Antonio Garrigues: Managing a law firm has become a difficult task

Antonio Garrigues, chairman of Spanish law firm Garrigues, says the “key” to survival for small and medium-sized firms on the market is specialisation, given that large players do not have enough resources to balance their portfolio. “Managing a law firm has become a very difficult task. You have to be very careful because if you make mistakes, your firm can suffer a great deal. Remedies need to be found now. You cannot wait a year, you have to adapt now,” said Garrigues in an interview given to ZF. The law firm entered the Romanian market last year by absorbing Mares & Asociatii, and currently has over 10 lawyers. The Spanish considered two or three Romanian-based firms for a merger. He did not wish to provide a revenue forecast for this year, but, according to previous statements from representatives of the law firm, 2 million-euro revenues were targeted for the September 2008 – August 2009 period.