Leadell Pilv has announced that it is discontinuing the activities of its Tartu office and will be operating exclusively out of its main office in Tallinn going forward.
In a statement that appeared on the firm website, Leadell Pilv insisted that it "is still a full-service law firm," and reported that, "although the firm has its permanent place of business in Tallinn, legal services are provided all over Estonia and with [the firm's] Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts in other countries as well."
According to that statement, "according to the decision of the partners of the office, the activities of the Tartu office were terminated as a result of long-term and thorough analysis and developments and changes in the legal services market. Above all, questions arose regarding practical considerations and the need for continuing the department, as well as of economic expediency."
“Over the past 10-15 years, significant developments in society and in the economic environment, especially in the field of information technology, have also dramatically changed people's past behavior," explains Managing Partner Aivar Pilv. "For a long time now, it has been clearly noticeable that the client's choice of lawyer will no longer be substantially affected by the location of the service provider .... This is especially true with regard to the size and distances of Estonia and people's mobility."
Instead, Pilv insists, "the choice of law areas offered by the law firm and related skills and experience, as well as specialization, are the decisive factors in making choices for clients by a law firm or a particular lawyer. Today, there are a number of convenient technical options for dealing with a lawyer, discussing the necessary actions and positions, which do not require a lawyer-client meeting every time during the work process. The necessary questions and solutions are handled promptly between the lawyer and the client, regardless of the distance and the location of someone. Therefore, the existence of a law office department in Estonia is no longer as important as some time ago or in 1996 when the Tartu office in question was opened."
