Deloitte Legal Italy -Società tra Avvocati a r.l. > Bari, Italy > Firm Profile

Carlo Gagliardi, Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate [law firm name] from your competitors?

Align with global strategy – input from Carlo

Deloitte Legal is unique organization in the legal services landscape, capable of providing comprehensive, innovative, and high-quality solutions, always focusing on clients’ needs, thanks to:

Business acumen: we stand out for our ability to understand market dynamics and specific client needs, offering legal services that seamlessly integrate with other areas of Deloitte’s expertise, such as tax, consulting, financial advisory, and risk management.

Can-do attitude: we boast a “can-do” approach, translating into a positive, solution-oriented mindset that allows us to successfully tackle clients’ legal and business challenges.

Strive for excellence: we are committed to providing top-quality services, constantly aiming for excellence and keeping our skills (including soft and tech) up to date.

Customer centricity: we place the customer at the heart of its activities, offering tailored solutions and dedicated attention to clients’ specific needs.

Passionate commitment: we are characterized by a strong commitment and passion for delivering legal services, ensuring an optimal experience for clients.

Collaboration: we foster a collaborative environment, both internally among our professionals and with clients and other stakeholders, encouraging the sharing of knowledge and expertise.

Sense of ownership: we are highly motivated to take responsibility for clients’ issues and work diligently to achieve satisfactory results.

Agility: we can quickly adapt to changes in the market and clients’ needs, thanks to our flexible structure and the wide range of expertise of our professionals.

Seeking innovation: we are constantly on the lookout for new solutions and methodologies to improve our services, keeping pace with the evolution of the legal sector and technologies.

Digital optimization: we are committed to implementing and utilizing digital tools and solutions to enhance the efficiency and quality of the services offered to clients.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

We expect that the Public and Administrative Law practice will have a central role in the upcoming months as the Next Gen EU funds will trigger a consistent flow of infrastructural work across the country. Following the same path, the public sector will require support in managing said work streams, and the private sector will seek advice to navigate this once in a generation opportunity for the modernization of the Italian corporate and public ecosystem.

IP, Tech and Data Protection will also be practices that we expect will see important workflows due to the implications of the many digitalization initiatives clients are embarking on.

On another note, we think that more innovative offerings such as the Legal Managed Services and Legal Management Consulting will become more “mainstream” in the Italian corporate world, following a trend that we already see in mature legal markets such as the UK.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

We have heavily invested and are continuing to invest in training the legal professionals of the future, who know how to stand at the intersection of legal perspective and the business mindset. Clients know that, by turning to us, they will obtain legal advice that already takes into account business needs, whether these are dictated by situations related to the client’s corporate culture or market trends related to the specific sector in which the client operates. We started by simplifying the language, teaching our professionals to speak again a comprehensible language, so that their attitudes also change. We want to be true business partners for our clients and we are convinced that in order to do this, we need to bring the approach of our professionals as close as possible to the approach required by the companies today even from their in-house lawyers.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

There is no doubt that technology has enabled law firms to provide more efficient and effective services and to reach a wider audience of clients, and this trend will accelerate in the near future.

The increasing use of online communication tools, to take one of the most recent examples, makes it easier for clients to communicate with the professionals best suited to satisfy their needs, regardless of their location or time zone.

But technology is also transforming the way firms provide legal services. Until recently, technology made it possible to store a huge amount of data, but still lacked the capacity to analyse it, particularly if data were unstructured. Today, this gap is increasingly closing, enabling lawyers to make more informed decisions and provide better advice to clients, who can consequently act with greater awareness.

In addition, more specific legal-technology tools are increasingly simplifying and streamlining operations, for instance by allowing repetitive and low-value-added tasks to be automated. This can free up lawyers’ time, enabling them to focus on the most critical and complex legal issues and provide higher quality services to clients.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

A large consumer client was going through a major corporate transformation, which involved the new general counsel to step in and having to restructure the legal function. The Legal Management Consulting team supported the GC in understanding how to play a strategic role within his new organization and how to better structure his team. The second stage, in parallel with the LMC support, was to introduce the LMS team that engaged a flexible senior in-house lawyer who, on one hand, took ownership of some day-by-day activities, and on the other, guided the new-in-seat GC to take the right steps to review the legal services catalogue and the legal operations of the department.

This way our client positioned his legal function to become a strategic business driver rather than solely a control function; with clear control and visibility over the costs and a clear vision on how to add value to the organization overall. This way we demonstrated how a well structured and managed legal function can be a business enabler, working side-by-side with the other functions in a more harmonious and coordinated manner.
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Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Clients are indeed looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms. They seek trusted partners who can provide consistent, high-quality services and valuable guidance in navigating the complex legal landscape. As businesses face rapid changes and increasing regulatory challenges, law firms that can offer stability and strategic insights will be better positioned to retain and attract clients.

In three years’ time, I see the firm continuing to grow and evolve in response to clients’ needs and market dynamics. There are several key areas that the firm can focus on to ensure success:

Technology adoption: Embracing digital transformation and utilizing advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation tools, will enable the firm to offer more efficient, innovative, and cost-effective solutions.

Expanding expertise: The firm should continue to invest in the professional development of its lawyers and staff to ensure they stay up to date with the latest legal developments, industry trends, and client needs. This will allow the firm to provide tailored and specialized advice across a broad range of sectors and practice areas.

Client-centric approach: By prioritizing client satisfaction and maintaining open lines of communication, the firm can build strong, long-lasting relationships with clients. This includes understanding clients’ business objectives, providing personalized legal strategies, and offering flexible pricing models.

Collaboration and innovation: Encouraging a collaborative environment and fostering a culture of innovation will help the firm stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the rapidly changing legal landscape. This includes partnering with clients, other law firms, and technology providers to develop and implement new legal solutions.

Global presence: As businesses continue to expand globally, the firm should consider enhancing its international presence by establishing strategic alliances or opening new offices in key markets. This will enable the firm to better serve its clients with cross-border legal issues and tap into new growth opportunities.

By focusing on these areas and continuously adapting to the evolving legal market, the firm will be well-positioned at local and global level to build leadership in a deeply transforming legal services market.