{"id":1317,"date":"2025-09-19T15:14:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devivocastro.com.br\/?p=1317"},"modified":"2026-01-29T16:36:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:36:13","slug":"gestao-juridica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/gestao-juridica\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal management: the challenge of running a law firm in the 21st century."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span dir=\"auto\">Business law is facing an irreversible transformation. Brazil has the highest number of lawyers per capita in the world, making the environment extremely competitive. In this scenario, technical expertise, while indispensable, is no longer sufficient. Lawyers who want to stand out need to act with an executive mindset, connect law and business, and cultivate attributes such as empathy, availability, a sense of urgency, and an owner&#8217;s mentality. They need to understand that \u2013 contrary to what they have been taught \u2013 law practice is, in fact, a results-oriented activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">As JP Morgan said, clients don&#8217;t hire lawyers to hear what they can&#8217;t do, but to discover how to achieve their goals safely and strategically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t want a lawyer to tell me what I can&#8217;t do. I hire them to tell me how to do what I want to do.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">This reasoning has never been more relevant: lawyers need to be\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><em><span dir=\"auto\">business-driven<\/span><\/em><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, capable of translating law into solutions that generate growth, mitigate risks, and enable business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Managing a law firm today is equivalent to running a highly complex service company. In my daily routine, I coordinate Finance, People &amp; Management, Diversity, Innovation, Pro Bono, and Business Development committees. I maintain close contact with key clients (especially to hear their criticisms and insights), participate in prospecting for new business, and get involved in the most strategic cases. This experience shows that it&#8217;s not enough to practice law: it&#8217;s necessary to lead, plan, and directly influence the direction of the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Law firms must be managed with governance discipline, a culture of innovation, and a long-term vision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">I no longer believe in the term\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><em><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;soft skills<\/span><\/em><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.&#8221; What was once called &#8220;complementary&#8221; is now essential. Leadership, communication, empathy, negotiation, and strategic vision are\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><em><span dir=\"auto\">essential skills<\/span><\/em><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u2014mandatory abilities for anyone who wants to lead teams and win clients in a highly demanding market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Some challenges are recurrent in the life of any legal manager, and among them I mention the main ones:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Pricing<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0: Predatory competition based on price demands creative and sustainable fee models;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">People management<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0: leading professionals of different seniority levels, backgrounds, and cultures requires sensitivity, clarity, and discipline;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Corporate alignment<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0: without a shared vision among partners, energy and opportunities are lost;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Client acquisition<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0: the lifecycle of most clients within a law firm is shorter than it used to be. Renewing the client portfolio is fundamental and requires discipline, constant visits, participation in congresses and seminars, and the creation of legal content that speaks to the company&#8217;s stakeholders and not just the legal department. Therefore, consistency is key.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Market analysis<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0: understanding technology, regulation, and business trends is just as important as mastering the law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">As a manager, I strive to encourage initiative and collaboration through a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming work environment that fosters the exchange of knowledge, opportunities, and innovation. I genuinely believe that the strength of any organization lies precisely in its team and how it is respected. Recruiting, mentoring, retaining, and promoting professionals always according to meritocratic, fair, and transparent criteria is mandatory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Amidst so many transformations, we cannot forget that the legal profession is, above all, made up of people. Maintaining ethics, respecting, valuing, and encouraging the members of the firm must be a non-negotiable premise, because how we do it is as important as what we do. As\u00a0<em>asset-light<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">companies\u00a0\u00a0, law firms have two main assets: the team and the clients. And both are people. In my practice, my mission is to ensure that each member of the firm can balance their personal and professional lives. Enabling the team&#8217;s success means allowing them to achieve personal fulfillment and, in some way, for this to be transmitted to our clients and society as a whole.\u00a0Developing successors is a topic still little discussed in the sector, but essential to ensure longevity. Management must practice active listening, identify\u00a0\u00a0<em>rising stars<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0, and align the institutional strategy with the &#8220;sales&#8221; front\u2014that is, with how we attract, serve, and retain clients. Furthermore, navigating the rules and limitations imposed by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) requires creativity and responsibility to communicate value without exceeding regulatory boundaries. The legal profession of the future will not only be technological and strategic: it will also be ethical, human, and prepared to perpetuate its culture.\u00a0There is also a new variable\u00a0\u00a0<em>in the air<\/em> . Artificial intelligence is already redefining the legal profession. Automation of repetitive tasks, jurimetrics, risk analysis, and predictive tools will radically change how we operate. Law firms that resist the integration of AI run a serious risk of disappearing. The lawyer who will prosper will be the one capable of combining technology and data intelligence with strategic vision and human sensitivity.\u00a0In this context, I continue to defend a thesis that I believe is gaining strength: just as engineers have reached the top positions in large corporations, I believe that Legal Directors will be the next CEOs. Never before have areas such as Legal, Compliance, Regulatory, ESG, Tax, and Corporate Governance been so strategic. These themes are at the heart of the biggest business decisions\u2014and those who master this agenda have the legitimacy and preparation to lead organizations at the highest level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Therefore, legal management is no longer synonymous with controlling processes, deadlines, or petitions. It is synonymous with business leadership. The future of law belongs to lawyers who can combine technical expertise, business acumen, and an executive mindset. In a saturated market, only those who think like leaders\u2014and not just like lawyers\u2014will have a future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">For me, the next step for the legal profession is clear: transforming lawyers into managers, managers into leaders, and leaders into CEOs.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><sub><span dir=\"auto\">*Gustavo Lorenzi de Castro graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of S\u00e3o Paulo (PUC-SP) in 1993. He participated in the Professional Training course at BM&amp;F \u2014 S\u00e3o Paulo Commodities and Futures Exchange. He has served as an Advisor to the Ethics and Discipline Tribunal IV of the OAB\/SP (S\u00e3o Paulo Bar Association) and was a member of the Brazilian Association of Information Technology Law, the International Association of Young Lawyers, and the Judiciary and Arbitration Committee of CESA (Center for Advanced Studies in Law). He completed the courses \u201cCreating Value in Deals &amp; Disputes\u201d and \u201cAdvanced Negotiation: Difficult Conversations\u201d from the Harvard Law School&#8217;s (USA) Program for Lawyers. He participated in the \u201cLegal English Summer\u201d Personal Development Program at the School of Continuing Studies at Northwestern University and the \u201cSummer Program in American Law\u201d at Columbia Law School in partnership with Leiden University (Netherlands). In 2022, he completed the \u201cOwner\/President Management \u2014 OPM 56 \u2014 program at Harvard Business School. In 2024, he participated in the Board Member Training course at IBGC \u2014 Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance. Since 2013, he has been a member of the YPO \u2013 Young Presidents Organization. Since 2010, he has been recognized as one of the most admired\/respected lawyers in Brazil in various areas of law and in various industry segments.<\/span><\/sub><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lexlegal.com.br\/gestao-juridica-o-desafio-de-conduzir-um-escritorio-de-advocacia-no-seculo-xxi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span dir=\"auto\">Article published in LexLegal Brasil on September 16, 2025.<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business law is facing an irreversible transformation. Brazil has the highest number of lawyers per capita in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artigo"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1317"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1963,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions\/1963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devivo.letsite.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}