Interview with: Arnaud Zabaldano, Managing Partner, Zabaldano Avocats

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Zabaldano Avocats from your competitors?

Commitment to excellence combined with forceful litigation. Our accomplished, multidisciplinary team offers our clients a broad range of high-quality dispute resolution services and carefully designed strategies to achieve the best outcome in high profile corporate, commercial, civil law and criminal matters.

Our team have acquired extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of Monaco and international law and is also fluent in a range of languages. In addition to French and English, our team also speaks Russian, German and Italian, allowing us to work effectively with our international clients.

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

Due to the ever-increasing client base and client needs, we will be extending our Business Criminal Law, Labour law, Real Estate and Construction, Private international law (family, estates and successions) and Corporate departments. The firm has been constantly growing since its inception and will continue its expansion in the coming year.

Regulatory matters, especially with respect to Anti-Money Laundering and counterterrorist financing have evolved a lot recently and this practice is likely to continue growing in the coming year especially concerning the freezing of assets.

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

We have built up our business advisory side and can offer clients sound advice for contract law, setting up new businesses and pushing forward business negotiations.

Our specialized teams work together to provide clients a full range of legal services providing accurate up to date advice on current legal issues.

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

We are constantly researching and testing best solutions to assist in our work and make due diligence processes more efficient.

We use tools specifically adapted for law firms and files management

Further to the Covid crisis, we have adapted our tools to be able to operate entirely remotely if needed, to cope with our client’s travelling constraints efficiently and effectively.

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

In the course of June 2021, we were required to assist one of our HNWI clients, for the acquisition of a property in London, via a civil company under Monegasque law and various offshore entities; our intervention consisted in structuring the transaction and drafting and reviewing the legal documentation relating to the financing and the related guarantees to ensure their compatibility with Monegasque Law. We helped to secure the overall transaction in the client’s best interest through tough negotiations with overseas law firms.

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

We are confident that our firm will strengthen its position as a leader in all aspects of white-collar crime, Labour law and private client litigation and will remain the go-to firm for established corporate clients and start-ups alike, looking for first-class corporate and business advice.