In the new issue of journal “PRO business” there was published an article of executive director of National Law Company “Mitra” Zaurbek Ahmetov, where he had answered the questions about company and also told about modern ticket to success of business.
Zaurbek, it`s difficult to maintain its own legal department during the crisis for many large companies, not to mention the organizations of small and medium-sized businesses, for which even the presence of a full-time lawyer is in most cases inexpedient and costly from a financial point of view. Under what circumstances is it for managers and business owners to seek advice from a law.
This question is for management and business owners. Nevertheless, in negotiations with potential clients, we, first of all, recommend to analyze the nature of the real problem. It is important that the client understands that he is applying to a law firm not to save on the salary of a full-time lawyer, but first of all for the problem to be solved by a specialist with competence in the relevant category of cases. In other words, the presence of a full-time lawyer or even a legal department does not exclude the involvement of external consultants. The opinion of some heads of companies that my lawyer knows and knows everything is erroneous and can lead to extremely negative results. In this regard, it is possible to draw a parallel with medicine: a good dentist perfectly heals teeth, but this does not mean that he will successfully cope with abdominal pain. And, of course, the earlier the patient applies for qualified care, the more likely to recover. In the staff of our company there are employees who, in addition to their experience and high level of professional education, have specialization in specific branches of law. This allows us to provide a wide range of high-quality legal services, including full legal support of the client's activities.
Mitra is a God of negotiations and friendship, a protector of truth.
How to guide entrepreneurs who choose to outsource legal services when choosing a company for competent legal support of their activities? What should I look for first?
Certainly, the choice of a law firm should be approached seriously. And here you shouldn`t follow emotions.
What should be the legal company so that you can safely entrust her with the conduct of your affairs? First of all, I would advise you to study the background of the company, or rather its specialists. Now in the public domain you can find information about the professional activity of lawyers, their participation in trials, publications in the media. Try not only to find customer feedback about the company, but also to contact them, to find out why the firm formed this or that opinion. What else to add? I would be alarmed by a lawyer who, without serious and in-depth study of the case, guaranteed the client a positive result. Similarly, I would avoid those lawyers who categorically declare incontestable authority in the profession.
What is the main branch of work for the National Law Company “Mitra” today and why?
Since the company was founded, in 2012, as potential customers, we primarily considered corporate clients. What was the reason for this choice? On the one hand, we have seen that a significant proportion of legal services for large and medium-sized businesses in the North Caucasus Federal District and the South Federal District are provided by the capital companies, whose competition with respect to certain areas turned out to be quite realistic both in terms of prices and, most importantly, On the quality of services. On the other hand, the professional interest of our then still formed team was shifted towards those topics that, for the most part, are most in demand for large and medium-sized businesses. For example, tax law, antimonopoly legislation, corporate disputes, escort of large transactions, bankruptcy and a number of other areas. As time showed, we made the right decision. Business has earned.
However, it doesn`t mean that we do not work with other categories of customers. Moreover, right now we consider it promising to develop work with individuals and small business. Separately, I want to note that we are equally responsive to the problems of all our customers.
You said that the National Law Firm "Mitra" appeared in 2012. How did it happen that a relatively young company was able to achieve notable successes in such a short period of time?
Begin with, I and my colleagues don`t like to overestimate our achievements. At this stage, the most important thing is that we are moving forward and are not going to stop there. It is important for us not to be satisfied with short-term success, but daily to work hard. Again, I will draw an analogy: a lawyer, as an athlete, must regularly receive a load in order not to lose form. Obviously, these are common truths, but still ... Probably, it can be called healthy ambitions.
Returning to your question about how our company grew, I can say that the basis for success of any law firm is competent personnel. In our case, the backbone of the team was made up of people who, by the time they came to the company, already had serious experience working in large commercial organizations, including in senior positions. And although the company does not have a long history, but there is considerable experience, professional knowledge, skills and reputation of its specialists, which first allowed to attract customers, and then justify their expectations.
If the potential client doesn`t want to solve his problem in the legal order, then this is not our client
Really, at all times the main value of any enterprise remained people. Tell us, please, about the specialists working in your company?
I have already mentioned the "old-timers" of the company. To the above, I can add that on the account of each of them dozens of successfully resolved cases in the courts of various instances, including participation in the highest supervisory instance of arbitration. The staff of the company employs employees with two or more higher education. The head of private law practice has a scientific degree of Candidate of Legal Sciences. The main thing that we value in our employees is a responsible approach to work and the ability to grow professionally. We also apply these requirements to new lawyers. In addition to basic knowledge of the law, received at the university, we would like to find in young specialists the ability to systematically interpret the law, the desire for independent conclusions in the analysis of the problem, the ability to escape from the dogmatic type of thinking. And, of course, a lawyer must have increased efficiency and purposefulness. In turn, we try to create favorable conditions for productive work, self-education and transfer of experience to young employees.
What are the advantages of cooperation with the National Law Company "Mitra" for clients?
Much of what I could tell, our potential customers will find on the company website (mitralaw.ru), where in the section "Our practice" can be read subject to the essence of the dispute is solved by the experts of "Mitra" National law firm, and Results for each of them. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of cases that our experts have ever keep, but their amounts sufficient to form a holistic view about our company, and in particular those professionals who work here.
Information about the company is also available on our pages in social networks, or you can directly contact our managers and lawyers and ask all questions.
I will note the following. If the question is about litigation, before we conclude the contract, we carefully analyze the problematic issues in order for the potential client on the basis of our conclusions and judgments should have an idea of the possible outcome of the case. At the same time, this part of the work (which may represent considerable labor costs on our part) is not paid for us. And although we understand that in the future the person applying to us may not conclude an agreement with us, we consider such relations right and honest. At the same time, in case of the conclusion contract with the company, the client will be sufficiently aware of the risks associated with resolving the dispute, which helps to build trust between the law firm and the client.
Which regions are the main field of activity of the National Law Company “Mitra”?
The company opened two offices for the convenience of customer service - in Krasnodar and Essentuki. However, the geography of our company's activities is not limited to the South and North-Caucasus federal districts. Among the customers of our services there are many organizations from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions of Russia.
What kind of difficulties do You have in the process of legal support for the activities of enterprises and organizations?
The most difficult, of course, is to earn the client's trust. After all, in fact, we come, what is called "from the street", and our assessments and approaches to the resolution of the client's problems don`t fully coincide with his ideas about the ways to solve them. There have been cases when you had to literally educate the client, instill respect for the law. For ourselves, even at the stage of foundation of the company, we have firmly decided and laid these principles on our mission. If a potential client does not want to solve his problem legally, this is not our client. Fortunately, such cases have recently become less frequent, and if it`s happened, I am sure that the intentions of such representatives of the business community to circumvent the law often stem from ignorance or inability to use those legal instruments, which protect the interests of the client.
In ancient Persian and ancient Indian mythology, Mitra is a God of negotiations and friendship, a protector of truth. What case of your judicial practice can be classified as indicative? What can be proud of today?
When we tell clients about our practice, we can fairly refer to the disputes won, when nine or even ten-digit amounts were at stake. We were aware of all the responsibility that lies with us when the client entrusts us to lead such multi-million dollar deals. And we justify this hope.
But even this is not the main indicator of the quality of our work. We must understand that often we are approached for help in resolving complex disputes burdened with negative judicial practice in a similar category of cases or with a previously incorrectly built legal position. Of course, not for all such things we undertake, but when, ultimately, we manage to win them, we are particularly pleased with the work done.
How do you estimate the results of your company's activities in the past year?
As you understand, our clients could give the most objective assessment of our activity. And, if I said that we are 100% happy with ourselves, this would be an exaggeration. There are always new challenges ahead.
In general, we positively estimate the company's performance last year. The list of our corporate clients has been increased. With the participation of specialists of the company, several large legal proceedings have been successfully resolved. We continue to accompany a number of significant litigation disputes over which we expect to receive positive results for our clients as early as 2016.
If we are talking about quantitative indicators, the National Law Company "Mitra" in the last two years has ranked high in the ratings of regional law firms (including the legal portal "Pravo.ru").
Distracting from the practical side of the company's activities, should remember that last year our lawyers published in such authoritative periodicals, devoted to legal issues, as the "Nalogoved" and "Arbitrajnaya practika." Expert assessments and comments of our experts on the application of law, changes in legislation have been repeatedly cited at well-known regional and federal news Internet portals.
In February 2015, we organized a scientific and practical round table in Krasnodar, devoted to the problems of taxation. The speakers of the event were recognized scientists, experts in the field of tax law from Moscow and St. Petersburg, judges of arbitration courts, representatives of the Federal Tax Service of Russia.
In 2015, the number of our company increased - our team was increased by new lawyers, who were supervised by more experienced colleagues. In general, there were the reasons for optimism in 2015, and it sets us on a constructive work in the current year.
How would you describe the situation at the legal services market in Russia in general and the Krasnodar region in particular? What changes are expected in the near future?
I will not be mistaken if I say that the current economic crisis has significantly affected the legal services market. First of all, it concerns cutting down the budgets of clients for attracting external lawyers and consultants and, as a result, a reduction in the incomes of independent companies providing such services. Despite the fact that the crisis is always a good time for such legal practices as restructuring and bankruptcy, the revenues from these activities of the company hardly cover losses due to a significant reduction in the number of disputes related to construction and real estate, finance, securities and corporate transactions. As for our firm, while we don`t reduce the turnover and see prospects even in conditions of toughening of competition and unfavorable market conditions.
Generally, for many years the legal services market in Russia (and the SFD in this respect is not an exception) is characterized by the highest degree of competition. This is largely due to the fact that to enter this market does not require significant costs, almost no administrative and permissive obstacles. The exception is the criminal justice, where the representation is carried out by lawyers. However, in the lawyer environment, judging by everything, competition is also high.
Is this situation bad or good? There is still no clear answer to this question among practicing lawyers. However, now in the offices of power there is the view that according to the representation of the interests of the parties in courts on non-criminal cases will be able to only persons having the status of a lawyer. If it is a question of a legal person or an entrepreneur, then along with a lawyer their representative can be their employee. This follows from the Concept of Reforming the Legal Services Market, which is actively promoted by the Ministry of Justice of Russia. However, what will be the state regulation of the legal services market in Russia, until the end is not clear.
In my opinion, the introduction of a lawyer monopoly is unlikely to improve the quality of providing services, if only because the status of a lawyer in itself today does not always guarantee the appropriate level of legal assistance. I am not talking about the inevitable growth in prices for the services of lawyers and the justification for imposing restrictions on access to the profession of a forensic lawyer, which can significantly complicate the exercise of the constitutional right of citizens and legal entities to judicial protection.
I think that the authorities have other non-reprehensible tools to ensure that the quality of legal services does not suffer to make the profession of a lawyer really prestigious. In my opinion, first you should pay attention to the system of training specialists in universities.
In your opinion, what is the formula for the successful operation of the company?
In fact, my formula for success is quite simple: it's "Professionalism + Decency = Reputation". Professionalism - this is what a lawyer initially comes to the company. Decency is something that does not allow him to do his job poorly or half-heartedly. A reputation is what he has on the way out.
And finally, what would you like for businessmen in 2016?
Successful work and more time to give to family and friends!
The crisis is always good time for such legal practices as restructuring and bankruptcy
