Sponsored briefing: Q&A with managing partner Dr. Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre

Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre is Gauci-Maistre Xynou’s managing partner, having co-founded the firm in 2015. Jean-Pie’s focus throughout his career has been in different areas in the maritime industry. Following stints with the EU Commission cabinet for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and the internationally renowned ship management company, Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Ltd, he moved to Malta to head the legal department of GM International Services Ltd.

With GMX he specialises in ship and yacht registrations under the Malta Flag as well as ship and yacht finance. With the amendments to Maltese aviation law in recent years, he has also focused on the firm’s aviation practice.

Jean-Pie is also a lecturer at different institutions and universities, including the World Maritime University.

Practice areas:

• Aviation
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Shipping
• Yachting

Career:

Following seven years heading the legal department at GM International Services Ltd and GM Corporate & Fiduciary Services Ltd, Jean-Pie co-founded Gauci-Maistre Xynou in 2015 and acts as managing partner thereof.

Languages:

English, Maltese, Italian

Member:

• Admitted to the Maltese Bar, Superior Courts of Malta
• Member of the Chamber of Advocates, Malta
• Member of the International Bar Association
• Member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association
• Member of the Malta Maritime Law Association
• Member of the Maritime Legislative Advisory Council
• Member of the Malta Institute of Taxation
• Member of the Association of Ship Agents
• Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
• Member of the Connecticut Maritime Association
• Member of the Young Maritime Professionals
• Member of the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners

Education:

• Introduction to the Virtual Financial Assets Act course, Institute of Financial Services Practitioners – IFSP (2018)
• Master of Science (Ship Management), World Maritime University (2009)
• Qualifying Examinations, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (2009)
• Diploma in Taxation, Malta Institute of Taxation (2013)
• Doctor of Laws, University of Malta (2008)
• Bachelor of in Legal and Humanistic Studies, University of Malta (2005)

What has been the impact of Covid-19 on industries across Malta?

This year has highlighted the importance of technology when it comes to conducting business, aside from the obvious increase in use of platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft teams, has the firm made any other innovations this year to ensure a better client experience?

Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre: By and large the industries that were most negatively affected in Malta were, and still are, the same as those across the world. All tourism-related businesses bore the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic. When taking into consideration the wider effects from investment in tourism and its supply chain, Malta’s tourism industry accounts for some 27% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). In this respect, a substantial part of the workforce ground to a halt having a considerable impact on Malta’s GDP, with anticipated GDP growth forecast for 2020 at -7.7%. On the other hand the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in particular has performed exceptionally well throughout 2020.

2020 became a year of realigning expectations, regrouping and exploring new opportunities and as generally tends to be the case, when one does this; you soon discover that opportunities abound in all situations. We ensured that the restructuring and dispute resolution personnel stepped in to offer assistance to clients in the sectors worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We also learnt the increased importance of being consistently agile. At no point in 2020 could we say there was a moment of certainty. This meant that strategy decisions could quickly become outdated. We had to keep a close eye not only on the measures and incentives being rolled out continuously by the Maltese government but also by other governments whose persons have interests in Malta.

This also meant internal communication, during a time of isolation became crucial. At a top management level we needed to stay on top of the constantly developing situation and adapt accordingly and as quickly as possible. Consequently, each change in tack needed to be communicated to all personnel constantly to ensure that the perpetual change does not give the impression that no strategy was in place. The use of online communication platforms became essential both from an operational point of view and from an HR aspect.

Since becoming managing partner, what’s surprised you most about running a firm?

Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre: The need to anticipate and accept change is crucial and this is easier said than done, particularly on a professional level. Letting go of certain aspects of the day-to-day legal work to which one has grown accustomed over more than a decade of work is at times hard to digest. Specialisation has to make way for a broader view of the firm’s different practices, administrative and HR requirements.

The need to operate in the present and think in the future is crucial; but neither of the two can take precedence or outweigh the other.

How has your role/involvement in client-facing work changed since becoming managing partner?

Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre: The role of managing partner has necessitated more involvement in the initial stages of client meetings with a swift transition to oversight. The actual client-facing work is also substantially reduced and takes on the form of review. This change is something that, as hard as it may be, is necessary in order for a managing partner to carry out his or her role effectively. It does give way for other skills to be honed and the trust in top management takes on an even more crucial role.

What does diversity and inclusion mean to you? And, is D&I difficult in your jurisdiction?

Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre: I would like to think that diversity and inclusion are engrained in the firm’s DNA and are in fact the very foundation on which GMX was formed. It must be stressed, however, that diversity and inclusion are loaded words which warrant far more than a few lines, which can very easily be misunderstood and/or misinterpreted. They are terms that need to be framed in the context of, among other things, time, jurisdiction and culture. Inclusion and diversity may be difficult in certain jurisdictions for legal and/or cultural reasons while they may be difficult in other jurisdictions for geographic and/or demographic reasons. With respect to Malta, a small island state, the geographic and demographic reasons were long at the forefront. Accession to the EU in May 2004 helped enormously with overcoming these hurdles as a considerable number of people relocated to Malta, considerably increasing the island’s knowledge pool. However, change is always hard and swift change all the more. This gives rise to cultural aspects that need to be tackled delicately. Internationalisation increases the interactions between every race, colour or creed (all of which are constantly evolving). It is for this reason, that diversity and inclusion are a constant and endless work in progress which must consistently be given the importance they deserve.

The firm:

Gauci-Maistre Xynou (Legal | Assurance) is a boutique Greco-Maltese firm which was formed with the main scope of bridging the divide between the legal and assurance services sectors, particularly within the financial services industries. It is with this in mind that the founding partners, Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre and Despoina Xynou setup GMX. Prior to founding GMX, Jean-Pie headed the legal department of a Malta-based group of companies which had been active for over four decades in various sectors, primarily corporate and financial services and ship and yacht registration. Despoina Xynou moved to Malta having spent her professional career with a renowned Greek law firm. Given that Dr Gauci-Maistre had established a strong client base in Greece, the partnership with Despoina Xynou was a logical development. The firm has since grown from strength to strength and today boasts of a large international client portfolio active in various sectors.

The law firm’s international desks allow GMX to offer unique tailor-made legal services ensuring that an internationally holistic approach is adopted for every case. Gauci-Maistre Xynou is therefore well placed to assist clients from various jurisdictions in their respective industries. It has truly emerged as an efficient and reliable one-stop shop. Solidifying its presence both locally as well as internationally, the firm comprises a team of professionals, specialising in their respective fields, ready to provide tailor-made services to their various clients.

Ultimately, Gauci-Maistre Xynou’s top priority is its clients.

Practice areas:

Gauci-Maistre Xynou is a boutique multi-disciplinary practice offering bespoke legal, audit and assurance services. The practice comprises Gauci-Maistre Xynou (law firm) which includes a team of advocates warranted to practise law in Malta or their respective jurisdictions and exclusively authorised to provide legal services under the Gauci-Maistre Xynou brand. The law firm’s international desk allows us to offer unique tailor-made legal services ensuring that an internationally holistic approach is adopted for every case.

Shipping and aviation are among the firm’s main practice areas, with the firm’s partners both being very competent in these areas. The firm has advised a number of shipping companies which are renowned to be industry leaders and assisted them with contentious matters such as the arrest of vessels as well as corporate matters, financial instruments and registration under the Malta flag. Gauci-Maistre Xynou is also very active in the fields of corporate and commercial law and regularly advises on matters relating to Maltese company legislation including company incorporation, corporate restructuring and matters relating to shareholders’ and company officers’ rights and obligations. Gauci-Maistre Xynou is linked with GM Corporate and Fiduciary Services Limited, which is licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority to provide fiduciary services.

The firm has also done notable work in Regulatory Compliance, assisting a number of entities licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority, particularly those active in Investment Funds, comply with their regulatory obligations. It has also assisted a number of clients, particularly ones operating in the real estate sector and notarial, legal and accountancy professions set up their anti-money laundering policies and procedures and regularly provides ad hoc advice in this regard.