Interview with: EMILY A. LEMONIATI, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Emily outlines her companies’ principles and priorities for customer satisfaction.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Emily A. Lemoniati LLC from your competitors?

 The main point of difference between our law firm and others is loyalty.

Most of our clients built their empires from scratch and they have dedicated and devoted personal time, effort, knowledge and they don’t want to see this empire to collapse at any stage especially due to third parties. We appreciate their efforts and personal involvement in building their companies and see them growing and we offer them our loyalty and assistance to grow together in a safe environment that will not jeopardize their expansion. Nowadays it is very difficult to find persons and associates to be loyal to you and work for your best interest. Loyalty is number one and this is what it makes us unique.

For my company to continue to grow I promote strong leadership qualities in all my heads of department. Promoting legal acumen. Fostering trust, strategic thinking and adaptability amongst the team is crucial to our success. Empowering staff, encouraging open communication encourages self-development and I have found this embodies loyalty.

I sit on the board for a number of my clients and the ‘in-house’ lawyer aspect enhances my professionalism as it allows me to be myself and advocate both firm principles and values. Being genuine and consistent builds strong relations and trust, which is a crucial requisite for my clients.

Everyone can do our job but they are not us.

 

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

Based on my personal experience, being a corporate lawyer for more than 20 years, I can say that the practices to grow within the next 12 months, considering the surrounding world-wide political circumstances, are the corporate, M & A, energy sector, banking and finance. We witness every day the efforts made by Europe to increase the production of green energy not only for environmental reasons but also for having plan B and not be dependent on countries that are the major stake players in the oil and gas industry. Due to this, new corporations will be established, new mergers and acquisitions will be formed between existing organizations, that will lead also to financing from banks to execute the plans of the new era. All the sectors mentioned above are prima facie connected and I strongly believe that these are the ones to be growing not only for the next 12 months but they will grow constantly.

 

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

In this age of market demand, evolving technology, legislative changes/restrictions, the role of the lawyer and legal profession require strict discipline to maintain their knowledge and expertise to provide concise, practical and professional instruction confidently. I believe that this is what I offer to all my clients. The nature of my client database is such that they demand excellence in legal management, and I believe that I have achieved a distinction. By keeping my knowledge current, I give clear precise practical guidance to empower my clients to make practice strategies & business objectives within the legal framework. This is evidenced in the fact that I have, and continue to, retain my clients for a number of years and their businesses have both evolved, expanded and continue to be successful.

My firm has adopted changes including technology but not limited to, for the best interests of our clients but also for a better- and high-quality provision of services from our associates few years before the pandemic.

Our legal services are not restricted by imparting the law. We actively promote interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure engineering priorities are pragmatically risk based, providing practical actionable advice. Basically, our legal advice embodies all aspects of the legislation framework affecting my client’s business from Criminal, Civil, Environmental, Cyber, Intellectual Property (tax benefits), HR, Marketing and data protection. Cultural differences and Interpersonal tact are especially relevant in cross-border collaboration to effectively communicate the message and build consensus. Having a sound knowledge of all aspects ensures the legal advice is credible.

We have introduced zoom and team’s meetings, electronic signatures on documents, installation of programs that help us with the filing of cases, paperless procedures and portal applications so any of our clients can go on and check the status of their case and at what stage it is 24 hours 7 days a week and make comments or ask questions and get updated without an actual legal appointment. These changes are cost and time efficient for our clients that do not need to travel from abroad for meetings or be requested to sign documents before authorities for authenticity. We have additionally introduced alternative dispute resolutions as most of the partners in the firm are accredited mediators and arbitrators in order to avoid costly and long-lasting court procedures for conflicts.

 

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

Inevitably, technology is introducing a new way of communication with the clients and also conducting their legal affairs. As I have already explained, tasks are executed quicker, faster and cost effective. Litigation documents when needed are filed online and this expediates the process). Payments are made faster though internet banking and several instructions and documents can be signed with electronic signatures. The new ways are cost effective and at the same time, time saving. The associates can handle more workload while in their offices without the need for constant travel. However, the technology advances and upgrades and the fact that everything now is contacted through internet involves risks and dangers that might be insurmountable. We witness cyber fraud, hacking of domains, banks, accounts government portals and at the end of the day all your data is known to someone who knows how to handle the system. Frequently people can be victims of extortion, blackmail and fraud but the most serious aspect of it is that you are dependent on internet and electric power that once those are not available you may be left out of business.

We are always at the forefront of embracing new technology and have considered Advanced Intelligence Systems (AI) as a supportive tool viewed constructively. We believe AI will increase our company’s efficiency particularly in respect of legal research but cannot replace the human aspect, namely leadership, empowerment, ethical considerations, judgement discretions, persuasive arguments etc. The law requires both certainty and accuracy and we need to balance the effectiveness of both.

Even though we follow the flow, my personal opinion is to stick with the old school methods for safety. Lawyers always need to have plan B for their clients whatever the new developments demand.

 

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

One of our big clients, company owners of beach front land, wanted to develop the land in a five-star hotel and step into the hotel industry. On our advice, the company has merged with the neighbouring landowner company and eventually they are proceeding a five-star resort with upgraded amenities and other facilities that could not be offered if our client was developing its own land. The merger has increased dramatically the value of the business and additionally our client has avoided the risks of entering a new activity as the hotel business was not his major. The company that has merged with upon following our advice was a leader in the hotel and tourist industry and the success was guaranteed.

 

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

Most of the great corporations get initial advice and direction either by their CEOs or in-house lawyers. However, the final decision most of the time is taken after the advice and direction given by their external independent law firm. This is mainly because of the vast experience that the external law firms have when dealing with a vast number of cases, and the knowledge that they have over the client’s competitors. My expertise lies in my personality traits of listening and using empathy to understand our clients and their business goals and constraints. This ensures that our legal advice is adapted to give contextual support. Clear, concise information tailored to our clients’ company needs.

Long-lasting client-lawyer relationships based on trust, loyalty and respect are not easy to break and law firms that that share those core values and principles with their clients, empower their clients and make it clear that they are there for them. The long-lasting relationship is a fact that evidence that yes clients always seek stability and strategic direction from their law firms and when they find the second person to dance with, they never replace them easily. Our firm will grow step by step not only for the next 3 years but also for the future generally. We are a corporate law firm, and we hold positions on the board of large organisations, and we offer our advice and guidance to new opportunities coming in. We will keep doing what we know we do best, and we shall become a stake player in the services sector among other law firms because we are proficient at taking the opportunities when we see them.

My Company is at the forefront of innovative changes representing millions of investments both Locally and Internationally in the Corporate Commercial and M&A sectors. We represent high-net-worth individuals, companies and firms and I sit on the Board of Directors of two multinational firms and organisations. We are a dedicated law firm team, one of the new generation firms in Cyprus, with professional lawyers who are continually breaking new ground in all aspects of Commercial, Corporate, Merges & Acquisitions, as well as having a proven record for successful Legal (civil and criminal) cases and both personal and business investment in Real Estate. We provide our clients with the most strategic, practical, and cost-effective clear advice and our solutions are both Innovative and pragmatic. Good work Ethics are paramount and a core quality of our services, which has resulted in a diverse client base. Our focus is to protect our clients’ interests by collaboration; working with specialist Litigation, Corporate, Financial and Tax departments when needed. Our strengths are in building the right team for the case and devising a strategy to achieve the best result for the client. These ethics will secure our future.