Francisco J Hurtado Langer, Managing Director
What do you see as the main points that differentiate Hurtado & Gandini Abogados S.A.S. from your competitors?
I could mention several aspects that represent not only a differentiating factor, but that provide added value to our clients, and that make us stand out from other firms in the southwest of Colombia, the region where we currently develop most of our practice. The first of them is our work methodology that allows direct contact between the partners of the firm and the clients, without prejudice of course to the accompaniment of a solid professional and interdisciplinary team. Secondly, our link with academia, since all partners and several of our senior lawyers or associates are university professors, which allows us to develop a current and globalized vision of what is happening in local and international environments, both in legal matters and in the business world. Thirdly, I must mention the recent implementation of the career plan, a fundamental decision to guarantee the growth and durability of the firm, to the extent that the new generation of lawyers that is part of our team has the real possibility of being part of the change; and to conclude, I would add the effort we have been making to have technological tools that allow an improvement in the provision of the services we currently offer.
Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
I believe that the areas that will grow the most in the coming months are labor, estate planning and litigation. The global crisis generated by the Covid pandemic and the political situation that our country is going through have generated different tensions that directly impact these practice areas.
Regarding labor issues, there have been not only layoffs and closures of some companies, but also new dynamics that have had to be implemented by employers, among which remote work, teleworking, etc., are worth mentioning.
In connection with our estate planning practice, many of our clients (especially individuals) have decided to implement mechanisms to protect their assets and, incidentally, strategies that also allow them to adequately define succession planning to avoid problems for their descendants when they pass away. The advantages of implementing this type of solutions are evident and numerous. Political and social situations, such as those caused by the pandemic, generate concern in people and fundamental decisions about their assets.
At the same time, the litigation area will continue to be strengthened, which is always necessary to resolve the large number of conflicts that arise in situations such as the current one. Additionally, our firm has recently developed for Allianz Seguros a model for claims attention in the southwest of Colombia, which has allowed not only the attention of a greater volume of judicial processes in this specific sector, but also an immediate response to the indicators required by the insurer.
What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?
We have implemented a strategic alliance with a firm of accountants and auditors, who develop their activity under our permanent and direct supervision and exclusively for our clients, which has allowed us to better serve their needs not only in tax matters but has allowed the improvement of results in their businesses. This alliance allows us to work together in the development of the best available strategies and greater agility in their implementation and decision making.
In addition to the above, as of January of this year, the firm implemented the career plan, which guarantees not only its durability, to the extent that it adequately encourages our lawyers to continue being part of the team, but also a permanent updating by the hand of new generations of colleagues who come to enrich our team with a modern vision of law.
Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
In today's world, it is impossible to conceive the provision of legal services without taking into account technology and the attention to clients' requirements in terms of innovation. As I mentioned before, it is essential for us to have technological tools that allow us to determine and measure the quality of the services provided to our clients. The Time Manager tool has allowed us to analyze the degree of efficiency and quality of the services we currently offer to our clients, who can be sure that they are paying fees that correspond to what they have actually caused, a circumstance that offers them total peace of mind, since this type of expenditure can be supported with total transparency in their budgets.
It is noteworthy that for some clients we have identified opportunities for the implementation of technological solutions that allow them to achieve efficiency in their in-house legal processes, and we are in the development stage of some of them.
Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
There are several cases in which the firm's support has allowed clients to have legal inputs that allow them to substantially improve their operations. For the purposes of this interview, I will talk about the most recent case.
This is Allianz, a client that we have been serving for about 20 years, and for whom we identified the need for reliable statistical information, vital for the development of its operation. We then developed a software (SINAPP) for optimal claims management. Before having this tool, providing the insurer with the required information implied practically suspending the normal course of the operation until the requested information could be consolidated. Today, all the information is literally a "click" away.
Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
We have learned significant lessons in the administrative management of the firm, as well as in the way we provide services, from events such as the pandemic and the political and economic situation of the last few years. Today more than ever we are aware of the need to adapt to our clients, especially to the way in which the markets in which they move are articulated, hand in hand with the technological requirements that add value to our service.
For this reason, we have structured a strategic plan that will allow us to strengthen our capacity to reach more and better our clients in the region, supported by an interdisciplinary team of professionals, with computer tools that simplify processes, that allow a better measurement of service satisfaction, and that generate greater reach. In this way, we work for the firm to become in the next years a reference in the region, characterized by the quality and efficiency in its processes and by the generation of value for our clients, through the quality training of the work team, and the implementation of technological tools, under a legal design approach.