For our second installment in our series about quality in lawfirms, French lawyer Patrick Beucher tells us about the importance of having a specialisation.
While on a long drive accross France, veteran lawyer Patrick Beucher answers the general question : what's important for a lawfirm today ? Specialisation was his answer. Why ? « Well I started recruiting specialised lawyers after a few occasions in which I was feeling like I was selling phony services » he says with his natural frankness. « I didn't think it was a right thing to do, so I sought association with people who really knew the topic ».
Patrick has witnessed the evolution of the law business. He started his first studio with his brother in 1972. Today, he employs 60 lawyers and as many extra staff. They are located all around France, with headquarters not in Paris, but in his native city of Angers. « Your exact localisation is irrelevant today », he says with the same honesty, « if you really are a specialist on a topic, you would be contacted wherever you are. Look, I have an office in Rennes (Northwestern France) ; do you know why ? Because I wanted to work with specialists in Ecological affairs, and there was a small firm there which was very knowledgeable about it, so I brought them in. That is how I started my Rennes office : they worked on cases related to such things as beach pollution, petrol leaks, etc, in many different places. It's very different from the time when I was a young lawyer : today, no one cares exactly where you are as long as you're a specialist ! »
Patrick himself also took the path of specialisation in a very precise topic. Originally active mostly in real estate cases, he grew progressively interested in the legal rules related to dietary supplements. « I got started in this out of pure chance, when one of my customers had a case about it. Me and my wife had a personal interest in it and we pursued it. » How did he became a specialist on this very precise topic ? « Well, there is no special teaching. This domain in particular is mostly European Union law. I worked on it and learnt, that's my simple advice to anyone who wants to specialise. In Eurojuris, at a European level, you can find groups of specialists to meet others. In our national chapter, there are also groups ». The result ? Half of Patrick’s cases are now related to his specialisation. « I am practically the only lawyer in France who really got into this topic. I have been consulted by people abroad, notably in Germany ».
As a conclusion, we will hear some final advice from Patrick : « we have to reinvent ourselves all the time, we no longer live in a world in which a lawyer has studied once and can go on forever with his initial teachings : we must learn new things all the time ».
Do you agree with Patrick ? Do you have a different opinion ? Is there any other topic you feel is very important for the quality of a lawfirm ? Please let us know and we will include your point of view in a future article : journalist@eurojuris.net
