Marcin Olechowski, Managing Partner
Managing Partner Dr. Marcin Olechowski outlines the firm's dynamic response to the evolving needs of its clients
1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak (SK&S) from your competitors?
We work at the high end of the market, where the competition is fairly balanced. But clients tell us that what they particularly appreciate is the consistently exceptional quality of our work (also across practices) which they attribute to a combination of in-depth legal knowledge, a pragmatic approach, and industry savvy. I believe this nicely reflects what we see as also setting us apart. Legal excellence has always been a hallmark of SK&S, and we are able to leverage our very broad range of practices as a full-service firm to onboard, whenever needed, special industry knowledge from most key sectors of the economy. Another point clients notice is stability: we are focused on long-term relationships – with respect to clients, of course, but also with partners, lawyers and staff. Almost all significant firms in the market have been going through various organizational upheavals in the past few years, while we have successfully kept the firm stable, continuing our strategy of consistent organic growth. This gives great comfort to clients who appreciate both the continuity and the impressive accumulated experience of the firm.
2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
With the rest of the market we are expecting an uptick in M&A (after a fairly slow year in this area), together with a continued focus in the energy and life sciences sectors. More immediately we see a clear client interest and increased workload in specialist practices, such as regulatory enforcement (primarily antitrust, but also AML and financial regulatory), consumer finance, or product regulation (including food law). This is obviously caused by the activity of the regulators themselves, but also clients are coming to realize that with the complexity and the level of reputational risk that are attached to some of those proceedings, it makes sense to mandate outside counsel. Also, as products and services become more and more complex, clients are realizing that there are simply limits to what even the best boutique firms can deliver – and see the advantages of seeking out a large firm like ours which looks at a problem from very different perspectives.
AI is also opening mandates – again, we very well-positioned to be at the forefront of the market thanks to a combination of long-term relationships with clients who have strategic roles in the AI sector and of our ability to bring together teams that combine privacy, IP, tech, regulatory and employment expertise.
3) What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?
We are implementing a comprehensively-overhauled lawyer training programme that will accompany our lawyers throughout their careers at our firm. Legal excellence and top-level client service are what clients expect and what they see as differentiating us from our competitors. So naturally we want to make sure that these skills are well-cared for, especially in a world where the way people learn is changing and technology is deeply affecting the way we practice.
We also try to respond to client needs in more nimble ways than perhaps previously. This means embedding lawyers in client teams, secondments, assisting in crisis management needs, etc. on a much larger scale than in the past.
4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
The impact of technology is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, we consistently try to keep abreast of the latest developments and implement them in a thoughtful way. So technology has been impacting the way we work for a long time now – to some extent constant change or evolution in this regard is the ‘new normal’. Online meetings have largely displaced personal meetings, court and arbitration hearings are frequently online, and technology is enabling us to providing our lawyers with more flexible solutions in terms of how they work, etc. Currently, we are of course exploring the various ways in which AI is or will be impacting our practice, including how we can use it to improve the range and effectiveness of our services to clients.
On the other hand, when I look at what clients expect from us in terms of substance, it seems relatively unchanged: they want reliable, thoughtful and pragmatic legal advice provided by highly skilled lawyers who understand commercial considerations and have solid industry knowledge. And it seems unlikely that this will be substantially affected by technology.
5)Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
We try to add value to our clients’ businesses in everything we do. Of course how that happens varies from practice to practice - for example, most recently one of our teams, comprising dispute, energy and state aid experts, managed to secure an ECJ decision invalidating very significant fines imposed on one of our energy clients by challenging them as being connected to an illegal state aid scheme. In another instance, we assisted several clients in restructuring their consumer finance products in a way which makes them compliant while keeping them profitable.
6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
In our experience, stability is very important for clients in our segment. Existing clients appreciate the reliability and peace of mind this gives them, while new clients see it as proof that we are responsible and good at what we do. Ultimately, clients want a trusted advisor who will help them in staying ahead of the competition. I do not see this changing in the future. Over the last 30 years we have achieved and maintained our position as a leading independent full-service firm in Poland by insisting on legal excellence, dedication and sheer hard work. I strongly believe that these core values will continue to warrant success in the market. So in three years’ time the firm will probably be leaner and even more connected, but at its core it should not be very different in terms of essential values and importance in the market.