Interview with: John Formichella, Partner, Formichella & Sritawat

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Formichella & Sritawat from your competitors?

We are experienced, specialized, and completely understand what we do in the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology space. We do not simply provide our clients with legal advice, but also real and practical outcomes based on our years of experience with the legal and regulatory environment in Thailand. We train and maximize all our resources to their fullest potential to deliver the best possible work products to our clients while maintaining our professional fees at a competitive rate.

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

Telecommunication, Media, and Technology (TMT) would be the practices we see growing in the next 12 months. With the improvement of the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, we have noticed some business growth and a higher volume of work that arise from our clients’ expansion plans in this business sector. In addition to the COVID-19 situation, we opine that as new technologies are being developed and adopted by service providers and users in Thailand, the regulators are doing their best to catch up, resulting in the need for legal services to ensure legal compliance and the best possible solutions for any issues that may arise.

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

We have furthered our training and specialization of our people and cut overhead costs to deliver highly specialized advice in the TMT sector.

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

Yes. Technology provides a better communication channel with our clients and thus allows us to provide better and faster services. As most of our clients are overseas, the advances in both audio and video conferencing increase our productivity and convenience to our clients.

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

We consider not only the laws and their applicable requirements or restrictions but also the reality of our client’s businesses and the need to achieve the most practical and realistic advice and solutions for them. Further, as we have lawyers from multinational backgrounds, we view things not only from the local or regulator’s point of view but also from our client and their business perspective. All to assist and provide them with the best possible services.

A practical example is that we advised a client on a telematics matter of the most appropriate telecommunications license. In contrast, other firms in the market advised much more complicated licensing for “smart” cars. The client was incredulous, so we visited the regulator together, and the regulator confirmed our advice, saving the client tens of thousands of dollars.

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

We see ourselves growing and improving immensely in 3 years. As the development in technology is never-ending, we strive to learn and adapt ourselves to the new technology and keep close relationships with the regulators to assist and provide our clients with the best and most practical services.