Pinsent Masons Vario in the Middle East

For the last 12 years, Pinsent Masons Vario has been delivering a wide range of alternative legal services, to clients of a variety of sizes. Last year marked the launch of our Flexible Services business in the Middle East with a model based out of Dubai in the UAE. This sees Pinsent Masons provide high calibre legal and compliance professionals on an interim basis, helping clients to build elasticity into their teams without fixed overheads.

Since then, this branch of the business has grown significantly transforming from a one man band to an established and expanding team. We recently sat down with Julian Sarkadi, the local Account Director, to discuss the journey he’s been on since joining, some of the trends in the local market, and the dynamic of working with his new team.

The full interview, alongside comments from both Lucie Hallet (Account Manager) and Sarah Moore (Account Executive) can be found below.

Please would you explain your current role and what that looks like day to day?

My role as Account Director for the Middle East is in some respects a bit like a co-founder of a startup within Pinsent Masons.

As a result, I’ve been privileged to work closely with our Pinsent Masons Partners and clients throughout the region to educate on what Vario does, develop the UAE cohort of our Vario Community, and meet with clients to understand their business needs. Day to day I am talking with our clients and lawyers, because the better I understand the needs of both sides, the more impactful our assignments are.

I’m very fortunate to work with a very supportive team at Pinsent Masons. Our Partners and lawyers understand the value Vario brings to their clients and are very collaborative.

What appealed to you about working at Pinsent Masons Vario?

Having started my career as a lawyer in private practice, I understand how valuable Vario’s services are, both for clients and lawyers. My first exposure to the ALSP model was as a legal consultant. However, from the beginning, I was much more interested in the business model itself and decided to explore it further.

I’ve had several interactions with the Head of Vario, Matthew Kay over the years, and my experience has always been that you can tell a lot about an organisation by its leaders. Fortunately, Pinsent Masons Vario is no exception: it’s a place where professionalism, competence and values lead.

People like working with us because we are friendly, value driven, easy to work with and most importantly, we set very high standards for ourselves. That’s the same whether you are a client or employee of Vario, which makes for a wonderful place to work.

Was relocating to Dubai a difficult decision and did PM support you in your move?

It was an easy decision for me. It’s a place many people want to be, and for good reason. There is a dynamism and energy that few regions currently possess.

PM made the process as simple as possible. From the day the position was formally accepted, the process was fast and easy.

How would you describe the current market for interim legal services in the Middle East?

I would say it has been in its relative infancy over the last few years but is now starting to mature. The interest and demand are certainly here.

Some clients have a general idea of what we can do, but don’t appreciate the full range of value-added services Vario can contribute. There have been several new entrants to the market, so the competition has increased and I welcome that. It provides us with a perfect opportunity to communicate how we differ and where we excel.

As part of a multinational professional services firm, we have the support and resources to offer a service to a level that clients may not receive elsewhere.

What trends are you noticing in client needs / demands?

We’re very fortunate to work with many amazing clients who are very transparent about their needs and motivations. Clients are facing increased pressure on budgets, but it’s crucial to maintain the level or quality of our service. This means continuing to only provide lawyers of the highest standards.

I see that some clients initially request shorter secondment periods but are tending to extend for additional time due to their satisfaction with the lawyer and model. By it’s nature, clients often require a lawyer on an urgent basis, so they key is to be able to find the right lawyer for them immediately and ensure that the process to get them working is both rapid and simple as possible. Many clients are surprised by the type of lawyers we have on our bench and how fast we can manage the process.

What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities facing you and your team in the region?

As mentioned above, it is a very competitive and fast paced environment. Both clients and lawyers will understandably make quick decisions. So, we need to be very responsive. We also constantly need to add value in other ways to ensure our service stands out. Whether that be by leveraging the resources of our firm to provide legal information sessions for clients or training for lawyers, we try to anticipate what our clients may benefit from.

We also need to ensure that our lawyers not only have the technical skills, but have the social and emotional intelligence to fit into existing legal teams and work with then. We live in a region with rich cultures and our lawyers need to understand and appreciate the local and regional nuances. Further, possessing Arabic language skills, including drafting in Arabic is for some clients crucial to the role (not to mention, when an 3^rd language, such as French is also required).

It was initially a challenge to find the right lawyers who had both the sector experience and language skills. However, this led me to foster relationships with lawyers originating from across the Middle East. Something I personally find very interesting and rewarding.

What makes Pinsent Masons Vario different in the Middle East?

Being a part of such a well-known and respect firm in the region is the obvious one. It informs how we approach alternative legal services. We are looking to add immediate value for our clients but also look towards the longer-term relationship. Clients know that they can expect the same high level of expertise and professionalism as they would from the wider Pinsent Masons team.

Our firm Partners often have longstanding and multifaceted professional relationships with our clients, so their understanding of the business and their needs are invaluable to making sure we are providing the right lawyers for their business. Our Vario Consultants also have the full support and resources of the wider firm across the region, so in Vario, clients are truly receiving a Pinsent Masons quality lawyer.

Conclusion

It’s clear that Julian and his team are at the front of a dynamic and exciting market in the Middle East. To see how they can help your in-house legal team, click here to reach out to Julian directly.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of our Vario Community in the Middle East, click here to apply now!