Should lawyers offer direct advice to victims of DANA?

The General Council of the Spanish Bar has stressed that it is prohibited to actively offer legal services to victims of disasters or crimes during the first 45 days, according to Art. 6 of the Code of Ethics.

Article 6 of the Code sets out the prohibition of ‘the offer of professional services, by themselves or through third parties, to direct or indirect victims of catastrophes, public calamities or other events that have produced a high number of affected persons and their heirs and assignees, at times or in circumstances that condition the free choice of lawyer and, in no case, until 45 days after the event’.

OBJECTIVE:
To prevent victims from making decisions under pressure or in a state of emotional vulnerability.

Being supportive also means knowing how to wait for the right moment. Helping first does not always mean helping better. As lawyers, our real mission is to respect people’s time and dignity before offering our solutions.