Interview with: Nikolas Sagias, Deputy Manager

Sagias and Partners setting new orientations for their clients.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Sagias and Partners from your competitors?

 Being extremely proactive on the provision of services as business lawyers. In order to better support our clients, we seek to have a holistic approach on matters in the industries of interest in their endeavors – especially when elements of their activities contain risks or unknown parameters. This includes mainly foreign clients or clients that seek diversification of their investments.

 

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

 Corporate law and financing in international business collaborations. The pursuit of new business structures to support trade routes with non-traditional European or USA partners. The tariffs policy of the USA, as an expression of their lack of belief in the globalized market  and the effort to decrease the expand of China are the main reasons to support these new fields of activity.

 

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

We seek to have an utterly transparent relationship with the clients. This involves hard work in order to preemptively inform on every aspect of the case, possible paths the work might take and of course fee charges.  This procedure provides for the client the feeling that they cooperate with their lawyer in common terms and that they have built a relationship with a very specific reference to begin with.

 

 

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

Although our work is becoming better with the use of technology the actual relationship with the clients is not affected as much as expected.

The more traditional corporates and family businesses  are dominant in Greece, therefore the structure of the relationship with the clients remains unchanged.

 

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

Until the 3^rd semester of 2022 the licensing process of battery projects in Greece was non-existence. Our client had a vision to create a P/V park with a battery storage system that was designed and developed as one unity. As a solution we convinced the client to apply and the authorities  to accept that the project was from the scope of the licensing approach, a plain P/V station with an advanced technology system of internal storage. As a result, the first license in Greece of a combined system was issued. Since this was pioneer technology and the first project in Greece licensed as such, the client gained a major commercial and procedural advantage, with many benefits such as, priority to the connection to the national Grid and state aid support for the development of the project, all based on the non-existence of similar projects with such maturity.

 

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

The are looking for stability and strategic direction especially in business environments they are not feeling (yet) comfortable. They seek honesty, but also a consultant that will keep them interested, providing options with no dead ends.

I prefer to say where I want to see our Law Firm in three years.

Playing a vital role in the consultation of the new era of enterprises going out of their comfort zone on international business terms. Support enterprises form the South East Asia and South America to develop their relationship with Greek and European partners.