Ana Maria Pérez Magdalena is Spanish, living in Trieste (Italy) since 1995. She is director and owner at A.M.I.C.A. Int.nal Services Srl, an international tax and legal Advisory firm with main seat at Trieste. She has been rendering advisory services and professional assistance in important projects set up basically in Eastern European countries. She has excellent experience in tax planning and cross-border operations: she has been working basically for large companies with private initiatives abroad and also with public entities. At present the company she represents is operating worldwide.She has been living in Spain and the UK before establishing at Trieste. Ana has been committed actively in projects carried out in more than 25 different countries, being Russia the main focus of attraction, due to specific knowledge and skills. Among the different fields she has been dealing with, she has been giving advice on all phases affecting internationalization and all instruments given for correct tax planning: company check-ups, complex country analyses and reports, setting up of model farms and of incubators, drafting of feasibility studies and legal opinions on cross-border operations, such as issues related to VAT, appointment of tax representatives, country risks and custom restrictions, second ment of employees and labor issues, and so on. na has taken part in many conferences and international meetings, acting also as a speaker.At present she cooperates also with different well known Journals Editing and Publishing International Tax Planning Papers.

—  Ana, you were born in Spain, and have lived and studied also in the UK, but you have been living and working in Trieste, Italy for the last 20 years and now you do business and travel in the whole European Union and Russia. How did your personal life and career happen this way? What brought you in Italy- business or pleasure?

My adventure in Italy started long ago, it is true…. The excuse was love, really, but then business and pleasure went together. I met my husband in England; he had a fellowship at a local Research institution and I was working there at the time; I had finished University the year before and was under training; he was a PhD student; when he went back to Italy, I decided to follow him. I thought my background was easier to adjust to any country, whereas his (he’s a geologist and now Professor at University) was a bit more difficult to adapt. I found in Trieste the opportunity to carry on working in an international framework and made the most of it. I started working at Degrassi & Partners in 1997, when the present EU was not actually that we know today, and Russia was a challenge for business. So, Trieste has been since then the base for my personal and professional life. Still, I go back to Spain every time I can (I have not lost my roots) and keep personal and professional relations in many different countries.

— Tell us more about your start and professional experience in law.

The beginning is always a challenge. I had no experience in international law, so the approach was a bit slow….. When I first arrived in Italy, I had to study hard and understand local issues before starting learning international issues; learning how to deal with the so many aspects connected to an investment project was a slow process. But I had a good support in the office, and practice was very helpful. At the time, there were not so many advisors in international tax and company law, so we had many requests and simply had to keep the pace with them. Besides, the right partner in an international framework is a very good school, rather than books. And time and experience helped to feel confident. After some years of experience in the same sector, even if laws change, we know how to be up-dated, what to offer, and face the new issues without any fear.

— A lot of years you were a Managing partner in the tax and company law firm Degrassi and Partners, now you are a shareholder and Sole Managing director of M.I.C.A. Int.nal Services Sr., whose activity is different from the legal services. Share more about the company and how your legal education helps you in your current position?

Degrassi & Partners was giving support to clients investing around the world. The services were advisory. In the latest few years, experience proved that clients investing abroad were less happy of receiving advisory services than of receiving direct support in their activities…. They appreciated that we introduced them to our clients, or partners, and they requested extra services: for example, they made an investment abroad based on the favorable labor conditions, but they didn’t have a reliable member of the staff to represent the company locally.
There would be so many examples in other cases they needed to find a good local logistics company, or to find distributors, agents, suppliers… and we were not supposed to service them in this sense, as we were giving just advice. Often they requested to have someone “neutral”, different from their partner (or local shareholder), for the supervision of the company.
So Degrassi&Partners is under liquidation process and AMICA Int. services is offering them this possibility- to give advisory services together with commercial services – a full support to the investor. We have a call center for the customer care and marketing services of enterprises and we use our database to make promotion and improve the sales of companies. We are working on our Platform to help artisans and small / medium size producers to expand their sales and make purchases for lower prices…. around the world. Our aim is to promote market opportunities all over the world and help operators making business in an international framework. I can assure you it’s a real challenge. And a hard work. You can check our activities at www.amicaservices.it. For  readers of Lady in Law, access to publications or other services subject to registration will be free of charge. Please, just send a message quoting the webpage and the name of user. When possible, I’ll be happy to share my experience with Lady in Law.

— You have such a busy schedule, but beside all business meetings and trips, you are a mother of the 4-years old Sofia. How do you reach balance between your personal life and your business? And is the balance possible in such a situation?

I can assure you that the most rewarding part of having such a tight schedule is my child, Sofia. To think she will be longing to see me, gives me all the energy I need to face daily issues. I try to do the most of my time… after 7p.m. in the week I close my i-phone and my time is only for her. I start using the phone after Sofia has been left at the kindergarten and the weekend and holidays are just for my family. The time I spend with my child has a real high quality. She is bilingual, and I’m very motivated to stay with her to strengthen her knowledge of Spanish. This means I do not have time for myself at all, but I had more time when Sofia was not born and will have it when she is older.I don’t care at all. I always cook for her fantastic children meals, stimulate her fantasy and make sure she’s happy. She understands mummy works, and she would love to be as mummy in future. The balance is possible…. Rather, I cannot think how I could cope with everything if I had no children and so close affections.

— How do your husband and daughter feel about your absence from home?

Since Sofia was born, I’ve tried to limit my trips… so I choose accurately when to go away…. Still, they are not happy when I’m on a business trip, but it’s often only for one night and they are aware it is part of my commitments… They come to pick me up to the airport, if my husband can…And it’s the best part of the trip… when you know someone is waiting for you happily, you are craving to go back. Still, I have priorities…. So I try to organize trips and personal commitments rather in advance…

— What is the secret of a woman like you , who has such a fragile figure, and in the same time handle with so many big clients and projects like the creation of incubators or model farms, the new establishment of a factory in Croatia with EU funds, the construction of particular vessels for navigation in Congo, the funding of start-up enterprises to develop e- technology.

I look like fragile, don’t I? And still, I have a long list of commitments and expectations which cannot fail… so I need to be strong… I don’t have any problem with food, and love eating exotic meals and sharing my time at dinner or lunch with the others. No big portions, but funny portions and company. Regarding our clients, I can say that we have clients from many parts of the world, including some groups and multinational companies. I will make some examples: a company leader in the production and sale of high design furniture around the world; a company leader in mass media and opinion surveys, a company which produces software for groups registered at the Stock Exchange market; another one leader in trading and transformation of polymers; a further company with more than 70 shops in Italy, which produces and sales fashion clothes and accessories for women….. An international transportation company working with pharmacies…. All of them are different, so I never get bored.

— What is your fashion style at work- are you stick to the business outfit or to the comfort?

I would definitely stick to the comfort, and would define my outfit as casual, business oriented… which means no jeans at all, but rarely dark suits… often a well quality shirt and jacket with a fashionable pair of trousers…. Or a blouse and a modern matching skirt… I pay attention to the mixture of colors and to accessories and like to complete my look with nice earrings and matching necklaces or bracelets.

— How do you relax? What are your favorite places for vacation and family activities?

I like walking and reading, but I cannot read long books now, since Sofia captures all my time. So I read just magazines and articles I select from the web. We have a small apartment in Croatia in a small village by the sea with a lovely view. It’s very Mediterranean and I love just going there for the weekend. We live a very “country” life when we go for the weekend. And when I have two spare days, I go to Spain with my family. I still have a long list of people I adore to visit. I like films as well… and I enjoy culinary programs, from where I take some ideas to cook for my family. I find it very relaxing.

— And at the end, please give your advice to all ladies, who are at the beginning of their legal career and want to become successful in it?

I would say that it is important to give time to oneself to grow up and build a “career”…. It is necessary to work hard to succeed… just experience and practice will help… it’s important to have a very high self-esteem and be self-confident… We all should be aware that we will have more difficulties than a male partner, but it is part of it… we have to be sure we are full of resources, really excellent organizational abilities and are very skilled to do several tasks at a time. The secret is not to be afraid and not to be in a hurry… It might help to make a list of priorities and goals to be achieved to small medium and large range of time.