Interview with: Prof. Dr. Robert Szuchy, Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate BSLAW Budapest from your competitors?

Independent law firms are working hard daily to maintain and further develop their competitive position in a challenging environment.

Our core areas of expertise are energy law and regulatory issues. We strive to provide the highest quality services in this area. We aim to provide our clients with personalised services. This is reflected in our personalised client service and in the design of tailor-made solutions based on our experience of successful projects in the energy market. All of this is tailored to market needs in a cost-effective way.

Our strengths lie in energy law and EU regulatory advisory services, particularly in the fields of energy and the circular economy.

Compared to our competitors, our Brussels office – BSLAW Brussels –  is unique in that our senior colleagues with extensive experience in the EU institutions, with a keen eye for the smallest details of EU legislation and processes, are able to advise our international multinational clients. We analyse EU legislative processes in a depth that very few others can match. Your clients appreciate this. Which, obviously, is based on EU legal knowledge and the specific experience of our colleagues.

 

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

The importance of IT solutions in the energy sector is increasing. Concurrently, it is inevitable that artificial intelligence will become increasingly prevalent in the energy market. In light of these developments, we are now working to prepare our customers for these new challenges. It is therefore clear that, in particular in the case of smart grids, AI solutions and the associated regulatory and privacy issues will inevitably require appropriate legal responses from our clients.

 

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

The importance of data protection and data security is increasing. In light of this, we have enhanced the IT systems in our Budapest and Brussels offices to guarantee that our clients’ data, which represents our most valuable asset, is even more secure. Furthermore, we have shared best practices with our clients on how to address regulatory issues in their IT systems. Ineffective IT systems can lead to legal compliance issues and problems.

 

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

Personal treatment of client issues continues to be an essential part of client relationships. As a matter of course,

Technology offers a wide range of tools to help communication between client and advisor.

On top of existing tools, we are investigating and assessing various (initially, the most obvious, Generative AI driven) solutions for meeting client expectations in this regard.

Communication has increasingly moved to the on-line space. More and more often, we conclude contracts or even agreements with customers electronically.

With the help of tele-identification, we have been able to process more and more transactions for customers abroad.

At the same time, we want to maintain the importance of the face-to-face meeting as the only way to deliver a personal customer experience.

 

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

The best example I can give is in our own field, energy.  Energy storage and the control of energy storage facilities require complex solutions. They function practically as a small smart grid.  The fact that we have extensive practical experience in this area, as we were among the first on the market to participate in consultancy projects where such systems were integrated, has given us the knowledge of how to build up, for example, the contractual relationships for such systems.

For a new client, we do not have to understand or reinvent the legal framework; we can simply implement the existing solution. This approach can save significant time for the client and also result in cost savings for us.

 

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

The legal sector is experiencing unprecedented changes in terms of technology/AI and Talent management simultaneously. Clients need to be reassured though that their legal advisor stands firm in spite of the turmoil of the markets. As we are a boutique-sized law firm, and we put the emphasis on building a core area of expertise recruiting a small number of specialists. This way, we can attract a pool of talented young graduates who will find our „family-style” environment friendly and inspiring.

Focusing on core strengths will enable us to become a go-to firm in our target segments going forward.

Our presence in both Budapest and Brussels allows us to reach students from the west coast of France to the easternmost part of Hungary. Our diverse team, comprising individuals from a range of nationalities and legal backgrounds, enables us to offer a truly international service that not only draws on the expertise of different countries, but also creates cultural alignment and helps us to better understand our international client portfolio, which stretches from the US to the main countries of Europe, and from the Middle East to Asia.