Romain Gerardin-Fresse: A Lighthouse Guiding Entrepreneurs Away from Legal Troubles

A proactive-leader and believer in being in the thick of action, Romain Gerardin-Fresse has earned for himself a formidable reputation in the field of business law. He is often named among the top five lawyers in the World and is considered a top legal strategist. Through the law firm he founded, GFK Counseils – Juridis, Romain has helped several companies and public figures successfully navigate legal issues. And he attributes his success to hard work.

Not Talent but Hard Work Leads to Success   

Romain feels that talent is not needed to make a name for oneself in the field of law. “Talent does not exist, especially in our professions,” he says. “One can have predispositions, of course.” Romain values hard work more than talent. He firmly believes that success cannot be achieved without it. 

“It is easy to map a complex case, to visualize procedural parts, to anticipate attacks from the opposing party by flushing out hidden elements in the pre-contractual phase,” Romain says, adding, “But what really makes the difference and what leads to success is work.”

And, according to Romain, the key to success is “inflicting on oneself the rigor one expects from others.”

GFK Counseils – Juridis

Established in 2017 by Romain, GFK Counseils – Juridis is known for offering impeccable strategic and legal advice to business leaders, helping them solve problems that they encounter. 

Romain founded the firm following the realization that entrepreneurs needed sustainable support in a much wider scope than what was being proposed until then, given the evolution of social, economic, and environmental constraints.

“The head of the company needs not only a Board, which can assist him in the resolution of disputes he may encounter but above all, he also needs a lighthouse that can guide him through the nebulous stages of his life as an entrepreneur,” Romain says.

“The context of constraints, of normative, regulatory developments, the unprecedented roughness to which it is confronted are as much a vector of the need to resort to a strategist, that is to say, a proactive agent, the force of proposals, more than a palliator of trouble,” Romain adds. “I did not want to be a spectator of the emergence of this new notion of the profession, but rather to participate actively in it.”

GFK Counseils – Juridis offers its services to three types of clients – business managers heading medium to multinational companies, institutions and governments, and leading public figures. When the law firm is serving the business managers, its missions are not uniform. It is different for each manager, as the size of the company and its prominence on the market segments are taken into consideration. Romain points out that their missions may include assistance in the context of commercial disputes, support for the development of international growth, or even an internal restructuring plan. For institutions and governments, GFK Counseils – Juridis carries out pure Strategic Council, especially with regard to policy laws.

The law firm also serves leading figures such as athletes, artists, performers, and influencers. It is in charge of negotiating contractual agreements, particularly in the context of sponsorship or image rights agreements. GFK Counseils – Juridis offers its clients the guarantee of serenity, Romain says. 

The law firm supports its clients at every step. Romain points out that they immediately swing into action when a problem is identified. They remedy the disorder or resolve the dispute, as well as prevent the resurgence. If an issue remains abstract or unknown, they isolate the difficulty, and they treat it and resolve it. As Romain and his team have a proactive approach, they come up with many proposals to improve a client’s situation and anticipate the risk.

Core Values of GFK Counseils – Juridis 

Romain’s teams are known for their availability and responsiveness. “They are a key and eminently distinguishing element of a traditional firm of our size,” Romain says. Like his teams, he, too, is always available for the firm’s clients. They have his personal phone number, and Romain says that they can reach him at any time.  

“There is a real relationship of trust built into the relationship,” Romain says, adding that the notion of trust is essential as one cannot build a lasting and perfectly effective relationship without trust. 

When Romain and his team start working with clients, they expect them to provide them with all the elements so that they can have a vision as omniscient as possible. “He [the client] must not hide anything from you, as the efficiency of your intervention will only get tainted,” Romain says. And, then, clients should be prepared to listen to the proposals that Romain and his team have crafted – whether it’s a defense strategy or a change in the economic model. 

If there is a lack of trust, it will lead to doubt – and doubt will lead to fragility, Romain says, adding that the relationship of mutual trust is the foundation of their intervention. 

“The relationship with our customers is very often, if not entirely, established over time,” he adds. “This sustainability of the relationship is a strong indicator of the quality of services and advice we can provide.”

Strengthening of Audit and Crisis Management Department

The entrepreneur’s landscape has changed over the years, and the global Covid-19 pandemic has altered it even more. “This unprecedented, unknown outburst that disrupted the socio-economic landscape made the business leaders – from the SME to the multinational – aware that what they took for granted could be called into question overnight, and sine die,” Romain says. He explains that business leaders had to prepare beyond what they had been aiming for until then, because the unthinkable had now to be considered.

Romain points out that they have received a considerable number of requests for audits and strategic planning. “The change in the landscape has even led to a change in our internal organization, with a strengthening of the audit and crisis management department,” he adds.

Challenge Yourself

Romain does not see a challenge as an impeding factor. He considers adversity the best sparring partner. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was right when he said in his book “Twilights of the Idols,” “everything that does not make me die makes me stronger.” Romain says.

“By challenging yourself, you can only lead you to surpass yourself, to perfect yourself, to become as demanding with yourself as you can be with others,” Romain says, adding that taking risks, accepting the mental burden, and deciding to be pro-active and not passive are all concepts that are infinitely beneficial to perfect and sharpen one’s added value.

Recognition of Work Accomplishment 

Romain is a winner of numerous prestigious awards. Many reputed publications have recognized his stellar work and his firm’s success story. In the recent past, he has won Best Business Lawyer (twice), Man of the Year, Man of the Decade — 2010-2020, International Business Lawyer, and other awards. And leading business publications have also bestowed their awards upon GFK Counseils – Juridis, including the Best Crisis Management Firm award—2019-2020. 

For Romain, the awards are the “greatest recognition” of the work he has accomplished. He also sees them as an immense responsibility. “When these honors are bestowed upon you, you have no right to disappoint. You must insist upon yourself to remain worthy of them,” Romain says. “We go back to what I was saying earlier; work is essential.”

Passion Can Be Tricky  

“Choose a job you love and you won’t have to work a day in your life,” Romain quotes Confucius to highlight that he loves his work. And, he also says that the pleasure of accomplishing a mission is what keeps him motivated at all times. But there is also a flip side to this passion for work and mission.

Romain points out that passion can be tricky. When someone invests too much, sometimes even beyond the mission, it is difficult to succeed in combining private and professional life, he says. It is, therefore, “necessary to know how to preserve oneself from moments of oneself, to live the moment with one’s very close ones, and to set limits,” Romain says. And he confesses, “I have not yet reached this level of detachment!”

Plans for Future of GFK Counseils – Juridis 

GFK Counseils-Juridis advises many business leaders and celebrities. Romain wants more public figures to seek them for legal advice and services. Hence, on the sectoral level, they have begun strengthening their department dedicated to public figures. “There is a real demand, and we must therefore increase our workforce tenfold in order to be able to satisfactorily respond to career management and contract negotiation assistance for this type of profiles,” Romain says. 

Additionally, Romain wants to expand their global footprint. And, as part of the firm’s international expansion plan, they will be opening a branch office in Qatar in 2022. They also intend to strengthen their presence in Africa. Calling Africa a cradle of humanity, Romain says that it is also a hotbed of young entrepreneurs who have a real appetite for new technologies, renewables, and active crypto. 

Message to Aspiring Business Leaders

“To all these dynamic young people, invested with this desire to undertake, I say to them bravo and that they are right, as the world and modern society need entrepreneurs ready to move markers and create wealth” is what Romain wants to tell aspiring business leaders.