AI Issue 12 2017

26 Acquisition International - December 2017 Straitons Whitelaw has developed from a company formation agency to a boutique law firm providing comprehensive legal, tax consulting, and corporation services from their offices in London, Hong Kong and Malta. Managing Director, Heiko Schröter provides us with an overview of the company’s services. ounded in 1925 in London, Straitons Whitelaw specialise in offering secure, fast and comprehensive hand-tailored on and offshore structure based solutions for clients. Furthermore, the firm consults its clients in all terms of international cross trading, fundraising and funding solutions, and also incorporates companies with nominee directors and shareholders on request worldwide. Heiko goes into detail about which aspects of law the firm places a strong focus on, and what steps it takes in order to achieve success. “Here at Straitons Whitelaw, our focus is on German speaking corporate customers who value a comprehensive professional expertise and physical presence on site in our different locations. We achieve the required constant monitoring of the legal conditions in the different jurisdictions and the quick adaptation for our customers by the use of the most modern technologies. Also, we are in constant contact with our reliable competent partners in all jurisdictions offered by us and can thus guarantee that all solutions offered by us are full legal compliant.” With staff working towards the same mission, Straitons Whitelaw possess an ambition to find and realise the best customised solution which best solves the problems of its clients. Confidentiality is of the highest priority for its clients, and the firm has made this the fundamental principle of all its business activities. Heiko and the team understand and value that the needs of each client is as individual as the client is himself, something which he feels sets the company apart from its competitors, as well as the vast experience throughout the company. “What distinguishes us from our competitors in the market, is the vast experience and knowledge Straitons Whitelaw has to offer to the clients, combined with German native speakers in all offices, even in our Hong Kong office. The in-depth understanding of German commercial and tax law allows us to provide opportunities and efficient, yet compliant, solutions to our clients who are active in the German market. Additionally, the truly individual handling of each clients and understanding his individual needs, with a bespoken structured Company: Straitons Whitelaw Contact: Heiko Schröter Contact Email: [email protected] Address: 22/F 3 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Phone: +852 5808 9696 Fax: +85 3831 4942 Website: www.straitons.com StraitonsWhitelaw: A Language of Quality F 1712AI40 solution delivering the best possible results for the client, while our competitors often just use standard mass-market products.” Interestingly, Heiko explains how being a part of the offshore consulting and formation industry has benefitted the firm in recent years, and he outlines some of the challenges and issues that Straitons Whitelaw has had to overcome in order to establish its position as a leader within the industry. “Being a part of the offshore consulting and formation industry, had in the past seen challenges caused by legal changes and restrictions. Especially in recent years, we are challenged by unfair media coverage, leading to declining demand for the services provided by us. At the same time, a deep restructuring of the offshore consulting and formation industry took place which resulted in many providers withdrawing their offers from the market. This process goes hand in hand with an ever-increasing regulation and restriction, while at the same time increasing the demands placed on the consulting and formation agencies. In particular, the extended reporting requirements consultants have to fulfil on offshore consultations are seen by many customers as a blatant interference in their freedom of business movement and decisions.” Offshore consulting and formation is well-known as a very fast paced market, which requires constant monitoring and implementation of new legal regulations in various jurisdictions. At the same time, Straitons Whitelaw must pay close attention to keep up with its customer goals. This requires intensive communication between all involved parties, even its local partners in the respective jurisdiction. Straitons Whitelaw has set up an internal reporting system that transmits the information about all necessary changes directly to the executing parties to address this problem. With the offshore consulting and formation industries ever evolving, there are many developments in which Straitons Whitelaw will have to overcome. Heiko predicts what trends will arise within the industry, and how customer expectations are continuously rising, but this is a challenge that Straitons Whitelaw will embrace and work hard to adapt to.