How are client demands in Italy changing?
Clients’ demands have been changing throughout the years in Italy as elsewhere; there is an increasingly segmented workflow and a clear distinction between commoditised work and special situations. Clients have been better at organising internally and have a clear picture of the different capabilities of each firm and also of different lawyers within the same firm. Clients are looking for value-added services and are attempting to cut the budget as much as possible with reference to serial or repetitive matters.
How are you adapting to these changes?
Of course we have been looking at all relevant changes and constantly monitoring our strategy and organisation to better serve the clients in the special situations rather than in the commoditised work.
How do you set yourself apart from the competition?
Competition is as strong in Italy as in any other country. The key differentiator from our competitors is the capacity to handle the most complex transactions through a unique multi-disciplinary approach. The driver of our firm is being excellent and better than our competitors in our key practice areas; this is the result of a series of actions starting from the recruitment, where we pay close attention to career development and encourage innovation at all levels of our organisation. The goal is to stay at the top of the market where it is more difficult to find competitors with the same capacity and reputation.
Where are you seeing growth?
In recent years, we have seen increased interest in foreign clients looking to invest in Italy and we have been very happy to assist them with the Italian side of a number of cross-border transactions. Also domestic clients have been quite active, with sectors interested by consolidation waivers and in certain cases also looking to invest abroad.