What do you see as the main points that differentiate GVZH from your competitors?

GVZH enjoys a legacy of 80 years in the Maltese legal landscape, resulting from several strategic mergers. As a leading full-service firm, the depth and breadth of our expertise places us amongst the top professional services firms in Malta. Our differentiating factor remains our ability to provide practical and pragmatic advice in the context of the challenges faced by businesses within our core industries.

The firm’s values are based on effective teamwork, curiosity, open communication and innovation. We apply these values through the deep-rooted relationships with our clients, making us true strategic partners.

Working closely with business leaders and entrepreneurs places us in a privileged position. It also requires us to keep ahead of the key developments in our focus industries, whilst being mindful of each client’s objectives and risk-gearing. The development of these skills has enabled us to garner the trust and confidence that is central to any long-term professional relationship.

GVZH is actively engaged by several international firms, ranging from magic circle firms to smaller boutique practices, providing them with both technical and practical insight on any Malta-facing issues. Our participation in several worldwide networks also provide us with cross-border capabilities which significantly boosts our offering.

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

Mergers and acquisition transactions, leveraged financing and telecoms and technology regulation represent the core activities of GVZH. Whilst mergers and acquisitions and leveraged finance activity maintained a very high level of activity throughout 2021, and 2022 this trend appears to have lost some momentum in the first quarter of 2023, but is expected to pick up again as company valuations are adjusted and become more attractive.

Our passion for everything technological is also reflected in the nature and caliber of clients handled in this area, and the developments in the regulation of artificial intelligence, robotics and data privacy promise to generate significantly more activity. Indeed, the introduction of the Digital Services act and the Digital Markets Act at a European level provide a very clear indication of the increased regulation that we will be seeing in this space over the coming years.

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

Our investments into technology, the streamlining of processes and staff development are probably the most significant changes that we have made within the firm over the past 5 years, and which we are certainly seeing the benefits both for our clients and for our people. These efficiencies enable our professionals to communicate and collaborate more efficiently and effectively, dedicating their energies towards more value-added functions in the course of their day, ultimately resulting in a value-add for our clients .

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

Technology lies at the core of our strategy as an organisation. We maintain a very strong technological environment which enables our professionals to collaborate in a very open and streamlined manner regardless of where they are based. The development and centralisation of our internal knowledge systems have also borne fruit with significant positive feedback being received from clients and correspondent firms.

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

The depth and strength of our network, both locally and overseas enables us to connect people to make things happen. Whether it’s connecting a local client with a suitable foreign firm, introducing prospective buyers and sellers to each other or obtaining market intelligence in jurisdictions or industries where information is limited we find that our network of connections within global industries have proven to be invaluable for our clients.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

It is evident from our dealings with clients that the stability and strategic direction of the professional organisations that they work with represent key elements to support the on-going rapport. In today’s fast-moving world, clients seek a “safe haven” where they can address their legal, governance or regulatory challenges frankly, openly and pragmatically. Our dedication is to provide our clients with advice that will serve to overcome those challenges and to support them through their journey beyond. Our culture of continuous improvement creates a constant feedback loop, enabling us to learn from each individual outcome of our collective performance.

In the next 3 years we expect to leverage off the investments that have begun over the past years, embracing deeper technological change to support our administrative processes and take further steps to broaden our approach towards mentoring and life-long learning. We are driven to continue excelling in our core areas of expertise by creating a modern, sophisticated and open platform for ambitious professionals to reach their full potential, both on a personal and on a professional level.