BC&MC Law and International Business Consulting Ltda was invited to join BOKS International as an exclusive member in Chile. Chile has been the country with the greatest progress towards socio-economic development in South America during the last decades. BC&MC pioneered, since 1991, a vision of the challenges of the global economy and the practice of the profession of lawyers and accountants. BC&MC have also partners in Medellin, Colombia. The legal, accounting and financial practice requires independence, collaborative and interdisciplinary work and to all that, BC&MC tries to give it a framework and principles of ethics, social responsibility and confidence in the seriousness and effectiveness of professionals.

We interviewed Manuel Vergara Echeverría, its Founder.

In your opinion, what is the future for the profession of lawyers and accountants?
As long as markets and transactions exist between people and companies, between institutions and countries, trained professionals are necessary to provide adequate advice to economic agents and participants in those markets and transactions, so that they can create, expand, internationalize and develop businesses in an environment of resources, information and connections, more secure. So far the challenge is to achieve a reliable, profitable legal, tax and accounting assistance service adapted to the requirements of the digital age. Since the industrial revolution until now, the world has known a marvelous and agitated technological development, as well as since the appearance of the Internet, an unmanageable volume of information, however, it has also known the misfortunes and unwanted consequences. In this new environment, the current one, I believe that the greatest challenge added to the one already mentioned, is to give it a human meaning, or to recover it if it has been lost, through a close, personal, direct professional practice, committed to the efforts of agents, investors, entrepreneurs and workers, for a result that satisfies both progress and the generation of wealth as well as peace, environmental protection and the balance that serves human happiness.

What is your growth strategy?
I prefer to imagine a development and maturation strategy. In the first place, we intend to develop the best of our professionals, therefore of the services we provide, through a good work environment, training and knowledge of international markets; second, consolidating our work model that has a central team and then several collaboration agreements with associated specialists who participate in the projects that are needed, combining professional excellence and reasonable economy; thirdly, expanding our customer base and its access to international markets. Regarding the latter, in 1991 we began a challenge to integrate – without losing independence of their responsibilities – legal, tax, accounting and financial services. In 1996 we founded and organized the first Ibero-American network ICG International Consulting Group. And now in 2020, we join BOKS International. In this way, we expand the bridges of professional collaboration because we believe in the need to expand horizons and opportunities. We believe that by linking our experience, market knowledge, and network of professionals with those of BOKS, we will establish for our clients a strong and unsurpassed source of assistance of the highest level. And we believe that BOKS is moving towards an important consolidation in the world of service exports and business generation between regions and countries of the world.

Where do you see your signature in five years from now?
I see BC&MC as a change agent in the way we collaborate and act in the business world. More based on trust, excellence and ethical responsibility than on exclusivity. We see it in a position of strategic partner in Chile to serve investors and generators of work both to establish an expansion platform in Chile and America, as well as for those who look to the European and Asian market in their plans from America. For this purpose, our challenge is not only to understand the effects of the absence of, or of the existence of, international agreements and treaties on trade and taxes, but to know how to use them as efficient tools for our clients and to actively collaborate with professionals in other firms located in America, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world in the best service.

What is the biggest challenge for your firm?
To be strategic and efficient partners for our associates around the world and their clients; and to be consultants and advisors not only trustworthy for clients, but also true “partners” who understand their challenge and feel accompanied and helped from the moment they imagine their business plan to its implementation until its complete development.

Our current percentage of international clientele is around 35%.
Since 1996 we have been specializing in the needs caused by the internationalization of businesses and the circulation of executives and workers as well as services and goods in the global market. This has been growing and we believe that in the future the highest percentage of clients will be of this type and for this we are preparing to incorporate specialized personnel and increase the excellence of the current team.

What business advisory services do you offer?
All the essentials for creating, evaluating and developing expansion and internationalization structures. From trademarks and registrations of intellectual or commercial property, to franchise structures, acquisitions and mergers, expatriation and local facilities. Our specialty is accompanying the client with internationalization projects. We assist in joint ventures negotiation processes, sale or expansion to other countries. We help the transition process to the second generation in the case of family businesses. We help assess risks, form corporate governments, participate in international tenders. We help to form international structures for a better administration of resources and to adequately and economically comply with the laws on taxes and international contracts.

What was your main driver for joining BOKS International?
Establish a bridge between our regions and also between the activity of BOKS International and that of BC&MC as founder of ICG International Consulting Group. They are different entities, although they share the basics of serving business internationalization. The presence of BOKS in different markets and the quality of its members ensure that we share and exchange knowledge and high-level business. We believe that the model and the way in which it develops its international BOKS strategy are tremendously effective for the current challenges of the activity of lawyers, accountants and consultants in the world. We also believe that we can collaborate with the growth, development and maturation of BOKS international and be trusted by BOKS partners and their clients.

Where do you see BOKS International in 5 years?
I see it as an effective platform for collaboration and the provision of professional contacts of a reliable and close level and with a high level of responsibility and efficiency in the international services sector for the progress and development of companies and people. Also as an ally of ICG International Consulting Group offering a greater variety of service options.

How would you describe your typical customer?
Generally it is an entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs who plan to expand their businesses, innovate or create value and take their products, services and ideas to other markets.

Tell us about a recent international assignment
One of our latest actions has been to link an important Belgian construction company with an important Chilean-Spanish company, with the purpose of jointly participating in infrastructure projects, construction of desalination plants and transport pipelines for large mining and water management companies.

How do you target clients seeking international services?
By all means currently available on the market. However, our best advertising so far has been the recommendation of our clients and partners around the world. They also refer us from representations of binational chambers and commercial departments of consulates. Our plan is that given the current circumstances that the world is going through, and because of our relationship with BOKS, we will actively try to promote our new international reach.

Does your firm specialize in a particular sector or service?
Until now we have had to participate in very different projects, with a common element: all with expansion and internationalization plans. Then, once the best legal structure and the legal and accounting services necessary to develop their businesses have been established, some clients are more interested in tax aspects, others in personnel recruitment, others in logistics issues, etc.

What will be the effect of COVID-19 on our profession?
We believe the effect will be significant, uncertainty, instability of governments and markets, which, the business concern will move in search of emerging opportunities but also greater security. For this reason, we believe that at this time it will be essential to have the best, timely and pertinent information, and professional teams of lower cost and greater performance in the excellence of their services.
It requires the ability to understand and work in contexts of uncertainty.

How can you help our clients through these difficult times?
We believe that one way to help will be to increase our proximity to help in the management of business, together with an adequate balance between service costs and efficiency as excellence in the result. Understand the new scenarios and the changes driven by these circumstances, the effects of teleworking, the reduced need for face-to-face work and better use of technologies. Increase proximity, better information and act proactively in a) knowledge and risk assessment; b) detection of opportunities.