Interview with: Jacob Roesen, Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Lund Elmer Sandager from your competitors?

Our advice goes beyond legal matters to ensure that clients’ commercial and strategic needs are met. We are trusted advisors who participate actively in the strategic development process. General consulting is never in our agenda – targeted, bespoke consulting is.

We take pride in providing our clients with straight answers, clear direction and pragmatic solutions. We are large enough to advise on the most complex matters, but still not bigger than we ensure that both our people and our legal work remain excellent and committed.

We strive to offer a lean and more direct process than what is normally expected when it comes to law firms. There will typically be one fixed key person. A single person will consistently be on top of a lean team, which subsequently eradicates clients’ frustrations of having to deal with too many unnecessary people or lengthy process to solve one problem. Fewer key people, at the end of the day, also mean fewer hours on our clients’ invoices.

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

I head our M&A practice and I am certain that we will continue to increase our share in the Danish M&A market. I firmly believe that customers will always be the main driver of any company in any industry. This holds true for us here at Lund Elmer Sandager as well. We build personal and long-lasting client relationships by providing actionable and to-the-point legal advice.

We also expect growth within practice areas such as real estate, litigation, IT/GDPR and banking and finance.

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

Our overall aim is to consistently advice and provide service to our clients in the best way, including leveraging technology in new ways. In line with this, Lund Elmer Sandager has invested heavily in technology to provide our clients with the most efficient and cost-effective service coupled with our legal excellence and personal commitment.

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

We are continuously optimizing our processes, and obviously technology is a big part of this. Lund Elmer Sandager is a law firm built with rich history, dating back to 1877. 150 years of persistent growth obviously showcases our strength in evolving with the times and innovating with technology without losing our core strength – great people with strong legal skills.

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

To add value as a trusted advisor, you need to know your client´s business challenges, and I am proactive in calling my clients and discussing business opportunities, legal issues and creative solutions. As an M&A-lawyer, I help my clients in originating M&A-deals and finding investors etc. For instance, earlier this year I advised on the execution of an international merger between initially four independent companies from three different countries, and this international merger was something that I personally initiated. I came up with the idea and I found the lead-investor.

With my client´s best interest in mind, I also often refer clients to other advisors that I know are responsive and whom I trust. In the same way, whenever somebody makes a referral to me, I am always very responsive and make sure that I live up to the trust placed in me. By making such good referrals you can definitely add value for your clients.

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

Yes, definitely. Clients value stability and our reliable advice, also outside the scope of traditional legal work.

In three years´ time, we will continue to apply what works best to meet the needs of our clients and to keep abreast with technological advances.