A recent matter involving MDP Advocaten, Legal Netlink Alliance member in Ghent, Belgium, and Maluquer Abogados, our member in Barcelona, Spain, offers a practical example of how relationships within an international network can translate into efficient service for clients.

When a long-standing Belgian client of MDP needed advice concerning a contract governed by Spanish law and allegations involving unfair competition, MDP did not have to search for and evaluate unfamiliar foreign counsel. It could turn directly to one of the trusted members of Legal Netlink Alliance.

On June 30, Jos Mertens of MDP contacted Alessandro Pieralli of Maluquer. Maluquer responded the same day, agreeing to examine the initial documents and information at no cost to the client in order to prepare a reasoned fee estimate. Further documents followed on July 1, and the estimate was provided on July 6.

According to Pieralli, this preliminary stage is itself an important part of good cross-border service: allowing the foreign client to understand the likely scope and cost of the work before committing to it. With the contract governed by Spanish law, local expertise was essential to assess the unfair competition allegations in light of Spanish legislation and relevant case law.

Local expertise, coordinated advice

As the matter progressed, the two firms brought different but complementary knowledge to the table. Maluquer provided the Spanish-law expertise, while MDP remained close to a client it knew well and could provide the commercial and relational context behind the documents.

While the matter is still in progress so not all the details can be revealed, the fluency of these two firms’ cooperation stands out. At certain points, discussions took place directly between the lawyers. Mertens’ long-standing relationship with the client helped Pieralli interpret nuances that might otherwise have been missed and determine how best to approach the client. That combination of local legal expertise and continuity of the existing client relationship is one of the less visible, but particularly valuable, aspects of cross-border cooperation.

This is also not the first current collaboration between the two firms. In another ongoing matter, Maluquer has turned to MDP for assistance in assessing a relationship between an Italian company and a Belgian logistics operator — demonstrating how expertise and referrals can flow in both directions within the network.

The Spanish matter remains ongoing, so its eventual legal outcome is not the story.

The story is what happened when an international issue arose: a trusted LNA connection was already there, the response was fast, costs were transparent, information moved efficiently between jurisdictions, and the client continued to benefit from the involvement of the lawyers who already knew its business.

That is cross-border cooperation in action — and #LinkingValues in practice.