35 Years of Leadership: Jose Luis de Salles Freire, WLG President 1997–1999

Jose Luis de Salles Freire
Formerly of TozziniFreire and former WLG President

How did you first get involved with WLG, and what led you to take on a leadership position?

I first got involved with WLG because of friends I had in other organizations, such as IBA. The friendships led to an invitation to join WLG, which was a young organization at the time (1993). My firm was also a relatively new organization at the time and therefore the invitation made me very proud. It was the kind of thing that brought my firm to another level.

As to why membership led me to leadership positions within the organization, I first think that was due to my nature of liking to get involved in order to contribute to the growth of the organization. On the other hand, the rule of WLG was to rotate people in leadership positions by region of the world: the Americas, Europe, and Asia. So in 1997, I was elected president as a representative from the Americas.

What do you believe was the network's most significant accomplishment during your term as president?

It is difficult to single out just one factor or circumstance that was the most significant accomplishment. Changes in the WLG organization are incremental and not dramatic. From such an angle, I could say that a relevant fact was the improvement of the management systems with the fostering of the Board of Directors and hiring of administrative staff since the membership started to grow rapidly. As a representative from the Americas, more specifically South America, I decided to increase membership in my region. Law firms started to become global and this had an impact on the group. I believe during my term we initiated discussions on how to handle that new factor while preserving the quality and unity of the group.

Also, it was during my term that we started to have longer semi-annual meetings in order to be able to have sufficient time to discuss all the issues we were facing.

I was the first president to introduce technology issues and the internet in our agenda as a tool for the improvement of the group. This led to our first website and accelerated communication among the member firms separate from our semi-annual meetings.

Finally, I started the creation of specialized groups in order to foster cross-selling among the membership, such as corporate, tax, and competition law groups.

While serving as president, what did you learn about the value of the WLG network?

What I believe I mostly learned is that WLG anticipated the movement towards globalization of law firms. We were ahead of the start of the globalization process and we presented an efficient option to globalization, an option to the firms that did not want to fully merge, or to participate in a verein, or any other alternative created by the market.

The camaraderie among the WLG membership that we created together, coupled with the highly technical skills of the member firms have forged a tremendously successful organization that is highly regarded by its peers. The collaborations have been incredibly profitable for the members and very valuable for their clients.

As we reflect upon our growth during our 35th anniversary, tell us about the changes you've seen in the network during the years you have been involved.

An impressive feature of WLG is how the transition from its founders and senior members to younger generations has occurred. After my retirement, I recently attended a semi-annual conference and it was amazing to see the number of young partners from our members who were present at the meeting. Even more impressive was to notice the commitment that such young partners have towards the organization and how they value their membership.

I am sure that if we are able to continue this transition process successfully, World Law Group will last as a very valuable organization to its members for many years ahead.