The expert focuses on the new generation of lawyers who “must not only control legal issues, but also be creative and have a business vision”

José Antonio Ambrosi has been a member of Baker McKenzie since 1985 and a partner in the Corporate Practice since 1995 in Mexico. In the conversation that our founding partner, Marc Gericó, was able to have with him, he offered us a series of reflections on the new challenges facing both law firms and the professionals that make them up.

For Ambrosi, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a complicated scenario for law firms. However, he pointed out that Baker McKenzie’s international, technological and organizational strength has meant that the impact has been much less.

Challenges faced by law firms

The first of these is the need to retain and attract talent in the firms. The drop in revenues has meant that demand for work has decreased and, as a result, a considerable number of lawyers have had to be made redundant. And this fact has been particularly complicated, Ambrosi relates, because it highlights two values that are fundamental for law firms: the clients and the people who are part of the team. “This is something primordial and fundamental at Baker McKenzie,” he points out.

On the other hand, the next challenge that firms have had to face would be teleworking or remote work and the need to continue serving clients in an efficient manner. The pandemic has shown that it is possible to competently perform remote work as a lawyer, but that it also depends on many factors and on the area in which you develop your practice. However, Ambrosi stresses that the success of remote work has been possible thanks to technology and video calling platforms, which have allowed us to get closer rather than further away both with clients and with society in general. Finally, he considers that teleworking is something that will continue, “it will not be 100% but it will be a considerable percentage”.

Closely linked to the subject of teleworking, he also alluded to the disappearance of physical offices as we know them today. “The trend is towards both the disappearance of large offices and an end to the rigid differentiation of spaces,” he said. In this way, spaces will become more mobile, more flexible and more adaptable to presentations, so that offices will be used only for meetings that are considered essential. In short, “they will be more flexible, more functional and more economical spaces,” he concluded.

Business development

On the new ways of growing in the legal market, Ambrosi points out that it is essential to attend to demand: to see the type of work that is being done and the added value that is being offered. It is a challenge that becomes fundamental to the extent that not all clients are the same, nor are they valid for all firms. “Thanks to this process, it will allow us to better focus both on the different clients and the sectors with which a law firm can work,” he reasoned.

Ambrosi also comments on the future directions that law firms are going to take. There are two clear trends. On the one hand, those that are going to focus on commodities. And, on the other, those that are going to go towards hyperspecialization. Those who follow the commodities line will lower their costs but will continue to create value for the company, due to the savings they will be able to generate. While others will go for a hyperspecialization, which will mean an added value.

Qualities of the lawyer of the 21st century

The new lawyer must be a person who not only controls legal issues but also has a business vision. He must be a creative person who knows how to find solutions and alternatives to the problems that may arise for clients.

In this sense, Ambrosi makes some recommendations to universities to efficiently transfer the true function of a lawyer: “The lawyer should not only seek justice, but also other aspects such as solidarity, planning, social responsibility, looking for other ways of thinking”.

For his part, the qualities required by Baker McKenzie to recruit new talent are, above all, “people who are motivated and aware of the work involved in practicing law, who want personal growth within the firm and with a great creative capacity”.

Finally, he offers some recommendations for the new generation of lawyers. Above all, he recommends focusing on passion, the desire to grow in the firm and advises them to develop a strong adaptability to changes in a society that is constantly evolving with technology. In addition, “they must have ethics and morals, not only demand these attitudes from others, but also be an example of what they preach,” he concludes.