Co-Managing partners Cristina Filip and Alexandru Bîrsan discuss how Filip & Company combines strong client relationships, strategic thinking and technology to navigate a rapidly evolving business environment.

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

Cristina Filip: Our most important differentiator is our culture. Our professional high performance stems from alignment with our values. We offer our clients what we also offer to one another: (i) trust that grows from reliable, principled advice and accountability; (ii) commitment to putting the team’s goals and clients’ interests first and working as a team with shared purpose in all circumstances; (iii) high-quality delivery and outcomes rooted in deep expertise, collaborative review and specialization.

 Alexandru Bîrsan: I would add that our ability to combine that culture with deep transactional expertise, commercial acumen and execution focus is also key. We are constantly advising in some of the most complex transactions in the Romanian market, across sectors such as energy, finance, infrastructure and technology. Clients value lawyers who can translate legal complexity into clear strategic options which fit their business objectives and who can deliver the deal, and that is something we constantly strive to deliver.

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

Alexandru Bîrsan: We expect strong activity in areas driven by structural economic changes — particularly energy, infrastructure, defence, technology, financing and capital markets. Romania is continuing a period of significant investment, from energy transition projects to infrastructure developments to strategic realignment, and these generate complex legal work.

 Cristina Filip: At the same time, we see an increasing need for regulatory, dispute resolution and strategic advisory work. Businesses are navigating a more complex and sometimes volatile environment, and they rely more on trusted advisors who can help them understand risks and make informed business decisions.

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

Cristina Filip: In recent years we have focused heavily on strengthening collaboration across practices and building integrated teams around client needs. Complex projects do not fall into a single legal category. By practicing cross-practice collaboration we ensure that clients receive integrated advice that takes into account the full legal and business context of a matter.

 Alexandru Bîrsan: In parallel, we have invested in improving the way we manage large projects and transactions, including through technology and improved management processes. This allows us to deliver advice more efficiently and with greater consistency across teams.

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

Alexandru Bîrsan: Technology is definitely transforming the legal industry. Tools based on artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis can help us review large volumes of documents, streamline due diligence processes and identify certain risks faster. We have already integrated AI tools such as Harvey into certain workflows, particularly to help us handle repetitive or large-scale tasks more efficiently and we see notable results in contract automation, assisted document review and summarization, knowledge-management systems. We are adding new technology solves on a weekly basis. This allows our team to spend less time on mechanical work and focus more on strategic analysis, client counseling and problem-solving for clients.

Cristina Filip: We believe in responsible use of technology in our practice of law. At the same time, we believe technology should amplify— not replace — the human dimension in the domain of legal assistance services and we note that the decisions of our Clients remain human-led. Clients come to us for sound, well-grounded judgment that combines legal knowledge, practical experience, ethical considerations and a deep understanding of the business context and implications surrounding the legal issues. Technology can increase efficiency and streamline routine tasks, but trust, open multi-level communication, nuanced legal diagnosis and strategic thinking remain at the heart of the delivery of legal advice and, equally important, of the attorney - client relationship.

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

Alexandru Bîrsan: In complex transactions, our role often goes beyond the legal execution of a deal. We work closely with clients to structure transactions in a way that aligns regulatory requirements, financing conditions and their broader business objectives. In several cross-border M&A and financing projects, this type of strategic input has helped clients design deal structures that have either made them possible from a regulatory and risk management perspective or materially improved the bankability of the project and made it more attractive for investors or lenders.

Cristina Filip: Exactly. In many projects our involvement starts very early, sometimes when clients are still shaping the structure of a transaction. This allows us to contribute not only from a legal perspective, but also by helping anticipate risks, avoid pitfalls and design governance or risk allocation mechanisms that support the viability of the project on a longer term. In addition, in our day to day practice we have evidence that carefully structuring advice and building alternatives for the Client may win extremely valuable time, may mean going to the market at the right moment and in the right format and seizing windows of opportunity, may mean choosing the faster or more certain regulatory path, may mean enhancing project bankability and the borrowing cost as well as removing obstacles from various partnership options. When legal strategy is integrated into the business thinking from the beginning, it can significantly increase the value a transaction ultimately brings to the client.

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

Cristina Filip: Clients continue to value stability and trusted long-term relationships with their advisors. Our goal is to continue strengthening Filip & Company as a firm where clients know they will find both high-quality legal advice and a team who understands their business and is vested in their success.

Alexandru Bîrsan: It would be pretty inconvenient if clients could not rely on accessing their favorite law firm when they need it, would it not? Jokes aside, in my experience clients understand that we are ourselves a fairly complex business and appreciate if we are well run and know precisely where we are going. In our case, the next three years will be focused on continued growth based on technology, building on our strengths and expanding our capabilities in a few new areas. We enjoy our reputation as one of the premier independent firms in our region and we need to continue to honor it.