We aspire to expand our client base and increase our presence on the regional market
Milosevic Law Firm is an innovative law office in the Western Balkans, which provides comprehensive legal services in all areas and aspects of business law of the Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. We talked with the Founder and Managing Partner of Milosevic Law Firm Vladimir Milošević about the impact of the pandemic on business, about the legal challenges of Serbia on the road to the European Union, as well as the plans for this year.
What are your areas of expertise and which industries are your clients typically from?
Milosevic Law Firm is a modern full-service law firm providing legal services in all areas and aspects of Serbian business law. Our focus is primarily on corporate/M&A, real estate and construction, banking and finance, dispute resolution, commercial, administrative, and regulatory matters, energy, restructuring and insolvency, labor, industry and manufacturing. Most of our clients are in the construction industry and other heavy industries, like mining and chemicals, and we particularly pride on being part of some major infrastructural projects at the national and regional level. Nevertheless, we provide legal support and advice to entrepreneurs, SMEs and corporates in all stages and aspects of their business operations, regardless of their base industry.
What is your opinion about the impact of the pandemic on the operations of companies and financial markets? According to the experiences of your clients, has the crisis significantly slowed down the economy?
Last year has showed us that the industries in which most of our clients operate have not been significantly affected by the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but its impact on the overall economy and financial markets is indisputable. Although at this point the economy might not be substantially slowed down, we will certainly witness some serious consequences in the forthcoming period, especially for SMEs and the hardest-hit sectors like tourism, accommodation, transportation, arts and entertainment.
Are you more optimistic when it comes to this year, based on your professional experience and relations with your clients?
This year, having weathered the initial storm, we have the advantage of knowing what possibly to expect and how to deal with it. I sincerely hope that, given the Government support, the structured, well-targeted measures, and the vaccination that has been underway, we will regain control in the foreseeable future, allowing the business cycles and results to go back to the pre-pandemic normal.
“At Milosevic Law Firm, we are aware that in these turbulent times the clients need us more than ever”
At Milosevic Law Firm, we are aware that in these turbulent times the clients need us more than ever, hence we strive to remain a reliable partner, maintaining relationships based on trust and the highest standards of expertise and professional ethics – someone our clients can always count on for valuable advice, assistance, pragmatic and commercial solutions.
Which legal challenges await Serbia on its path towards EU integration, given that Chapters 23 and 24 have not yet been closed?
To close these chapters, many reforms and activities must yet be implemented. The main priority is to meet the basic requirements regarding the reform of the judiciary, aimed at achieving its independence, objectivity, and efficiency. Further accountability and impartiality of judges is necessary for good results in protecting the rights of the citizens, and, more importantly, for ensuring that the citizens begin to trust the judicial institutions. The challenges in this regard are huge, requiring a change in the mindset of the holders of the highest judiciary functions, but also attorneys, expert community, and judicial administration. It was with these goals in mind that the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia drafted the National Strategy for the Judiciary Development in the Period from 2019 to 2024.
Chapters 23 and 24 also highlight the importance of anti-corruption policies, and the negotiations will be directed towards achieving visible progress in that respect, which would facilitate our work as legal advisors as well.
What are your law firm’s plans for this year?
Despite the uncertain and volatile economy and financial index, we have set some ambitious plans for our Firm. In addition to maintaining and upgrading relations with our clients, we aspire to expand our client base and increase our presence on the regional market. A part of our business development strategy will be the gradual regional expansion towards the markets of Bosnia and Hercegovina where we have been very much present for the past five years, and Montenegro, where we already have some major clients and are currently working on setting up the office. Aware that good things never come overnight, our growing team will keep up the hard work, investing even greater efforts and energy to achieve organic growth, letting our results speak for themselves.