[Interview] Álvaro de Santos, Founder, Desantos Legal, Madrid, Spain
Álvaro de Santos is principal partner at legal firm, Desantos Legal, Spain. His interview with Africa Business Communities:
Would you please introduce Desantos Legal?
DESANTOS LEGAL is an independent law firm (a legal boutique, if you please) based in the Salamanca district of Madrid, which is aimed at providing bespoke legal services on a wide range of legal fields. Accordingly, Desantos Legal stands up for a close, direct, proactive, confidential and loyal relationship with each client since we firmly believe that that client deserves tailor-made attention.
Who are the clients of Desantos Legal?
Our clients’ profile may actually vary depending on the nature of the legal issue at stake.
Therefore our clients may range, on the one hand, from a family member who has to deal with an inheritance-related legal issue or a foreign citizen who may want to regularize his/her ‘personal status’ within the Spanish jurisdiction to, on the other hand, the most varied types of entrepreneurs who are seeking to set a solid legal ground for their prospective newborn businesses.
Furthermore, in my personal experience, I usually deal with entrepreneurial, creative and artistic client profiles operating in various industries or commercial sectors; for instance, those relating technical inventions (R&D –Research and Development-), patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright (art, literature, audiovisual, etc.).
Why did you start Desantos Legal?
I refused to suppress any further my entrepreneurial instinct, and so I went for it. I desired to be not only part of something undoubtedly genuine but also to feel myself fulfilled. Accordingly, such ‘bespoke essence’ is what Desantos Legal is fully committed to giving in return to each client by means of providing the finest legal services.
What did you do pre-Desantos Legal?
I started my professional career spending a couple of years working as a trainee lawyer with a multidisciplinary legal firm. After that I realized I needed to change my professional path and thus I took a bilingual master degree in order to fully specialize on my current areas of legal expertise (Intellectual Property Law, Industrial Property Law, Competition Law and Advertising & Marketing Law). Following that, I spent an intense year working with a leading ‘legal boutique’ that was particularly specialized in my current areas of legal expertise and that, besides, gave me the opportunity to work with top-class clients constituted by internationally renowned and exclusive companies.
Finally, I decided to start my own firm, based on all the experience and knowledge I was able to accrue so far. In addition, while running my own business, I also took both expert courses on: ‘Direction and Management of Art Galleries’ and on ‘Graphic Design of Typographic Characters’ (the latter actually turned out to be very useful to me at the time of designing and/or redesigning figurative trademarks in accordance with Trademark Law; actually, combining both Law and Graphic Design).
What other professional activities are you involved in?
At the moment, I am involved as a partner in a business within the organic and ecological winemaking sector in Spain. Furthermore, I provide legal services (both multidisciplinary’ and ‘specialized’) in the above-mentioned undertaking; mainly, with regard to trademarks, industrial design and, of course, P.G.I.s (‘Protected Geographical Indications’).
Apart from that, I am also involved in a self-developed project mainly consisting of the promotion of unknown artists, that is to say, those lacking renown within the Art Market industry. The role I play here is not only trying to make it easier for those artists to keep on going with the progression of their artistic careers but also to assess them in terms of ‘Intellectual Property Law’ in general and, particularly, relating ‘Art Law’.
What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in Spain?
In my opinion, entrepreneurs are the driving force of the Spanish economy. Therefore they should be given more beneficial conditions aimed at reinforcing the ‘entrepreneurial niche’ as far as it constitutes Spain’s main industrial tissue nowadays. I think there should be less and lower costs in terms of time and money inherent to the incorporation of a company.
Furthermore, there should also be tax benefits for those newborn or recently incorporated companies that are likely to find it difficult to comply with their tax obligations at the very beginning of their commercial activity. All in all, both entrepreneurs and government actually sail in the same boat although, at times, it may seem otherwise.
What’s the best part about doing business in/with Africa?
In my opinion, doing business in or with Africa involves such a professional and personal challenge itself along with a broad range of interesting opportunities. I find it so appealing and enticing. Contributing to foster commercial bonds between Spain and Africa is absolutely of the essence to me, given the vast prospects involved in the above terms. In other words, Spain has a lot to offer to Africa and vice versa.
Do you think women entrepreneurs typically have a harder time accessing loans through traditional bank channels?
Generally speaking, I think women have such an interesting set of qualities or even ‘gifts’ that, applied to business, are simply impressive. They are intuitive, smart and committed. That said, I can’t think of any banker who, first, would be incapable of seeing it too and, second, who will not identify these qualities as the best guarantee of a profitable banking transaction and thus, as a security that the loan will be eventually repaid.
However, I also think that loans through traditional bank channels should be subject to easier and lower terms and conditions regardless of the gender of the entrepreneur in question. In other words, I don’t think it is a matter of gender but of the still conservative mind governing the said traditional bank channels.
What can you say about the targets, plans and ambitions of Desantos Legal for the rest of 2015?
I find this a tricky question to answer since, to be honest, I tend to think of the ‘now’. I prefer to stay focused on the present and look at the future from the past. If you focus your energies on doing your best at every single moment, when you look back, it is likely that you are able to eventually see that ‘future’ you have always dreamed of.
What expectations do you have for Spain’s economy in the last quarter of 2015?
On the whole, Spain is a country with a vast amount of resources and business possibilities in terms of its national economy. However, I’d say the reality differs from that. The main flaw I see is a general lack of self-confidence and somehow pessimism at an individual level. This affects the whole country as a ‘collective subject’. Fortunately, that is only one side of the same coin. Conversely, there is a prominent current of savoirfaire among Spanish youths that is, in my opinion, called to change the actual overview of the Spanish economy.
Which African countries will perform best in 2015?
Nigeria, Angola and Sudan. I could say this merely focusing on my opinion on typical topics: Nigeria (Petroleum, coal, natural gas, food and agriculture, etc.), Angola (Diamond, petroleum, gold and other mineral resources.) and Sudan (Petroleum, gold, cotton, etc.).
There is also the less known resource common to all these countries: African Art. As unequivocal proof of that, Venice Biennale 2015 promises the largest number of African artists ever.
Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with CEO's and high-end professionals from Spain and Africa. Are you interested in an interview? Please send an e-mail to andrea@africabusinesscommunities.com