Client view
Law firms that don ’ t listen , or fail to deliver on time , cause frustration
Thales Portugal wants to use firms that are ethical , innovative and provide good value for money , says general counsel Paulo Lino Martins
Present in Portugal since 1990 ; France ´ s Thales Group provides technological navigational and training products for the space , aerospace , defence , security and ground transportation industries . The company – which has a presence in 56 countries and employs more than 60,000 people – generated total revenues of € 14 billion in 2015 . The company is heavily involved in Portugal ’ s passenger transport sector through Thales Portugal as well as having a 65 per cent stake in software development company Edisoft , which serves the aerospace and defence sectors .
Paulo Lino Martins , general counsel at Thales Portugal and Edisoft , says MLGTS , PLMJ , Esquivel Advogados and PBBR are the firms the organisation uses in Portugal . “ When we require external know-how in important legal issues , first we get support from the corporate area to allow us to finetune the issues and the objectives at hand ,” Lino Martins explains . “ Then , we have a consultation call with the law offices that work with us – the Thales panel law firms in Portugal – to discuss the issues , their availability according to our timeframes , their competence for the specific request and the competitiveness of their fees .”
Lino Martins says the most soughtafter qualities in external counsel are “ outstanding expertise , innovation and the capacity to work together with the company in the sense that the counsel be engaged with the Thales Group , rather than acting like an external consultant ”. Ethics , innovation and a good “ pricequality ratio ” are the characteristics the company values most , he adds . Lino Martins adds that Thales would be deterred from using any law firm that exhibited unethical behaviour , or did not listen to the company ’ s requirements and needs , or was not in line with Thales ’ core values .
How to add value “ Law firms add value in everything that we are not experts in , and that goes beyond our day-to-day operations when assisting us ,” Lino Martins says . “ When an external law firm reminds us of issues that might impact the future of the company ’ s operations in a country by a simple reminder mail , or a new legal framework under discussion that could have a legal and / or financial impact , then that quality is most appreciated .”
The biggest cause of frustration when using external law firms is an incapacity to listen , or when they fail to deliver their services in a high quality and timely manner when asked , according to Lino Martins . He adds that another frustration is when a firm simply offers “ a pile of paper with several solutions rather than advice on how to manage a real problem ”.
Lino Martins says the biggest challenge he faces as an in-house lawyer is how to improve the company ’ s day-to-day legal support and , more generally , managing legal issues in an environment of increasing regulation and uncertainty . “ Our aim is for the legal department to be involved in the company ’ s operations and to therefore perform as much legal work in-house as possible .” He adds : “ I truly believe that , if we [ in-house lawyers ] are involved from the very beginning , we will add much more value across the organisation , not only regarding legal advice , but by highlighting past experiences and proposing different ways to tackle difficult issues . We should play a role in education and be considered a real trusted commercial adviser as well as a legal adviser .” Lino Martins continues : “ Raising awareness of the new legal environment among business leaders , who are under increasing personal liability for things going wrong , is also important . The traditional approach of ‘ that ’ s for the legal department to worry about ’ has disappeared , and business leaders need to be more aware of matters that can affect not only the company but also them personally – we need to always consider the long view .”
Lino Martins says other challenges include being more cost-efficient , spending less on external counsel and improving efficiency by using new tools and technology . In addition , the company aims to ensure its personnel embody the company ’ s core values while facing the day-to-day challenges brought by regulatory issues , such as changes to data protection laws , and new legal frameworks for public procurement . Lino Martins says the company also wants to “ consolidate Thales ’ values in our day-today operations , values such as customer trust , our ‘ One Thales , One Team ’ ethic , being accountable and being committed to excellence , while training our personnel to be innovative ”.
Paulo Martins
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When an external law firm reminds us of issues that might impact the future of the company ’ s operations in a country by a simple reminder mail , that is most
” appreciated .
Paulo Lino Martins , general counsel at Thales Portugal and Edisoft
www . iberianlawyer . com November / December 2016 • IBERIAN LAWYER • 23