Thu | 23.04.2020
Legal
Stratula & Asociatii (“S&A”) is a Bucharest based Romanian Law Firm, established in 2006, which has developed in a very short time as an elite professional services provider, with a firm dedication to ethical values and a significant practice in the business area, covering almost all major aspects that involve the set up and operation of businesses.
S&A’s Partners have constantly refined all practice areas of the firm, while selecting and training a team of associates who proved to be exceptionally talented and intelligent, as well as perfectionists and result oriented, thus all being able to offer irreproachable professional services, at any international standards. This particular emphasis serves one of the main goals of S&A’s Partners, that is to have S&A activate as the finest “Boutique Law Firm” type in Romania, within those few dedicated areas where the S&A's attorneys truly excel.
These areas focus around Disputes (including European Funds Disputes, where our practice is one of - if not the first - the most respectable in Romania), Restructuring and Insolvency advice and representation, Procurement, Real Estate, Administrative and Fiscal legal advice and representation, IP advice and representation, Technology, Media and Telecommunications advice and representation, and those Mergers &Acquisitions, Corporate and Commercial matters that go out of the simple day to day category.
Interview with Sorin Strătulă - Founder and Managing Partner of S&A
What made you choose the lawyer profession?
A difficult question, given that this year has been the 20th anniversary of my joining the Bar, so the memory of the reasons that led me to this profession is blurred by the passage of time. I'm kidding, of course, I find really hard to believe it's been 20 years.
For me the law meant a profession that gave me meaning, a chance to help others, through my legal knowledge, but also freedom of mind and conscience. Also, my tendency towards perfectionism and in-depth analysis of facts helped me to find the best legal solutions, since I really cannot find the peace of my mind until I reach the heart of the problem and do identify all possible dangers, weaknesses, but also ways to solve them, to compensate them.
I hope it does not sound as a cliché but, as far as I am concerned, law is not a simple profession, it is passion and, like any other passion, it consumes you but it also gives you satisfaction and a purpose, namely offering legal help to those who ask me and the opportunity to contribute, through my work, to finding out the truth and doing justice.
What is the story behind Stratula & Asociatii?
The law firm with the current name Stratula & Asociatii was founded in 2006 by me, along with two colleagues and friends, with whom I have worked at one of the largest – it was then and still is – law firms in Romania.
Moreover, the overwhelming majority of local firms was founded by lawyers who grew up in the few law firms that served as a nursery for generations of new lawyers.
Personally, after almost 7 years in such a firm, in which I have learned this profession from talented and experienced lawyers, I wanted to build a law firm that would represent me and the professional values in which I believe, on one hand, and that would offer clients the highest quality legal services and a constant concern for the smooth running of the business of each of them.
Over time, the initial structure of the partnership has changed but what has remained constant was the quality of legal services, the passion for the profession, a team of dedicated and highly trained lawyers and, last but not least, the direct involvement of partners in projects entrusted by clients.
It is a reality that one of the clients' fears is that, after the initial meeting with the partner of the law firm with which he wants to collaborate, their legal problems are taken over by other lawyers, and the partner's involvement is not in line with the clients' expectations.
Thence, it is precisely this aspect that sets us apart, in the sense that the partners of our are directly involved in the legal problems of our clients, keep constant contact with them and, we hope, our clients never have the feeling that they are "given away" to younger colleagues.
Obviously, we rely on our colleagues and work together on the projects we have but as long as a client expresses his desire to keep in touch with me or my partners, directly, we strive to offer him this comfort.
I see that Stratula & Asociatii is a boutique law firm. What does it mean?
Our company is a boutique one, in opposition to full-service firms. That means we provide legal services in certain fields of activity, where we are over-specialized, and we don't pretend to be good at everything.
However, in the areas of practice in which we operate we can say we have received international recognitions from independent legal directories such asLegal 500, Chambers, IFLR1000, Benchmark Litigation, Media Law International,, which annually awards law firms according to the projects they have, the feedback of clients and the opinion of other lawyers in the market – all being strict criteria and the inclusion in these directories represents for any firm a recognition of the quality of the legal services they provide and a reason for pride.
What are the challenges of the moment for your clients, from a legal point of view?
The challenges are different, depending on the areas in which our clients operate. For example, we have clients in the field of agribusiness, IT or road and highway construction who have registered an increase of activity during this period and for whom our services are the same as before the state of emergency: contract revisions, day to day corporate issues, employment, intellectual property, etc.
Of course, there is a reduction in activity on the litigation side, but this is due to the fact that, during the state of emergency, the trial of cases has been suspended, except for those that are considered urgent.
At the same time, however, if we are talking about litigation, during this period, some of our clients are experiencing problems related to the collection of debts from their debtors. For such situations we continue to sue petitions (new petitions may be brought to courts), accompanied by requests for precautionary measures, like account garnishments or seizures (which are also judged during this period), to ensure that, at the end of the dispute, our clients will also have what to recover from their debtors and they will not be left with a decision that they cannot enforce, due to the lack of goods or cash availability of debtors.
What is the role of a law firm in this period?
Securing the services of a law firm is always wise, and during this period such legal assistance is even more necessary, since the establishment of the state of emergency has created unprecedented legal situations and obviously this fact is also reflected in the day to day the activity. The challenges all companies face are different and complex, but we all adapt, and manage to be alongside our clients during this period, as they wish.
A number of legal topics have gained great weight currently: debt recovery, how to deal with technical unemployment, the issuance of emergency certificates applicability of force majeure clauses, the postponement of payment of credit or leasing rates, the negotiation of rent reduction, and so on. The situation is in constant change, from one week to another. A law firm can help clients navigate through the legal provisions applicable, to analyse all options available to them and assist them on the legal path to follow, thus saving precious time and resources that can be used for further development of the business.
Are you optimistic about the future, or the opposite?
Secretly, I hope that we will change for the better, that we will put, in reality and not just for declarative purposes, more value on what really matters and that we will understand that what we do each of us affects all others. But no matter where the future might take us, we are looking forward to it, and are well prepared and equipped to deal of any new challenges it might bring.
Find more details about Stratula & Asociatii online.
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