Blending Digital Services with Traditional Work

Q: How is Mexico’s shifting regulatory landscape likely to impact the flow of foreign investment?

LF: Mexico is in a good position but there is always room for improvement. The country has many international businesses in comparison to other economies in Latin America and the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) gives us an advantage over many other regions.

MN: The country needs to improve and clarify many aspects of its rule of law. Improvements should focus on making political and economic laws easier to apply and simplifying regulations to facilitate the compliance process, allowing for easier paths for foreign investment in Mexico.

Q: What characteristics of KNR Abogados´ commercial proposition make it the preferential partner of enterprises?

MN: Our law firm provides clients with integral solutions. The wide variety of areas we cover gives us an advantage by allowing us to review legal inquiries from different juridical perspectives. We have had clients throughout the Americas and the EU, giving us a broad range of expertise from which to offer international solutions to our clients. We are members of the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) and the Inter-American Bank Association (FIA) as well as the Nordic, Spanish and German chambers of commerce in Mexico.

We target all businesses interested in investing in Mexico. We have offices in Mexico City and Jalisco and recently opened our first in the US, in Houston, Texas. 

Q: What added value does the company bring to its clients compared to the competition?

LF: We aim to simplify legal problems for our customers. Our broad range of services gives us the flexibility to offer opportune and varied solutions to legal problems. All of our practice areas have the same hierarchy at our firm.

MN: We are here to simplify our clients’ legal problems so they can continue working as normal. We specialize in tax law, intellectual property; corporate, litigation; administrative, commercial and civil law, migratory, environmental, lease, public procurement and concessions, lobbying and foreign trade.

Q: How is KNR Abogados coping with the growth in demand? Is it following a scalability strategy?

LF: We prioritize quality over quantity. All of our areas hold the same importance but we do not take a case if we are not experts on the subject. We take a proactive approach by keeping in touch with clients and ensuring we are up to date on the industries we cover. This allows us to provide clients with constant feedback, updates, possible solutions and news, helping them understand the changes that are coming to their industry. We understand that the companies that have access to information have the upper hand when launching any product.

Q: KNR Abogados places a special emphasis on preventative law. What does this mean in practice for the firm and for enterprises themselves?

MN: While we specialize in litigation in both private and public law, our main guide is prevention. Since the creation of the firm, this has allowed us and our customers to reduce unnecessary costs and avoid losses. Proper implementation of legal strategies and planification results in effective business activities.

The results we have obtained could not have been accomplished without the proper implementation of preventive strategies that allowed us to find the correct balance between our commercial and legal areas, while letting us maintain a positive balance between sales and portfolio recovery.  

Q: How can local firms support investment in Mexico?

LF: Local experts must provide security, legal certainty and advice regarding the necessary actions to take to ensure safe investments. The investor must review the monthly and annual local and federal tax obligations to protect their intellectual property and its trademarks or patents. This will create a strong contractual structure.

Q: What opportunities does the rise of legaltech represent for KNR Abogados?

LF: This new trend is a must to be able to continue meeting clients’ needs. Legaltech represents the latest expression of law, where conventional concepts have found a place and application in the digital world. Lawyers need to develop a new set of skills to best use these platforms. Electronic contracts and the metaverse are some of the new trends disrupting the traditional methods of law.

KNR has always searched for strategies to blend the implementation of digital services with traditional work. Digital contracts, tax litigation and other administrative matters are among the areas that can be done remotely using new technology.

Q: What are KNR Abogados’s market capture priorities for 2022-2023?

LF: One of our priorities is to expand internationally. Beyond political or economic challenges, Mexico remains a good option for international companies to develop commercial activities and services, either through intermediaries or directly.