Whenever we need to contract legal services, the perceived requirement can cause apprehension, so we may ask:

What problem needs to be solved by the external lawyers?
How much will it cost?
What are our chances of wining our case?  

These are valid questions. 
We at R. Matthies & Associates,  focus on the legal needs  of private enterprise in Venezuela, as follows:

What are the problems corporations encounter in the macroeconomic environment of Venezuela as of today?

1. Legal instability
2. Bureaucracy and delays to be expected from official entities in handling petitions
3. High cost of some legal services and lack of clear answers to legal questions

At R. Matthies & Associates we respond to the above.

Private enterprises choose law firms on the basis of the following:

1. Prompt reply to questions asked.  Time of response must not exceed 24 hours.
2. Dedication.  Official requirements and eventual fines by local authorities have multiplied in recent past.  To give an example, Offices and industrial facilities have been  shut down –temporarily- by the Tax Authority SENIAT and others.   New requirements by the Ministry of Labour and by the Authority to Govern Conditions at Working places IPSASEL sound frightening.  Venezuelan Social Security is slow to register and to incorporate the new information into their database. Lawyers must be agile and alert to these challenges.
3. Cost-benefit analysis.  The Venezuelan Law that governs law practices  does not set standards on professional fees.  Law firms offer  a wide variety of services with little to no indication OF  the cost of same.  Clients then encounter unwanted surprises down the road.  We in R. Matthies & Associates feel that the issue must be clear at the beginning, at the time of contracting.  For instance, many legal issues are not being given for review to lawyers, even in bigger companies, fearing that the cost of legal assistance may not be in proportion with the matter consulted .  At R.Matthies & Associates we propose a fixed monthly fee, only to be revised every six months, thus allowing enterprise to budget for costs appropriately.  For specific services, we can give indications of costs at a fixed price.

We offer:

1. Expertise.   R. Matthies & Associates  has 32 years of experience in Venezuela, assisting local and international corporations.  Sometimes, ignorance and information only half checked out, causes harm.  In Venezuela it is still not frequent to address a claim against mal practice.  This must change in the light of globalization,
2. Fast response.  Legal service, in essence, is no different from any other that we require on a day to day basis.  In restaurants, for example, food and service must be prompt and of quality if business is to prevail.  If these standards are not met,  the client will not return.  When it comes to legal services, the same standards should apply.  Difficulty to answer questions  asked  must not become customary for explaining slow service.
3. Integrity.  As stated, we have been here for 32 years and will be in Venezuela for a long time to come. Our clients can give references  as to our integrity.
4. Languages.  We can communicate fluently in four languages, they are: English, Spanish, German and French.    Local and international clients avoid cumbersome translations and more.