Classical is always new
One could think that young lawyers tend to be more attracted to Litigation and the courts, but in fact good lawyers, who have a broader view of Law practice, know that arriving to court is not only unnecessary but undesirable. Marco Silva Garrinhas, Commercial, Corporate and M&A senior associate at SRS Advogados, is the kind of lawyer who prefers to anticipate, focusing on prevention and an in-depth knowledge of the Law to save time and money to the customers and the system.
We are living strange days, to say it lightly, what do you think are the biggest concerns of lawyers nowadays?
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has brought challenges of all sorts for society as a whole. It has significantly impacted interpersonal relationships as well as the business world, including legal practice, beginning with the need to adapt to the profession beyond the normal framework of having the office as a workplace and face-to-face meetings with clients. Undoubtedly, it was an enormous challenge to continue providing our services to our clients at a very adverse and uncertain time with the same quality and promptness from our homes alongside our new routine.
Nonetheless, with the lockdown times behind us and slowly trying to come back to normal, it seems to me that it was a phase concluded with great success – indeed, I believe that great lessons have come about: The perception that remote working is not only possible, but it also brings benefits and that the legal profession could be carried out almost exclusively through the new technologies. As expected, the main concerns of lawyers nowadays relate to the impact the effects of the pandemic on the economy, on private investment, on the lives of people and companies in general, may have in the short and medium term for the work that is requested from us and that we provide to our clients. It seems to me, however, that although the workload is expected to slow down in some areas and industry sectors (e.g., Real Estate and Tourism), in others it will increase (e.g., 444 Restructuring, Labour and Litigation).
What are the main advantages of a young lawyer in comparison with a more expert one? What is the most significant contribution of the young lawyers in the profession?
The main reasons for a client to choose a lawyer are the confidence and experience for which they are acknowledged in handling certain matters or working in a specific area of Law. These qualities are inherent to more experienced lawyers: as a rule, the older the lawyer, the higher the experience. Consequently, younger lawyers should seek mentoring from more experienced lawyers. Having said that, it is undeniable to me that, as a rule, a young lawyer has greater ability to adapt to new situations and challenges, thus adjusting more easily to the exercise of the profession through the use of new technologies, as well as bringing a more dynamic vision of situations and creating new solutions. Likewise, as a result of growing professionally in a global world, I believe that younger lawyers develop a less formal approach to the client which facilitates the contacts established between them. In essence, I believe that, ideally, the teams could be set up with younger and older lawyers as much as possible, to complement the advantages that they bring to the provision of a quality service and the establishment of a close relationship with the client.
Interview by antonio jiménez
To read the interview in full please download issue N.97 here
