What We Believe

 

 

The legal profession has undergone significant changes in the last ten to fifteen years as a result of globalization and the surge of cross border transactions and deals which require the expertise of professionals of different disciplines in different countries of the world. During this period, one has seen the advent of various professional networks and alliances which facilitate the location of professionals with specific expertise who can assist clients anywhere on this planet in implementing cross border transactions and deals. WSG is the second largest of these professional networks and well recognized for the quality and reputation of its members.



WSG Mission


The mission of World Services Group (WSG) is to create a global network of professional services organizations which promotes members' mutual interests and provides for their benefit and the benefit of their clients access throughout the world to top quality services of other members. The purpose is to provide a local, national, regional and global forum for the communication, information exchange, networking and identification of business expansion opportunities. This is accomplished through peer-to-peer networking, professional development and regional and annual conferences which are critical means for fulfilling the mission.



Chairman's Objectives 2011-12


It is with great pleasure and enthusiam that I address you for the first time as Chairman of this wonderful organization. Throughout these years leading to the chairmanship of WSG I have met a series of outstanding people of different professional areas and backgrounds which I really got to like and admire. What distinguishes our group from the competition is our common interest in multiplying our international contacts with professionals of high quality and reputation encompassing different disciplines in other parts of the world so that we can better serve our own clients. In a globalized world in which mammoth international firms dominate a significant portion of the legal services, an organization such as WSG provides a viable alternative for facing this growing competition. The mere fact that WSG members are able to refer their clients to excellent firms anywhere in the world at a touch of a button with the certainty that they are going to be well served and treated is a great asset. Considering that we can do this within the network but covering different fields and areas of interest to our clients is something that no other group can offer.


However, like everything else in life this asset is not static and needs constant improvement and develoment. As a matter of fact in my opinion, WSG is at the threshhold of a new paradigm. Up until now, the focus has been on expanding the network into more jurisdictions and covering more fields of interest. While we still have room to expand insofar as accounting and investment banking services are concerned, we have covered the majority of countries of the world with respect to legal services. As a result, I believe our focus going forward should be more on responding to members' expectations. Our monetary and human resources should be from now on geared towards responding to what members expect to get out of the organization. Although it is impossible to fulfill the wishes of each individual member of the organization, the Board of Directors should concentrate on being responsive to members needs and aspirations.


We live in a period of great challenges and big economic uncertainties. It is only natural that everyone around the globe is looking into their cost structures and marketing plans to extract the maximum benefit from one's investments. One simple way of looking as to what one gets from being a member of WSG is to measure the number of referrals one gets over a period of time. However, this is a rather simplistic exercise since there are many other benefits provided by the organization which are not as easily measured but which are equally as important as referrals. For example, WSG offers many other opportunities which if properly utilized can bring added benefit to members. Practice groups are one of them. It enables practitioners in a particular area of the law to discuss issues peculiar to their activity and keep themselves up-to-date on the latest legal developments in that particular field.


The obligation which member firms have in answering initial inquiries of a new client into their jurisdiction free of charge is another added benefit which many members do not realize exist within the network. We must therefore bring to our members attention more information about the many tools that WSG possesses as this will enable us to improve the quality of the services to our clients. To this effect, the member representatives must spread the word within our firms and help everyone there to get more familiar with the possibilities that are available. If assistance is needed from the Central Office in Houston, it is available for the asking. In terms of specific priorities for the present year we have identified four which appear to be in line with the desire of the majority of members, to wit: (1) working out a solution to the Canadian situation in which several members have hinted at the possibility of leaving the organization because of dissatisfaction with the way the organization is being run;(2) working on the U.S. situation which requires recruitment of additional members in key jurisdictions and visits/conversations with key members to avoid a situation similar to Canada;(3) devising ways of strengthening the Regional Councils and the Practice Groups for getting members more involved with each other so that the benefits of belonging to the alliance become more evident to everybody and, last but not least, (4) devising new methods for raising funds for WSG so that we can spend more moneyon publicity to get WSG better known.


Recognizing the importance of the mining practice for members in the Americas WSG recently implemented a mining practice group which has met with great enthusiasm in the three Americas. This should respond not only to the aspirations of our Canadian members who possess a great deal of expertise in mining matters but also to our members throughout the region who have outstanding mining practices as well.


We have also put in place a Committee who is in charge of selecting the sites of our Annual Meetings three years in advance which should allow for better planning and better meetings.


We are actively working on the programs for the different Regional Meetings as well as for our Annual Meeting which willl be held in London next September. The Regional Councils and the representatives of WSG in England are giving a lot of thought and attention to the contents and speakers for these various meetings and I can assure you all of them will be of very high quality. We encourage you to attend the various meetings which are being planned for you and to make your ideas and criticisms known at these events so that we can fine tune our priorities and be more responsive to the expectations of the membership at large. It is time to - as I have recently said to my own partners at a partnership meeting in which they were being very critical but not very constructive in bringing solutions to the various problems being faced by the partnership - stop bitching and start pitching! With that positive message in mind I wish to thank you for your confidence and support and take this opportunity to wish you a very festive season and an excellent New Year.


Sincerely,


Signature

Ronaldo C. Veirano
Chairman, World Services Group