The FINANCIAL — Kordzadze Law Office, one of the leading law firms on the Georgian legal market, has been awarded at the Golden Brand Award Ceremony for the seventh time.
Zviad Kordzadze, the managing partner and attorney of Kordzadze Law Office, explained that the company has been faithfully following three main principles for the last twenty years to achieve success.
“These principles are: to keep oriented at the interests of its clients; to protect and achieve the clients’ interests by every mean permitted by law and by strictly following ethical norms; to provide clients with qualified services. During the long history of its activity, Kordzadze Law Office has gained the reputation of being a reliable, ethical and highly professional law firm. Highly-qualified professional lawyers with the highest legal and specialized educations are employed at the office,” Kordzadze said.
Physical persons, legal entities and international organizations can get a wide spectrum of legal services at Kordzadze Law Office: litigation; the conduction of negotiation and mediation; representation in arbitration, administrative authorities and in relationships with third parties; counsel on litigation avoidance and risk management.
“Our attorneys prepare contracts and business transactions oriented at the interests of the client providing the maximum protection of the client in case of a dispute. We provide the clients with legal verbal and written consultations; drawing up the documents necessary for the clients’ activities; preparation of due diligences, legal opinions and recommendations. It should also be noted that the legal services can be conducted not only in Georgian, but in the Russian, English and German languages as well,” Kordzadze added.
Q. Kordzadze Law Office has been actively cooperating with the National Centre of Manuscripts. In what way specifically is your firm involved in the projects of the National Centre of Manuscripts?
A. The cooperation of Kordzadze Law Office with the National Centre of Manuscripts and the involvement of our firm in the projects of the Centre is mainly financial. The state budget for the Centre is very low, therefore the Centre needs financial supporters for the implementation of specific projects.
The first cooperation of Kordzadze Law Office with the National Centre of Manuscripts refers to the charity auction of the “Moqvi Gospel” at which Kordzadze Law Office purchased several items thus taking part in saving the damaged gospel. After this project active cooperation between us started, and Kordzadze Law Office became a member of the friends’ society of the National Centre of Manuscripts. The purpose of the society is the protection and maintenance of the cultural heritance kept at the Centre. We have been actively involved in various interesting projects fulfilled by the Centre. By financing specific projects we try to make a contribution to the protection of the treasure maintained by the National Centre of Manuscripts.
Recently, a manuscript of “Vepkhistkaosani” (the Knight in the Panther’s Skin), which was unknown to exist, was bought by Kordzadze Law Office from a private owner and handed over to the National Centre of Manuscripts, thus adding one more manuscript of Vepkhistkaosani to the country’s manuscript heritage. It has also become a tradition for our firm to participate in the project of the National Centre of Manuscripts – “Georgian Calligraphy”. Our priority in this competition is the encouragement and awarding of representatives of ethnic minorities as well as compatriots residing abroad with symbolic awards.
As for the restoration of the cover of the so-called “Vanis Otxtavi” gospel belonging to Queen Tamar, we implemented this project last year. The gospel’s cover was significantly damaged, therefore the restoration-conservation laboratory of the National Centre of Manuscripts changed the cover, which in the ‘70s had been carried out with an incorrect technique thus causing damage to the manuscript.
The project “Fonts of Public Figures” was aimed at the creation of computer fonts of public figures in accordance with their manuscripts. Kordzadze Law Office engaged in this project and with its financial support the fonts of ten public figures: Vaja-Pshavela, Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Ambrosi Khelaia, Luarsab Andronikashvili, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani, Davit Guramishvili, Ivane Javakhishvili and Galaktion Tabidze, were created. It is a very interesting and useful project aimed at the popularization of Georgian writing with the new generation, as well as contributing to the scarce collection of Georgian fonts. It should also be noted that the created fonts are available free of charge to any interested person.
Q. Kordzadze Law Office is the possessor of a “Quality Mark”. What does good quality mean in legal activity and how does the possession of this quality mark assist you in acquiring the confidence of clients?
A. Kordzadze Law Office has been the holder of a Quality Mark since 2011. The main idea of the quality mark is that any company existing under its logo should be a guarantee of confidence for customers, in our case – clients. For us, as a legal company, possession of the quality mark underlines the professionalism of our team and the high qualifications of our service which is a priority and significant for us.
Q. How would you assess the Georgian legal market? How much qualified legal service can be obtained in Georgia and how satisfied are Georgian and foreign companies with the services rendered to them?
A. Today there are many law firms on the Georgian legal market, however, it is the high quality of the legal service, professionalism and the priority of the client’s interests that are the basis for the success and leadership of a law office. The recipe for success in this system is simple: if there are professional attorneys at a law office who act legally and ethically, the law office always has clients.
As usual we try our best due to our professionalism to supply the highest quality service. This could be understood as a form of pure competition. Precisely for the purposes of development of the Georgian legal market and the profession of attorney, in 2014 Kordzadze Law Office together with 21 other leading law firms in Georgia founded the non-commercial legal entity – the “Association of Law Firms of Georgia” (ALFG). I was elected as its board member and its chairman. The Association aims to protect the corporate rights and interests of the law firms; promote, develop and protect lawyers’ rights and interests; develop and protect professional ethical standards; develop the professionalism and education of lawyers; strengthen the role of the lawyer as an active member of the judicial system; increase the quality of the legal service and the qualifications of lawyers.
Q. What can you say about the activity of the Association?
A. The Association of Law Firms of Georgia (ALFG) unites 22 leading law firms in Georgia and up to 200 associated members – attorneys. Any law firms and attorneys which correspond to the conditions set out under the Association charter may become members of the Association. ALFG is a powerful organization which has implemented significant projects and conducted important events in the year since it was established.
ALFG has organized lunch meetings on actual legal issues; trainings; has been working on amendments to laws; at the Association’s initiative member law firms have started pro bono activities; the Association has been working on the preparation of training and corporate ethic standards. One of the directions of ALFG is the preparation of a rule for trainees to have to pass certain training in order to enter the legal profession. The relevant regulation of the rule for passing the training shall be prepared which will provide the possibility for a future attorney to gain the necessary knowledge and experience. The Association pays special attention to the protection of ethical norms by attorneys. The Association’s activity involves working on amendments to laws and the eradication of gaps existing in the practice. ALFG is cooperating with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia for the preparation of draft amendments to the Civil Procedural Code of Georgia. It is actively involved in working with the draft amendments to the insolvency law as well. One of the projects of the Association funded by the Open Society Georgia Foundation is the preparation of recommendations for insurance of the principles of adversary and equality of the parties in the criminal law process.
Q. Your company runs various social projects. What can you say about them?
A. Kordzadze Law Office has a strong commitment to Pro Bono activities. We try, according to our capacity, to provide legal assistance to companies with low income. We provide legal assistance to Marjanishvili State Drama Theatre and Tbilisi International Theatre Festival. We are also carrying out a project with the Open Society Georgia Foundation. This project involves the legal assistance of people who are in a hospice and need the preparation of documentation or wish to draw up a will. Our company also provides legal assistance to the Dimitri Tsintsadze Foundation which implements various charitable activities for children with leukaemia.
We are involved in the joint project of the Georgian Law Firms Association (GLFA) and the Legal Aid Service established by the state, according to which, the law firms – members of GLFA including Kordzadze Law Office, shall provide free of charge legal service to insolvent persons, on the civil and administrative cases for which the state does not provide free of charge attorney services.
With the financial support of Kordzadze Law Office the book “Actual Issues of Georgian Law” was published. The book has been dedicated to the memory of public figure Luarsab Andronikashvili, who was actively involved in the development of higher legal education in Georgia.
Our firm also conducts various practice courses for students. Kordzadze Law Office has been actively cooperating with the law clinic of Tbilisi State University to provide a practice course for students at its office, and the implementation of student programmes. This student programme is aimed to give the chance to young people who are willing to become lawyers and to improve their skills and gain knowledge through a practice course at our law office over three months. The students are chosen through a special competition.
Kordzadze Law Office has been actively cooperating with Georgian-American University. Several graduates of Georgian-American University have been granted the possibility to undergo a practice course at Kordzadze Law Office.
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