Devising strategies and implementing plans to rescue businesses from the brink of catastrophe is complex, requiring exceptional expertise. We Spoke to Romain Gerardin-Fresse, Founder of GFK Conseils Juridis and winner of Business Worldwide Magazine’s awards in the category of Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year, about how his organisation remains at the forefront of this vital industry sector.
Established in 2017, Nice based GFK Conseils Juridis, has experienced phenomenal success, rising to the forefront of the crisis management and analytical expertise sector and winning many highly sought after accolades, including the Luxury Crisis Management Firm of the Year in 2019.
The organisation boasts an impressive array of clientele, assisting exceptionally high profile corporates and individuals as well as large international groups and celebrities. Its sterling reputation for being a thorough and reliable luxury law firm with a global reach has enabled it to expand its product offering into full legal, financial, managerial and fiscal audits, designing tailor made strategic solutions. GFK Conseils Juridis goes the extra mile, forging strong relationships with clients throughout Europe, America and the Middle East..
GFK Conseils Jurdis is the brain child of founder, Romain Gerardin-Fresse recently named as one of the top 10 lawyers in Europe. Renowned for his exceptional work within the legal and crisis management field, Romain is a member of the American Society of International Law, the Forbes Finance Council and a contributor to the agenda of the World Economic Forum.
Romain’s in depth knowledge and sector expertise has resulted in him becoming personal advisor to a number of political figures, royal dynasties and celebrities, as well as helping to launch and build the success of this award winning management organisation. Here he discusses the background to GFK Conseils Juridis, its success and the philosophy and fundamental ethics at the forefront of this innovative enterprise. .
GFK Conseils Juridis was founded in 2017 and has been going from strength to strength ever since. What was the inspiration behind the firm?
Throughout my working life my role has been to advise business leaders and decision makers; I have always been, in some sense, a councillor. My main focus has always been problem solving, and from what I could see, there was a gap in the market for a different kind of crisis management. I could see that there were very few companies offering businesses a comprehensive and fully resourced service.
Many firms specialise, or at least excel, in a few areas. With that in mind, I wanted to build a firm that could serve any business in any situation in every way possible. A fully, thorough and entirely effective service that took the client from start to finish; from consultation to resolution. GFK Conseils Juridis covers all aspects of crisis management from daily administration tasks, to full financial audits, from basic company structure through to large commercial disputes, and we have comprehensive resources and expertise at hand to meet these requirements.
How would you say your firm differs from other crisis management companies?
There are many different models of crisis management within the market. However, the vast majority of them are purely reactive, coming in to resolve situations either just at the point of crisis or in the aftermath. Although these are areas of work which GFK Conseils can and has done carried out on many occasions, I would stress that this is not our focus. We provide a unique, tailor made service which aims to prevent crisis points ever coming to fruition. In order to do this our approach has to be in depth and primarily strategic.
Whatever the specific issues or problems a client faces, we take the time to listen to them to identify the root of the issue in order to prevent the escalation of potentially damaging consequences. We get to grips with the core issues underpinning those issues, supporting an overall solution for the client through the use of highly experienced external professionals to facilitate the relevant implementations.
We hold technicality, doctrine and experience at our core, as we believe these are critical to achieving excellence in the crisis management field. Because of our air-tight, thorough and bespoke approach, we have an excellent reputation for being a company that can be called upon for business issues of any nature, whether big or small, potential or present and critical.
As we know, business law is an extremely demanding and rigorous sector of the industry. How does GFK Conseils Juridis ensure the provision of the very best and most reliable service possible?
First of all, it is of utmost importance to both myself and my organisation to remain ahead of the curve, fully conversant and up to date on all aspects of business law, and in the appropriate fields related to our clients. A huge part of our service relies on us being aware of the complexities of any given situation. For this reason it’s imperative that we understand the nature of our client’s business in conjunction with the wider business sector. Only then can we implement accurate, appropriate strategic plans and legal and management advice.
We are also fortunate to be working with people who are at the top of their game. Should there be an aspect which we do need to draw upon a little extra advice, we have first class external legal and management resources available. This ensures that our strategies, advice and implementation plans conform to statutory regulations and are individually created to each business niche.
International legal problems, commercial disputes and audits are areas of concern which we regularly deal with, and of course these are extremely complex issues. Our primary aim, with any client, is to act upstream. By studying their legal, fiscal and reputational environment at length we are able to resolve any disputes they may encounter. This we do by dealing with the cause in order to eliminate the consequence.
To sum up, what would you say are the key fundamental values of GFK Conseils Juridis?
Our philosophy is built on a foundation of three central elements – quality, efficiency and recognition.
When we talk about quality we refer to not only our exceptional level of collective experience, but also our ability to listen carefully to a client’s needs. It is important to us that our clients feel genuinely supported and that the service is fitted to them, as opposed to the other way around.
Efficiency is vital in crisis management, as crisis rarely waits for anyone. To have a reputation for excellence in the crisis management field, you absolutely must value and deliver on optimum efficiency.
Recognition not only refers to the quality of the relationships we enjoy with our clients, but also the way in which we strive for our reputation. Although we have been fortunate to receive many accolades thus far, there is never room for complacency. Our continual strive for widespread recognition is a reflection of our dedication and unwavering work ethic.
Further information on the products and services of GFK Conseils Juridis can be found at the company website – https://www.gfkconseils-juridis.fr/
