#25x25Interview | Sebastian Guțiu (Schoenherr si Asociatii SCA): Business law firms are at a turning point

It is for this reason that we initiated this #25×25 interview series. We wanted to create a platform where these companies’ roles in shaping the local economy over the past quarter of a century can be recognised,” says Sebastian Guțiu, managing partner Schoenherr si Asociatii SCA, the respondent of today’s interview, and at the same time the partner of the #25×25 Interview Series, hosted by Business Review.

Business Review: Starting with a bit of historical background, what can you tell us about your company’s entry into Romania back in 1996 and about the legal industry as a whole back then?

Sebastian Guțiu, managing partner Schoenherr si Asociatii SCA: Schoenherr opened in Romania in 1996 when the new market economy had barely taken off. The growth potential was huge and investors were ready to tap into it. There wasn’t really a market for business law in Romania back then. New regulations governing  lawyers had only been adopted a year before, and only a handful of lawyers were starting to get a glimpse into the way international clients thought and what they expected.

In the beginning, we had one Schoenherr lawyer flying in from Vienna who then worked on site with two Romanian lawyers. Thus we were able to deliver our work at international standards from the very beginning. This was a huge advantage for us and in the eyes of multinationals, as general counsels were looking for the level of sophistication they were used to in other markets. Today we have more than 60 lawyers in Romania, plus a sizeable team of business professionals (admin, finance, HR, IT, marketing etc).

This interview is part of the editorial project "25x25", published by Business Review and powered by Schoenherr. Find out more here

Article was first published in Business-Review on 25.10.2021
author: Mihai Cristea