In conversation with Uros Rozic

What do you see as the main points that differentiate your practice from your competitors?

In my opinion, one of the main differentiators compared to the competitors is that we offer a “one stop shop” for all the professional service needs of our clients – not solely legal. For example, assisting clients on their sustainability journey is something that we are able to do as a bundled multi-disciplinary service offering, incorporating legal, tax, finance, and other advisors, and is unique on the Slovenian market. Other law firms, quite simply, are not able to offer this, or, if so, in a quite limited extent with a focus only on legal aspects. Further, with the global presence of Deloitte, we are able to assist clients across the globe wherever they are present. Lastly, combining technology and legal advice allows us to serve our clients with greater efficiencies and transparency than traditional law firms usually do.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Whilst traditional practices (for example corporate, employment law, banking and finance, etc.) will be growing in the next 12 months, digital law and sustainability will be somewhat newer and grow, too. Digital law is certainly one area that we can expect to be a notable driver in future. Then, everything related to sustainability is likely to take off as well. Sustainability will have a growing relevance on all aspects of business operations, and thus we expect that clients will require further assistance in this area. Deloitte already has market-leading experience in providing digital law, and sustainability-related, advisory, and our first-mover advantage in these spheres is an edge that we expect to retain and further develop.

What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?

We have employed additional highly skilled and talented lawyers to meet a wider range of client needs. In fact, our headcount has more than doubled, positioning us as a notable medium-sized practice on the market. Our expanded team collaborates closely with the Deloitte professionals across the globe, thus bringing new perspectives to our clients in Slovenia.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Without doubt, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. The platform, MyInsight, to interact with clients is a very nice tool and speeds up collaboration with them. Additionally, a Contract Automation Tool has also been developed which allows for the much quicker and more efficient generation of contracts than had been the case previously. The contract lifecycle management offering, incorporating both contract automation and the overall process management, with tracking of the various stages, and incorporating e-signature solutions, bring great efficiencies, through the use of these technologies, to our clients and is certainly of benefit to them.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

Recently, we have been mandated for the global restructuring of a client engaged in life sciences. We are adding value to the client in helping them find the optimal global structure for their business, not only from a legal perspective, but also incorporating tax, financial and operational aspects, too. This includes the relocation of their headquarters, as well as the acquisition of a new production plant. By offering such multi-faceted advisory, we add value to the client by taking over the project management requirements between the various teams, and further save them time and money by doing this all under one roof.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Practically speaking, we go beyond offering pure legal advice, we work closely with colleagues from Tax and Financial Advisory, for instance, to review it from various perspectives. Thus, we can offer strategic direction and recommend the best steps to be taken in reaching the business objectives - not only responding to legal questions asked of us. In terms of stability, Deloitte recently celebrated its 175th anniversary, so we believe that this historical record gives confidence to clients in our stability and that we will be around when they need us in future.

Lastly, my goal is to serve our clients with dignity, devotion, passion, integrity, and to the highest level of ethical standards. Through doing this, in three years’ time, I’m expecting that Deloitte Legal will become the first choice on the market for AI and digital law, legal technology, and M&A.

^{*This interview first appeared in Legal 500}