Interview with: Octavian Popescu, Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Popescu & Asociatii from your competitors?

Our firm differentiates by our commitment to quality, integrity and ethical principles, within the entire activity. This dedication to professional standards instils trust and confidence in clients and sets Popescu & Asociatii apart, thus prioritizing long-term relationships.

Popescu & Asociatii differentiates on the market by offering excellent personalized services and expertise in all practice areas and industries. Having very good lawyers, with deep knowledge and experience, working in multidisciplinary teams, gives us the advantage of proactive and fast communication with our clients.

It is important to build strategic and strong partnerships with other important organizations, such as consulting firms, financial institutions or industry associations and we take pride in establishing and expanding our services due to these alliances and provide added value to our clients.

Furthermore, we have within the team thought leaders in the legal industry, such as PhD. Gheorghe BUTA, Senior Partner, a prominent figure, with 45 years of experience, both as a magistrate and as an attorney-at-law and PhD. Nicoleta TANDAREANU, one of the highly regarded and recommended legal and academic professionals and an emblematic figure.

Their vast expertise brings added value, both to the team and the clients, as their contribution enhances the company’s reputation, attracts talented lawyers, who want to learn from the best, and generates new collaboration opportunities, both in Romania and on international level.

All the above, along with excellent services and our characteristic seriousness, differentiate and strengthen our position in the market. By focusing on these key differentiators, Popescu & Asociatii position itself, for more than 5 years already, as a leading and different player in the legal market, attracting clients that are seeking premium specialized expertise and innovative solutions.

 

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

In the next 12 months, we anticipate significant growth in the areas of health and pharma, disputes, banking, IT & digitalization, intellectual property and GDPR as well as environment. Let’s take them one at a time:

Health and pharma are expected to expand due to increased demand for healthcare services, especially. The driver behind this growth includes advancements in technology, improved connectivity and the need for better and fastest services from healthcare providers.

The projects in the area of white-collar crime and especially those of arbitration contributed, to a considerable extent, to the increase in activity during 2023, areas of practice that we observe and anticipate growing for the next period as well.

Further on, the banking sector brings an important flow of projects, some of them being innovative for the Romanian market, considering that the banking system is one of the most regulated areas and, in last years, the digitization, cyber security, GDPR regulations and many other changes, influenced the dynamics of this industry.

Moving on to the accelerated digitization processes and IT sector, as we well know, technology is present and develops continuously in all industries, having a major influence in our lives. Recently, artificial intelligence is being used and explored more and more and will continue to leave its mark on. The drivers behind this trend include the growing importance of technology and  AI, as well as the need for businesses and for people generally, regardless of industry and profession, to adapt very fast in the digital age. Absolutely, the technology is also revolutionizing the way in which lawyers interact with the clients and the legal services we provide.

Looking ahead, we also believe that, within the actual context, the activity in the areas of IP and GDPR regulations will grow constantly. The development of digitization, combined with everything that involves data protection and security, has led to an increase in the provision of personal data and the transmission, between public and private entities inside and outside borders, which means compliance with very strict regulations, both at European and national level.

On the global agenda, as well as on the short and long term strategy of private companies and public authorities, remains the major concern for the environment. This concern means medium and long-term investments in environment projects such as: green energy projects, sustainable projects, circular economy, etc. Also, vast infrastructure, urban regeneration, technology or sustainable development projects are underway or ready to start. Moreover, the number of these type of projects will surely increase in the coming years, opening up new opportunities and broad perspectives for a sustainable future.

 

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

Our vision in this direction remains unchanged: we constantly emphasize personalized services, where knowledge of the client’s business and its development strategy for the future are a priority. Only such an approach can bring added value in the long term to the lawyer-client relationship.

Obviously, in addition to the above and in the context of growing expectations, for example from the point of view of promptness, but without neglecting the quality of services, it can be easily stated that the client’s attention, both in the relationship with the legal teams, but also in general, has become more and more agile.

Since the clients are looking for the best lawyers, who offer excellent expertise, as well as precise and immediate responses, along with permanent adaptability and being up to date of all regulations, we consider that the strategy we apply, within the team and within the relationships we build with our clients, provides the expected results, both in everyday activity, but also on the long term.

Communication plays a fundamental role within any team and in relationship with clients or any business partner, in all the industries. This is the reason that the ability to communicate accurately and effectively, at the highest level, is an essential skill for each member of Popescu & Asociatii and contributes to a successful business.

Also, establishing, since the foundation, and improving clear communication channels ensures us, as a team, but also to our clients, efficient communication processes about the cases, providing at the same time that clients receive personalized support, tailored to the specific needs or to the industry.

 

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

The role of lawyers is a complex one and clients’ expectations are increasing, both in terms of quality as well as regarding the speed of reaction. In the fast-paced world we live in and, since artificial intelligence continues to develop in an increasingly way, the continuous learning and adaptation are mandatory-key aspects.

Technology helps us, but it is important to learn to use all the tools efficiently so that everything we have today, and did not exist a few years ago, to be wisely managed for achieving our goals and the business growth of our clients. Combining strategically technology and artificial intelligence within legal practice and our daily activities, can lead to improved legal services, generating added value as we have faster access to information and to a lot of useful tools.

 

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

The best answer to this question is the one that does not focus on the concrete example, but on the previously exposed conceptualization, in order not to give the opportunity to highlight one example to the detriment of another that may be just as worthy to be mentioned.

Knowing and understanding the medium and long-term vision of the client’s business creates an excellent decision-making synergy with the team of lawyers and thus the decisions, with impact for the company, are either better, or timelier, or faster, or more stable, etc.

The examples can be multiple, from the prompt identification of the risks associated with the decision-making plan, to the elimination of lucrative gaps between teams. At the same time, for example, long collaborations with clients from many industries, knowing and understanding their future perspectives, allows us to easily identify the optimization factors of the regulatory framework in which they operate.

For this reason, every project and every client in our portfolio are important and we strongly believe that, through the premium legal services we offer, we bring added value not only from a juridical perspective, but also from a strategic point of view, from our perspective on the industry, on the trends that must be followed or, on contrary, sometimes is good to reanalyze and position yourself differently, compared to the wave and trends.

For Popescu & Asociatii team, the projects in which we provided legal assistance and succeeded, for example, the cancellation of decisions with a prejudicial effect on the image of certain people or companies, are important and valuable. Our clients recognize and appreciate the added value of our services, the legal services combined with top expertise from the point of view of business consultancy and long-term vision.

Last, but not least, flexibility, quick adaptability and a comprehensive understanding of the bigger picture remain essential features to best guide our clients through a complex economic and legal landscape in an unpredictable period.

 

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

Undoubtedly, all the clients are seeking stability and strategic direction from their law firms, especially in complex legal matters or when they are dealing uncertain regulatory environments. Moreover, clients rely on the lawyers they choose not only for legal expertise, but also for guidance on long-term strategic planning and risk management.

In three years’ time, Popescu & Asociatii will continue to be a leading player in the Romanian legal market, growing in terms of clients & projects, lawyers and achievements. We plan to expand our team, reach out to both young and experienced lawyers and bring devoted and passionate colleagues within our firm. We are committed to client success and  plan to continue to bring best expertise and innovation in our clients’ businesses.

By staying agile, flexible as well as responsive to market dynamics and focused on delivering value to our clients, Popescu & Asociatii will continue to thrive and expand its presence in the future ahead.