Il-legal advertising
For the purposes of advertising, a clear distinction is made between attorneys and legal advisors, the latter of which cannot defend clients in criminal proceedings. Attorneys are allowed limited freedom to inform potential clients about the range and specialization of services offered, as well as the qualifications of the legal team, usually in the form of brochures, ads in phone books and information on their websites. Legal advisors, on the other hand, have been free to advertise as they wish since the beginning of the year, when their ban was lifted.
"This orthodox approach derives from the notion that the legal profession involves a measure of public trust," according to Piotr Krawiec, president of Synergic, a PR firm which services law firms. Beata Gessel, the founder and managing partner of GESSEL law firm, also stressed the importance of trust in the profession. "Law firms are not soap makers - it is good that there are some restrictions, although I think they could be less severe. We must trust in the good taste of the lawyers themselves," she said.
Word of mouth
Instead of explicit advertising, promotion of legal services is based on word of mouth primarly, the experts interviewed by WBJ agreed. Previous experience and recommendation by another company are equally crucial.
This situation stimulates the growth of PR services for legal firms, where the most typical activities include articles by lawyers in the press, participation in conferences, thematic reports and educational campaigns.
But striving to voice a legal comment on every possible matter does not make any sense either, as it makes a law firm unreliable, according to Gessel. "Its best if a law firm specializes," she said.
The specificity of the legal branch makes it one of the most demanding sectors in terms of PR, said Paweł Osowski, a lawyer and partner at Public Relations Warsaw Consultants. An additional challenge has arisen as PR services have become more popular among law firms. "The situation calls for the development of new methods," Osowski said.
According to PBS research ordered by Wolters Kluwer Polska, 75 percent of Polish companies do not retain a lawyer or law firm. Meanwhile, over 60 percent of legal professionals questioned in a survey by Public Relations Warsaw Consultants and Wolters Kluwer stressed the need for an awareness-building campaign about legal services.
Pros and cons
The restrictions on advertising are most disadvantageous for potential clients, mainly individuals and small entrepreneurs, according to Osowski. "Awareness of the importance of legal services is still low among entrepreneurs. They tend to hire legal firms only in case of a crisis, at which time everything comes down to minimizing losses," he said.
On the other hand, the advertising restrictions prevent the kind of strong competition visible in the FMCG market from appearing, Osowski said. "Legal firms do not have to spend great sums of money on advertising to keep up with the competition," he concluded.
