The more senior you become, the more strategic your advice becomes. The focus shifts towards providing clients with peace of mind and establishing trust that we will get the job done.

Your career has spanned private practice, in-house roles, and now counsel at a major international firm, Osborne Clarke. How have these different environments shaped your approach to advising clients, particularly on complex cross-border matters, and what lessons from that journey would you share with early-career lawyers?

I benefited greatly from the different perspectives I gained by moving from an international US law firm to a firm that only operated in Germany, and from my in-house experience. For me, having experienced the different views on legal work from in-house and law firm perspectives has been very beneficial. I would recommend that every lawyer spends some time working in-house, as being put on the spot by the business is a very different experience. This experience will leave you with an improved, business-enablement approach, which is also very important for lawyers in law firms to have, as our clients will have to deliver that in-house advice in turn. Also, it can really shape and transform the way you provide advice.

It is also important to observe different management styles and approaches to the client’s demand. You need to find your own way among these different approaches in dealing with client expectations, as well as your own expectations for yourself and your own work ethic and balance your approach between these aspects.

Thus, a lesson for junior lawyers would be to listen to your clients, not only for their legal questions and answers but to understand what keeps them up at night, and to try to adapt to their views and needs, which will help you deliver better advice.

Another piece of advice is to build your network early. The fellow junior lawyers that you talk to on day one will also be three years ahead when you are three years in. So, if you start building your network from day one, it will grow with you.

If you start building your network from day one, it will grow with you.

With increasing regulatory complexity in Europe and evolving EU and global market developments, how do you see the role of legal counsel evolving in capital markets transactions and stock corporation law?

The EU, and Germany specifically, are trying to reduce regulatory complexities, for example with the different Omnibus initiatives. It remains to be seen whether they will be successful or create even more complexity.

However, the entire legal profession, as with most jobs nowadays, is changing with the rise of AI. A significant proportion of our work is usually document-based and has become much quicker thanks to AI. To some extent, this work can be automated in the near future.

Therefore, the way we work and the tasks we carry out are going to change drastically for every lawyer, which will also change the way the economics of law firms. It will be interesting to see if there will be a change in the price of legal work, or at least in how it is priced, as tasks will take less time with the use of AI. Currently, most firms charge clients based on the time spent on a case. There are going to be a lot of changes ahead in the next couple of years.

In the end, one thing that will remain unchanged is our role in helping clients navigate these complexities, making things simpler for them by clearly structuring processes, identifying risks, and providing sound legal advice on the most important issues.

Corporate and capital markets transactions often involve tight timelines and significant pressure. How do you approach decision-making in these situations, and what helps you maintain clarity and perspective?

Structure and preparation are very important to me. Having a clear view of what success will look like at the end of the project helps me to structure the different steps. Anticipating and preparing for different scenarios early on also helps me to stay calm and reduce complexity in my head.

It is very important to have the right team and the right people to call on, especially when time is short. Having a trusted network of responsive colleagues and advisors within the law firm who can provide reliable and precise answers at short notice is invaluable. When running a tight process, it is also important to strike a balance between steering the ship and keeping the big picture of timelines and responsibilities in mind, while staying on top of smaller tasks that others are performing.

Another aspect that has always interested me is managing yourself in these situations. This involves maintaining your strength and well-being, minimising distractions around you, and knowing when to say no to additional projects for the moment because you cannot do everything at once with the same quality of work. When it gets very stressful, I usually take a walk, as this gives me a different perspective and helps me to stay calm, which is also very important.

In your interview on the transition from Senior Associate to Counsel, where you reflected on the role of personal branding and networking, you highlighted the importance of personal branding and networking in reaching the next stage of your career. What practical steps would you recommend to young lawyers looking to establish their professional visibility?

First, as I have mentioned, is to build your network early. A great way to start is to send a connection request with a short message on LinkedIn every time you encounter someone new. Doing so will help your network to grow over time without you having to invest too much time or effort all at once, which is usually difficult to find. I would also suggest asking senior lawyers who you admire about their work and their approach to visibility and business development. This is always valuable, as people who have succeeded can inspire us to find our own approach. Some of us need to find the courage to do it, while for others, it is about establishing a rhythm that works with our actual job and everyday life. You have to continually build on this habit, as efforts will compound over time.

Secondly, try to become as business minded as possible from the outset. Talk to clients not only about the legal questions at hand, but also about their business. This is usually a good indication of how the market works. It will also allow you to be more visible and help you understand their preferences better.

Finally, use your voice and perspective even as a junior lawyer. Hesitation is a common feeling at the beginning but don’t underestimate the value you bring to the table and your specific perspective on life and law. For example, if you find a mentor, you can also help them understand your generation and bring a “fresh pair of eyes.”

Hesitation is a common feeling at the beginning but don’t underestimate the value you bring to the table and your specific perspective on life and law.

In your view, which sectors (e.g., tech, mobility, energy transition) present the most interesting legal challenges or opportunities for corporate and capital markets counsel over the next five years?

As climate change is not going anywhere, everything related to energy transitions is very interesting at the moment. The changes to our lives and society will also bring more technological changes that will accelerate over the next 10 years.

For lawyers, opportunities lie where they do for the market, because an increasing number of companies will require legal advice in this complex landscape. This will involve not only the usual questions on corporate and employment law, but also very specific regulatory concerns relating to the energy market. This, in turn, will have an impact on reporting requirements, forecasts, and the duties of the executive board and supervisory board.

I also believe that it is a sector that will play an important role in the future of humankind. So, I would place particular emphasis on the energy sector, which is developing quite rapidly, and it’s going to be interesting legal work.