Comunicación y abogacía. Análisis de las relaciones con los públicos en los despachos de abogados

Abstract

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.