The merging of two firms with very similar business cultures led to the multiplying of what SOG had at the local level and what Kinstellar had globally. This synergy proves, among other things, that legal affairs are becoming more interconnected than ever before
From its Belgrade base, newly established law firm SOG in cooperation with Kinstellar covers Central and Southeast Europe, and Central and Southeast Asia, and does so directly, through associates at Kinstellar. Clients from Serbia will also be able to count on their legal services needs being covered worldwide.
Will the integrating of your two firms benefit all participants in the process?
Kinstellar has long been present on the local market, but with a primary focus on working for clients referred to them from Kinstellar’s network and the over 250 international law firms with which Kinstellar cooperates globally.
On the other hand, SOG has always been oriented towards working with foreign law firms, while it has also nurtured a strong local presence. Their integration is expected to bring synergy and a result that is greater than the simple sum of their parts. We are thus working to ensure that the merger results in 2+2 equalling 5. We will work around the clock on the combination of our business cultures bringing all our associates and clients a unique, high-quality experience on our market.
Could the SOG – Kinstellar merger be considered as proof of your tenacity and excellence throughout the years, and of the view that legal affairs are becoming more interconnected?
The integration trend on the global market of legal services has been extremely pronounced over the last decade. Some of the world’s largest law firms are even merging with their previous competitors. For smaller firms, integration equates to stability, while larger firms have to keep pace with the expansion of their clients’ operations and growth tendencies among the competition. Law firms compete in terms of the number of new services they will provide clients, while at the same time striving to maintain their service quality level.
For smaller firms, integration equates to stability, while larger firms have to keep pace with the expansion of their clients’ operations and growth tendencies among the competition
In this specific case, SOG is mostly profiled as providing services in five traditional areas of law: corporate law and M&A, labour law, real estate law, dispute resolution, and banking & finance. Alongside these five areas, SOG has worked extremely hard over the past five years in an effort to strengthen its expertise in the fields of personal data protection and competition law. Integration with Kinstellar will contribute to improving expertise in all of the aforementioned areas, but will also bring a greater focus on sectors in the business world. The lawyers of our integrated office will thereby strive primarily to develop an understanding of the sector in which the client operates, and only then to provide a service in the legal area requested.
Will you now be able to more quickly and easily provide services to clients throughout Southeast Europe, directly from your Belgrade offices?
Even prior to the integration with Kinstellar, SOG had a one-point-of-contact policy. This meant that the Belgrade office was sufficient for the client to do business across the entire region of the former Yugoslavia, as we had a strong network of associates. That business case remains the same for us, only it is now much stronger. It is important to note that Kinstellar maintains relations with over 250 law firms around the world, which means that our clients in Serbia will also be able to rely on their legal service needs being covered worldwide. When it comes to cross-border transactions, we expect the upward trend to continue and far greater representation in our portfolio.