Mark Harrison is the founder and principal of the first English Law Firm in Serbia and Montenegro and the first International Law Firm in both countries
If it wasn’t for a chance encounter with a Yugoslav lawyer at Linklaters back in 1983, Mark Harrison wouldn’t be in Serbia today and we wouldn’t have had his great help to Serbia’s economy over the past quarter of a century. Speaking in this interview, he tells CorD Magazine what led him to open an office here at a time when it seemed as though Serbia would be forever isolated from the rest of the world, but also how proud he is that so many of his loyal colleagues have remained with him since day one. Highlighting his firm’s major deals and transactions, activities in MENA countries and cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Royal Family, he also offers insight into his great plans for the future of Harrisons over the next 25 years.
The end of each year sees results assessed and achievements summarised, but you are this December reflecting on not just the past 12 months, but on a quarter of a century. Has it been 25 challenging yet rewarding years for Harrisons?
— They say that life is a roller-coaster, and the early years of our firm, as well as the recent Covid years, have certainly been a challenge. Seven days after I first opened our office in Belgrade, I received a letter from the local Bar Association that I was persona non grata and should leave Serbia! Over the years, we came to be viewed as helping Serbia’s economy and, for example, having Serbian law degrees recognised by the UK. And then finally, in 2013, I joined the Serbian Bar.
The Covid years were tough for everyone and it was difficult for me from March 2020, as I was stuck in the UK and travel was initially banned and then heavily restricted. I was away from my office colleagues for too long, and everyone needs to be around each other. We are not a work-from-home firm. We enjoy our professional company.
We like giving: charity work, particularly BELhospice; undertaking pro bono work and helping various Serbian sports. Finally, when I look back now, 25 years on, I am proud of what we’ve achieved – namely by being the first English Law Firm in Serbia (and Montenegro) and the first International Law Firm in both countries – something no-one can take away from us. We did it!
You arrived in Serbia in 1999, at a time when masses of people were fleeing the country, and opened an office at a time when it seemed Serbia would never be accepted as part of Europe or the world. What guided you? Did you know something no one else did?
— I am a great believer in fate. My whole life being determined as philosophy was something taught to me at university. If it wasn’t for a chance meeting with a Yugoslav lawyer at Linklaters in 1983, I don’t think I would be here now. I was introduced to the small Yugoslav business community in London (all from Belgrade) and by the late 1980s I reckon I acted for most of the subsidiaries of the large companies in Belgrade, such as Generalexport, Jugometal, Energoproject and Beogradska Banka.
Unlike all major Serbian Law Firms, we acted on our own as we were international in our own right, regulated and supervised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and insured with Lloyds of London
I was an equity partner in a very large UK law firm, but realised I didn’t want to be one partner among 225 partners, but rather I wanted to achieve something different. I knew Yugoslavia well and asked myself ‘why not form the first English Solicitors firm here?’ That became my ambition and I was determined to achieve it.
Your clients include leading global companies, financial institutions, regional governments and small IT start-ups just embarking on their journeys. Do you strive to provide each of them with a service that exceeds their expectations?
— It is a cliché, but we do aim to give the same professional service to every client, whatever or whoever they may be. If they are a client of Harrisons they get the Harrisons’ treatment – a premium service for all.
Could it be said that the people with whom you’ve worked since arriving in Serbia – your team members – are what Harrisons is today: the result of everything you’ve built over the past 25 years?
— Absolutely! There is no way I could have done this on my own. My colleagues support me and embody the firm. What makes me proudest is that so many people have been with me virtually since the start.
We are a friendly team and treat everyone the way we would like to be treated ourselves. I still love going to the office and seeing everyone. We are a family.
There are few major deals and transactions in Serbia over the past two and a half decades that haven’t involved your firm. Are there any that you would single out?
— There are certain deals that are close to my heart. As we were the first International Law Firm present after the October 2000 revolution, we were well positioned for the mass privatisation programme launched by Zoran Đinđić’s government. My favourite was U.S. Steel’s purchase of Sartid Steelworks. U.S. Steel had a visionary leader, John Goodish, who taught us all a lot and I think that deal “made” us what we became.
We are a friendly team and treat everyone the way we would like to be treated. I still love going to the office and seeing everyone. We are a family
It was in September 2003 that we bought Sartid, acted on behalf of British American Tobacco on their purchase of Duvanska Industrija Vranje and sold Beopetrol to Lukoil. Crazy times! Bringing Fiat to Serbia was also a milestone, but also my beloved Heineken. Of course, my real baby was Porto Montenegro. We started that in 2005 and getting to work with Peter Munk was a delight – he is such an extraordinary man. He transformed Montenegro with that deal.
Unlike all the major Serbian law firms, we acted on our own, as we were international in our own right, regulated and supervised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and insured with Lloyds of London.
You facilitated the purchase of agricultural land and real estate in Serbia by investors from the UAE, including Al Dahra and Al Rawafed. Have your activities in and with MENA countries been growing over the years?
— Any firm that provides services needs to evolve, in particular law firms in Central & Eastern Europe. Many simply undertook privatisations and then left when everything was sold.
We targeted three areas for the future: Banking & Finance – led by Ines Matijević-Paulin, who I believe is objectively the best female lawyer in Serbia and the country’s best banking and finance lawyer. We dub ourselves The Banking & Finance Firm for the Balkans.
IT start-ups in Serbia are full of young, smart, knowledgeable, English-speaking software developers. We decided to help them grow their firms and assist them when dealing with savvy investors. And Serbia is now the CEE IT start-up capital.
Working with the MENA region was our key move and our activities there are growing constantly. It was over 15 years ago that we started acting on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family in the region and we continue to act for them in Serbia and Montenegro. Subsequently, since the Investment Corporation of Dubai (their Sovereign Wealth Fund) bought Porto Montenegro, we now act for them and the prominent family in Egypt (Sawiris), who own Luštica Bay. We have also acted for companies from Oman, Qatar, Sudan and Lebanon. I am a member of the British Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi and a frequent visitor to the region.