Interview with: Elmer B. Serrano, Founding Partner/Managing Partner, Serrano Law

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

Shared vision.  We know what we want to become and what we don’t want to be. Hence, our chosen ethos:

Results-driven. Client-focused. Partners in growth.

We established our law firm when the country was just getting out of the game-changing pandemic and saw an opportunity to change the way we do things for the better.  With our proven expertise and our size, we are uniquely positioned to deliver on our promise of next level legal services. We got the systems and skills of large firms yet retain the agility and innovativeness of a compact outfit.   

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

 M&A still and now more than ever. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of small format business and though I believe in entrepreneurial initiatives, businesses have to pivot using the lessons of these past 2 years.  Our clients have to adapt, consolidate and rationalize, and they have to take advantage of opportunities.  That is why we advised our clients who represented the private sector during legislative deliberations on pandemic recovery to lobby for easing measures for M&As.  We are happy that our legislators were responsive and some of our suggestions have become part of the law.  This course of consolidation is not isolated locally, as international acquisitions with ties to the Philippines have been notably active this 2022 and we have been fortunate to work with international law firms based not just in Asia-Pacific, but also in the U.S. and Europe on such cross-border projects.

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

Not so much a change, as we are new, but more of a commitment to start with the right mindset. Our team at SERRANO LAW are not only conscious to stay true to our course but are as determined to avoid practices that detract from our core values.  This positive outlook and driven culture will ultimately benefit our clients as it engenders high standards of service, consistent ability to deliver and skilled creativity.

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

In our efforts to improve efficiency and reduce client costs, the Firm has invested in and takes advantage of the full range of IT productivity tools, including Cloud services, to facilitate team collaboration online, and to ensure and improve its lawyers’ reachability and service to its clients. This also ensures that the Firm will be able to provide uninterrupted legal services regardless of intervening limitations (i.e. pandemic related lockdowns, unexpected data loss). It also allows the Firm to minimize paper usage and associated costs.

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

This year, we had the privilege of handling the merger of companies controlled by our clients, which  allowed them to enhance value to their co-shareholders at the listed entity level and at the same time provide our clients liquidity to pay down the financing they took out to acquire one of the companies party to the merger.  Our clients were able to realize the return on their investment earlier and streamline their organization in the process, resulting in even more cost savings.

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

Definitely. We founded our Firm with a vision of stability and strategic direction at its heart.  Our clients deserve no less.

I originally wanted to grow the Firm slowly, but because of our clients’ support and requirements, I had to expand our complement much more and earlier than projected, and still we are seeing the need to grow even more.  As an increase in scale is turning out to be inevitable, we will make sure to do it without ever compromising our founding principles. In three years’ time, I see an even better organized, efficient and focused SERRANO LAW with a highly motivated team living up to the same standards and working towards the same goals, and yes, with more lawyers… slightly more, maybe.