According to founder and lawyer Peter Dighton, the company has not only survived it has thrived. Since establishment the company has advised on projects and transactions worth over $5 billion in Australasia, India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America.
Most of these engagements were in oil and gas, including in LNG and coal seam methane, but the company has also worked on mining, property and infrastructure ventures. Law Strategies now counts oil majors, junior explorers and Government owned corporations among its clients.
"Our original vision stemmed from a perception that while professional service organisations tend to provide sound technical advice, it is often fragmented and theoretical.
"Therefore it does not progress the achievement of the client's objectives. I believe our success is attributable to our willingness to accept responsibility, that is, we make clear proposals to the client on the best way forward and then help implement the agreed plan. Our methodology combines a disciplined approach with a recognition that every situation is unique and needs a tailored solution", said Dighton.
Dighton went on to say that he had originally intended concentrating only on major projects and transactions, which he views as constructive, forward-looking exercises, as opposed to disputes which usually involve looking backwards and apportioning blame. To his surprise though, a number of major Australian companies have asked Law Strategies to help untangle commercial imbroglios.
"What we are finding is that companies are very dissatisfied with lengthy and expensive dispute resolution processes which do not deliver a commercial outcome. We are being asked more and more to come in either as problem-solvers, or mediators, or even as independent facilitators of strategy workshops.
"If I had to give a description of our expanded business, I guess I would call us " Issue Management Consultants". The other interesting thing is that companies just want to hire us to think, which means often it is not important whether we have had exposure to a similar problem before."
