados de Inmigración (AILA), han tenido que responder, llegando a su oposición y desacuerdo también por estos medios. Llevaremos a cabo un análisis en profundidad de esta guerra virtual para mostrar que en este nuevo escenario, la comunicación en las redes sociales se está volviendo más importante que la lucha en los tribunales o la aplicación de la Constitución para los Estados Unidos de América.