Luis del Pulgar Rodríguez

The new paradigm that rises up on the shoulders of the technological revolution can be summarised by the group of beliefs shared by all the members of one organisation that confirm the attributes of its identity; history, values, mission and culture.

We have always understood that corporative communication is, fundamentally, to diffuse a coherent and positive image. But Internet has modified the characteristics of communication so radically that nowadays it is impossible to conceive it without the proximity that this method of communication imposes new models of exchange of interpersonal information and without previous knowledge that the structure of the network allows the user to manipulate information to his whim.

In this scenario, the behaviour of law offices gains capital importance. Corporative communication being as it is, the tool by par excellence that organizations use to control their public image, their acts turn into primordial contents in the process of communication. An indicator of new paradigm is the endless appearance of new products and services but also the manifestation of certain intangible elements that are starting to play a decisive role in company profit and loss accounts. The tangible element is a value that is not reflected in balance sheets but it is of extreme usefulness for the brand to be differentiated in the public’s mind even with the tough competition that exists in the markets.

Intangible elements must be incorporated into the strategic plans of law offices, in such a way that the potential consumers are able to differentiate them according to what each one of them does and how it is done (services, professional talent), where they do it (environment), how they communicate and what their behaviour is like (public conduct of those responsible).

The interactivity with the environment obliges offices to perfect feedback mechanisms to identify and understand it. The environment is dynamic for a law office because laws are modified, new competitors regularly appear and clients’ habits and preferences change within short spaces of time. It is, therefore, an environment where risks and opportunities happen.

We know full well that our clients are better informed and are much more demanding than in the past; a personalised, direct, agile and dynamic treatment is non-negotiable. The road to excellence starts by offering them a professional quality, intense and exclusive dedication.

The reputation, that fickle intangible element, secures law offices acknowledgement, it generates confidence and acts like a protecting shield in the event of any possible crises. But reputation is not completely volatile if it is built from and within a reality, from the perception that the clients have of the law office, a perception that does not arise from nothing if not the result of constant behaviour over time. Reputation substantiates leadership, ethics, social responsibility, professional excellence and informative transparency.

Communication, in consequence, takes a leading role in the process of transformation of identity in image and the equally decisive process of modification of the perceived image. The judgement of the public is remitted, generally speaking, to the behaviour of the organisation; communication can highlight or attenuate certain aspects of behaviour. Everything consists of understanding what we are to become what we must and want to be. Our communication starts when we carry out an action that in a voluntary or involuntary way transmits a message that a receiver decodes. And do not let it be forgotten that there is nothing more negative for a law office, or indeed any organisation, that produces a divergence between the image perceived by a client and the image induced by a conscious communication process.

Luis del Pulgar Rodríguez

GRB Communications Manager