Firms need to understand young lawyers’ aspirations – CCA Ontier

 Law firms need to give young lawyers ‘space to grow’ while also becoming more efficient and cost-driven in order to meet the demands of clients

Law firms need to address younger lawyers’ aspirations while also meeting clients’ demands regarding efficiency and pricing, says Domingos Cruz, managing partner at CCA Ontier.
In terms of relationships with clients, law firms must be willing to adapt, he says. “You have to be efficient and cost-driven—that requires a lot of adaptation,” Cruz explains. “You must learn with your clients.”
In tandem with that, firms need to give their more junior lawyers space to grow, believes Cruz. Part of that involves “understanding and foreseeing aspirational issues,” he says.
“It’s not easy to say to someone out of university that you have to do 100-plus billable hours per month, you need to have your phone available during vacations and you have to sleep with your clients’ problems – that’s not the most appealing speech.” In this respect, Cruz notes, firms in Lisbon are not distinct from firms in other cities and countries.
For Spanish and Portuguese firms, Latin America is an inviting prospect as it offers many opportunities, according to Cruz. “The cultural aspect of it is very interesting – the countries have shared a common heritage,” he adds. Cruz says that, increasingly, Latin American companies are looking to expand overseas.