Our latest Spotlight focuses on Zahn Law Group LLP, a boutique, cross-border, diverse-owned law firm located in the heart of New York City.
Partner Robin Kaptzan answers our questions.
In your opinion, what is the future for your profession?
The increased global transparency mindset, including all government agencies in the U.S. and around the world, is dictating a greater need for complex, international legal services of the highest caliber. Every business and investor engaging in business deals will need to ensure that their conduct is on the right side of the law, regulations, and industry standards. As governments around the world ask for their fair share of tax revenues, it’s also critical to operate in a tax-efficient and compliant manner in every jurisdiction regardless of whether you are engaging in a simple or complex transaction, as failure to be compliant may come with stiff penalties.
What is your growth strategy?
We rely on our creative and flexible attitude as global thinkers and problem solvers to continually change with the markets’ needs. We believe these essential skills support us in being prepared to repeatedly deliver results that suit our clients’ needs, which are continually being adjusted in this volatile world. We recognize that current trends are towards fairness and justice from both a legal and tax perspective, and we are of the same conviction. With this in mind, we are building our talent and legal teams to 1) provide our clients with stronger contracts around intellectual property protection, navigate the constantly changing tax reforms and their effect on our clients, enhance our investigative and compliance skills to support rising disputes globally, and understand how to deliver equality in employment relationships and discrimination matters.
Where do you see your firm 5 years from now?
Our goal is to have two new partners join the firm each year over the next 5 years to strengthen and expand each of our core practice areas. We also plan to have at least one litigation partner join the firm within the next 18-months, if not before, who can support our expansion of the Dispute Resolution and Litigation Support practice into a complex, federal and international litigation practice. Additionally, we are planning to launch a Florida office.
What is your biggest challenge?
As we expand our practice, a challenge is to remain committed to continuing to maintain our passionate dedication to each client; making each client feel like their project is always our priority and ensure quality control over all our work product.
What percentage of your work is international?
Almost every aspect of the work that we do tends to have both a domestic and international component. Often, the international aspect of a project translates into a domestic solution, and vice versa.
What business advisory services do you offer?
We provide domestic and international legal services. Our focus is tax, estate planning, corporate, dispute resolution, litigation support, and Asia-Pacific. We also have a quantitative analysis group, which includes transfer pricing work under the firm’s Tax Practice to support our domestic and international restructuring, transactions, and cross-border relationships for small to large family-owned businesses, family offices, and our multinational corporate clients.
What was your main driver for being part of BOKS International?
The opportunity to have a global network of colleagues with whom we can collaborate on matters. It is priceless to have collaborators that are rendering accounting, tax/estate planning, and legal services at the highest caliber on our team.
Where do you see BOKS International 5 years from now?
BOKS is on a trajectory to becoming one of the premier professional associations for networking and education with members on all continents supporting each other as a family.
How would you describe your typical client?
ZLG is fortunate to have business and individual clients whom we would invite to dinner in our home. Whether an officer, board member, or family office manager, ZLG clients are from forward thinking business operators, individuals and family offices of varying sizes involved in diverse industries, but all seeking creative top notch legal services performed by their committed and carefully tailored enthusiastic professionals.
How do you target clients who are looking for international services?
ZLG is involved in associations with a focus on international business, like BOKS, in which we meet clients from speaking engagements, writing articles, attending meetings and events, and simply building relationships with members. Also, ZLG’s clients and cooperative alliances around the world, whom we are dedicated to and maintain strong relationships with, routinely refer clients and projects.
Do you specialise in a particular sector or service?
Our firm represents a broad array of multinational clients on U.S. and Cross-Border transactions across almost all industry sectors.
