Uncertainty? Control the Controllables
In times of uncertainty, Law Squared Founder + Director, Demetrio Zema, shares his advice for how leaders can bring stability to the edge of chaos.
A natural next step
Next month, we celebrate nine years as a business. As the saying goes, it’s easy to overestimate what can be done in a year and underestimate what can be achieved in a decade. Reflecting on the past month - welcoming senior lawyers, celebrating the third cohort of our Graduate Program, and expanding our office footprint to Perth - reminds me how far we've come and how each step contributes to a bigger picture.
Since the launch of our Energy + Infrastructure team, Perth has felt like a natural next step. The growing demand for legal support in WA’s energy and infrastructure sector, combined with the increasing spread of disputes and litigation work we’re delivering for insurers and financiers across the country, makes a dedicated WA presence a strategic move. You can read more about our growth here.
While Law Squared’s growth has been carefully planned, the start to 2025 has felt far less predictable on a macro level. Many GCs and business leaders I’ve spoken with report that their teams are already feeling overwhelmed by the rush and uncertainty of the year ahead.
Control the controllables
In my experience, the ability to navigate uncertainty lies in focusing on what we can control. Here are some practical ways to ‘control the controllables’:
Show up for your people. Deliver on what you said you’d do —being present, reliable and available builds trust and reinforces stability and resilience.
Anchor in your vision. Change is constant, but a clear, consistent vision serves as a north star to inspire trust and help you to avoid chasing distractions.
Go back to the data. Build a credible fact base for making objective decisions. Invest in systems and processes that provide clarity and validate your actions.
Take a moment. Taking control doesn’t mean reacting immediately. Sometimes a short pause allows for more thoughtful and effective decisions.
Set solid legal foundations, build future-fitness
In a legal team context, this means setting strong foundations—ensuring data, workflows, and processes are in place to enable consistent, high-quality service delivery. It’s about being rigorous in execution, and building the capability of your people to be future-fit, no matter what that future holds. We’ve created a Legal Readiness Guide to help you ensure your legal foundations are solid.
Over the past (nearly) decade, we’ve certainly experienced our fair share of change and renewal. But throughout, we’ve stayed true to our belief that there is a better way to engage and deliver legal services. Today, I’m proud that we’ve set a new standard for legal service delivery and engagement—one built on transparency, cost-certainty, trust, and long-term partnerships.
I look forward to connecting with you in 2025 and of course if there are ways we can support you to manage the legal burden, please reach out here.
Demetrio Zema
Founder + Director
Law Squared