In this new installment of our special “Voices of Development, Communication and Legal Marketing”, we spoke with Celia Dominguez, Head of Business Development at CMS Albiñana & Suarez de Lezo, a leader who defines herself by her “focus on people and long-term development.”
Professionally, she excels “in complex environments, where soft skills are key to aligning strategy, culture, and business.” Her career combines “a solid legal background and years of practicing law” with an MBA and specialized programs in firm and professional management.
For Celia, taking risks in firms with very different management models has been key. “I have been fortunate to work with leaders who believed in our strategic potential and gave me the space to develop it, which has allowed me to see, in practice, how well-understood management generates real change, improves culture, and produces measurable results
“ Communicating is building position and reputation, especially in a sector as competitive and demanding as the legal one ”
Today, communication is a central element of any firm’s strategy and requires work that is closely aligned with the partnership: deciding judiciously what to communicate, how to do so, and with what business objective.
During my time at different firms, I have been fortunate to work with leading professionals in the field of communication, such as Ariadna Carbonell at Roca Junyent, Ana Nogales at Clifford Chance, and José María Méndez-Castrillón, now at CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo. Working with them, I have learned that communication and business development cannot function in silos, and that effective communication requires consistency with the firm’s overall strategy, knowing how to balance client visibility and confidentiality, and coordinating messages with clients to add value without generating overexposure.
“What is not communicated does not exist”
I am left with one very clear idea: everything communicates. Words, decisions, silence, or even the absence of a message.
That is why I firmly believe that communication is not optional—what is not communicated does not exist and leaves room for others to construct the narrative for you.
“Working at CMS is proving to be a very stimulating experience”
The main challenge is to integrate an already established brand into the local market, while ensuring the value of its fully integrated international reach, as well as the talent of new hires and promotions and the launch—or relaunch—of specialties tailored to current client needs.
This work requires coordination, persistence, and rigor, as well as an effort to raise internal awareness. It has allowed us to work with multidisciplinary teams and enrich the firm’s value proposition, both internally and in the market.
Legal communication: balancing confidentiality and strategic positioning
In a sector as secretive as the legal sector, Celia believes that the main challenge is to balance the need for positioning with client confidentiality requirements. “Not everything can be communicated, and when it is, it is usually a unique opportunity, so it must respond to clear strategic criteria, respect the client, and reinforce the firm’s reputation, precisely defining when and where.”
She also said that leading communication in the legal field involves driving internal cultural change: “moving from reactive to proactive communication, focused on positioning both the firm and its people and on providing real value to the client. This requires clear internal policies, conviction on the part of management, and cascading implementation, training senior profiles in communication skills and junior profiles in both the importance of professional secrecy and the responsible construction of their personal brand.”
Leading in this area requires a profound cultural change, he says: “moving from reactivity to proactivity, focused on positioning the firm and its people while providing real value to the client. This requires clear policies, management commitment, and tiered training—communication skills for seniors, professional secrecy and responsible personal branding for juniors.”
This internal transformation is reflected in the fundamental lines of his international communication strategy:
- Absolute consistency of messages between offices and teams.
- Visibility with real value for customers, never for vanity.
- Strategic channels with metrics for continuous learning and optimization.
AI and technology: the strategic impetus for CMS communication
Celia identifies key opportunities for innovation: “Integrating technological and other tools that allow us to obtain impact metrics,” “strengthening collaboration with business development and marketing areas so that communication becomes increasingly strategic,” and “developing truly relevant content for specific audiences.”
She also points out that “digital channels and social media will continue to play a key role, not only as a mouthpiece, but also as spaces for relationship building and positioning.”
This vision is enhanced by AI as a strategic ally in CMS: “Improving the analysis of large volumes of data and actively listening,” adapting messages with precision while preserving “authenticity and alignment with our brand identity.”
“In crisis management, AI provides anticipation and constant planning that can then be translated into greater speed in information processing, facilitating agile and effective responses to the demands of our stakeholders.”
Celia’s keys to boosting positioning and business development
- Clearly define your value proposition.
- Align communication strategy with business objectives.
- Invest in equipment and tools that provide data and knowledge.
In short
What piece of advice or wise phrase have you received that you still apply in your work today? Always think about the long-term impact of decisions, even when they are made in the short term. Who has been the person who has most influenced your career and why? I consider myself truly fortunate. Many people have influenced my career: family, friends, teachers, professional mentors, colleagues, and others. I have learned so much from the best that most of the people I have met have offered, as well as, in some cases, from more difficult experiences with specific individuals. I firmly believe that everyone has something to share (teach) and that it is essential to always keep your eyes and ears open so as not to miss out on those lessons. Define your work style or personality in one word and tell us something that inspires or motivates you outside of your professional life. Demanding. To this day, what motivates me most is setting an example and inspiring my daughters. A sport? Walks/hikes, Pilates, golf, and skiing. [En pocas palabras0] A song? [/En pocas palabras0] Fallen, the version by Sole Giménez and Randy Crawford. [En pocas palabras2] Are you good at cooking? What’s your signature dish? [/En pocas palabras2] I love everything related to gastronomy. For a while, I made a name for myself among my friends for being one of the first to try making sushi at home… although I suspect that’s a thing of the past. [En pocas palabras4] A key to success? [/En pocas palabras4] Being yourself; being authentic. [En pocas palabras6] What inspires you? [/En pocas palabras6] Energetic people. [En pocas palabras8] A book? [/En pocas palabras8] “Shoot, I’m Already Dead” by Julia Navarro.
