GAVEL AND ROBE FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE: LAW OFFICE SPOTLIGHT

PERCHED ATOP ATLANTA CENTRE IN GREENHILLS, GO & CERENO LAW OFFICES, A BOUTIQUE BUSINESS LAW FIRM LOOKS OVER AND BEYOND NOT JUST YOUR IMMEDIATE LEGAL NEEDS, BUT ALSO THOSE PAST IT.

Greeted by the screaming red glass wall adorned with the Firm’s name as you enter its doors, one would naturally expect loud eccentricity throughout its four walls. Instead, as we navigated our way towards the offices and into the office of its Managing Partner, ATTY. LITO A. GO, JR., the soft shift from flashy to striking minimalism, with the white and neutral colors suddenly surrounding you and with the glass walls, not to mention the sprawling view of the Metro, is something that is impossible to miss. Suddenly, the offices means business.

The Office itself and the lawyers seem to be quite young. When and how did you begin operation?

We formally began operations February of 2013. In reality though, we actually began pooling clients as early as 2012, when I reached out to a former classmate of mine. Conrad Cereno, to possibly merge our respective fields of practice to serve a wider range of business clients requiring legal assistance and representation in the fields of labor relations, taxation, and corporate governance and compliance – the supposed Holy Trinity of legal practice. We had this idea, fresh into our respective law careers in, I think, 2007, of setting up a boutique one-stop shop for corporate and business clients, fusing the mentioned fields of specialization, to which we were being immersed in during those days when I was still with another law firm and Conrad, with one of the biggest accounting firms in the country – he being a CPA. Actually, when we first opened, we were at another office, likewise, in the same area (Greenhills). We eventually began accepting a more diverse range of clients and concerns and were, in fact, forced to move to this space to accommodate our growth just a year from when we first opened shop. I’d like to believe that we have since become full-service firm.

So how is the Firm structured at present ?

As when we began, we have two name partners, so that’s me and Atty. Cereno. I also eventually sought the assistance of Atty. Joel Macabbadbad, who now serves as Of Counsel to the Firm. Another classmate of Conrad and I, Atty. Kaloy Cruz, formally joined us about two years ago, and we’ve just recently admitted another partner to complement and assist us in our forever-growing tax and corporate practice. We’re also assisted by two associates. But basically, the underlying idea was to be personal to each clients. So we prefer to maintain that boutique status, so we can deal with clients and their concerns directly and personally. We’ve actually grown to be very close friends with our clients, as a result.

What would you say are your milestones so far as a Firm?

In a short span of just a few years, we have been entrusted to provide counsel and assistance in matters normally referred to the bigger players in the field, such as off-shore registration, corporate restructuring and reorganization, investments, regularity compliance, labor and employment law compliance, tax planning, asset disposition, tax incentives, government procurement, and even intellectual property. We understand that most multinational companies would rather entrust these matter with well-known bigger brands, so to speak. And to be entrusted with these same concerns is a feat by itself, being as young into the market as we are.

What would you say now are your challenges as a Firm ?

As when we began, we have two name partners, so that’s me and Atty. Cereno. I also eventually sought the assistance of Atty. Joel Macabbadbad, who now serves as Of Counsel to the Firm. Another classmate of Conrad and I, Atty. Kaloy Cruz, formally joined us about two years ago, and we’ve just recently admitted another partner to complement and assist us in our forever-growing tax and corporate practice. We’re also assisted by two associates. But basically, the underlying idea was to be personal to each clients. So we prefer to maintain that boutique status, so we can deal with clients and their concerns directly and personally. We’ve actually grown to be very close friends with our clients, as a result.That’s a very good question. Let me see… I think it’s growth. As I said, we’d rather that we maintain our boutique profile, to be direct with each client. That is not something that can easily and consistently be done as you expand your client base. So the challenge is how to maintain that efficiency and effectiveness in each concern and matter referred for our handling and that availability to each of our clients without necessarily sacrificing our growth and, of course, our bottom line.

What now can you say are the advantages of putting up your own Firm ?

There are a lot, really. But probably the most notable would be better service to clients. By pooling together diverse specialized practices, you are not only able to serve a wider range of clients and concerns, but you also become more efficient in the services you provide. Each lawyer is basically allowed a field of concentration, whereby he can more effectively counsel clients, than let’s say, when you try to deal with a matter so far foreign to your practice area. Note that each and every one of our partners, except probably our tax and corporate complement, deal on specific specialized fields/ Of course, you cannot discount the fact that by working side-by side with each other, we are also allowed that opportunity to individually branch out to other fields of specialized learning and understanding. For example, I may have one brilliant idea on how to proceed on a corporate concern. But by blending my opinion with the deeper tax implications of the idea, I can better counsel the client and be more holistic in my approach to the corporate concern.

That’s very true. What is your vision for Go Cereno ?

Our vision is to build client relationships that go beyond any matter or case, At the end of the day, what we offer are not goods, but our time and services-basically, we offer ourselves. The constant direction for all lawyers is to always go the extra mile. You won’t encounter traffic in the extra mile, right? And that’s because you’re the only ones there.

Lastly, I hear you are also Corporate Counsel for Transcom, one of the largest BPO’s in the country right now. How do you juggle your time from here to there ?

Didn’t you ask me a while ago why I wasn’t married yet ?