2015 Legal Awards

M&A awards Legal Awards 2015 71 LEGAL awards JordanRechtsanwalts GmbH are a boutique legal firm offering a range of corporate legal services. Helmuth Jordan provides us with a unique insight into the firm and the role it plays in the German legal market. JordanRechtsanwalts GmbH operate in Stuttgart, Southern Germany. There is a real difference between the North and South of Germany, and as such legal firms such as ours tend to be smaller. As such we are a boutique law firm, operating just four lawyers, however within our region this about average. Our small size means that we are able to focus on providing a quality service to our clients, who are usually mid-sized manufacturing firms. We specialise in corporate law, including overseas expansion and M&A transactions. As a firm we focus on building a strong relationship with our clients, some of whom we have worked with for as long as twenty years. Within the German legal market there have been a number of changes over recent years, which have provided firms such as ours with challenges, particularly the new laws regarding online trials. This approach has been highly successful in our neighbouring country Austria, but in Germany around 50% of lawyers are against it, which is why the Government has staggered the implementation of these laws, with online trials due to become a full offering after 2020. Additionally the legal market in Germany has grown at an alarming rate over recent years, providing us with more competitors. Over a 45 year period the legal industry in Germany has increased by 500%, which has made ours a crowded and competitive market in which quality is vital to ensuring clients work with the prac- tice again and refer it to new clients. One of our specialisms is overseas expansions, which also brings with it additional challenges as we work across global markets. It is vital when advising firms overseas to ensure that the terms and conditions are adjusted and that there are no conflicting aspects to contracts. Our approach is cautious and we try to examine contracts and identify issues so that no legal problems occur later, as this is easier and more convenient for everyone involved. We are also keen on settling issues out of court, as we believe the courts should only be turned to in an extreme situation. Therefore we try to offer arbitration in many of our cases, as it is quicker and less expensive. Arbitration may be advantageous for another reason: For example, if you win a Court case in the State Courts either in Ger- many or Russia, you are not permitted to execute this judgement both in Germany and Russia. There are no such obstacles with an Arbitration Court Judgement, based on the New York Arbitration Convention. This dedication to finding quick, out of court solutions is popular with our clients as trials, particularly over- seas, can be very costly and time consuming. We always serve our clients diligently and are well mannered in everything we do, as this is an important aspect of our work. In return we always prefer to look for clients acting the same way. Also, because we often work with our clients long term it is important that we develop a strong relationship. Many of our clients have been working with us for decades. This highlights our talents as solicitors and our dedication to providing strong client service. Looking to the future I am keen to spread the idea that arbitration is a good alternative to traditional legal proceedings. Additionally, as we become increasingly reliant on technology, internet security is of vital impor- tance. We will continue to develop our software to ensure that our client records are secure, and advising our clients to do the same. Company: JordanRechtsanwalts GmbH Address: Kerner Straße 28 · DE-70182 Stuttgart Email: [email protected] Phone: + 49 (0) 711/25 54 04 60 Fax: + 49 (0) 711/25 54 04 70