What was it that made you want to become a lawyer?

Being born into a family with a legal background, one of the biggest reasons that inspired me to become a lawyer is my grandfather who was one of the first public prosecutors of the Turkish Republic following its establishment. Then, he became one of the first lawyers admitted to the Kayseri Bar. There were other members of the family who were lawyers, judges and prosecutors and all of them inspired me to choose the profession of law. However, this was not the only issue which inspired me to choose this profession. Indeed, I deeply believe that every person should take his/her personal characteristics into consideration while choosing his/her professional to be able to exercise such profession as a hobby as well. Towards the end of high school, I started to observe that I had all the characteristics such as dedication, the speaking skills, the ability of persuasion, the motivation and desire to make researches, etc. “necessary” to be a good lawyer, the total of which made me to believe in myself together with the support and encouragement of my family, especially and foremost, my father.

In your forty years as a practicing lawyer, what barriers have you encountered during your career growth and as a female leader in the Turkish legal market?

At the beginning of my career, I faced certain difficulties due to practicing in a field which was, especially at the time, inherently male-dominant. Women tend to not be taken seriously as lawyers but this also triggered me in a good way and led me to develop my skills; getting to learn and understand law better and more, becoming a specialist, trying to be the best prepared lawyer whether in a courtroom or a meeting which in turn led me to reach a reputable place in the lawyers’ society sooner, by way of proving my knowledge and ambition. I strongly believe that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger and I accepted all these “barriers” as a challenge in my career.

 Since leading your own law firm in 1993, what accomplishments at Inal Law Office are you the proudest of?

I am proud of having worked with numerous young colleagues and to have witnessed their achievement in becoming experienced and valuable lawyers during their career at our office. I am also happy to have developed long-term and trustworthy relations with our clients with most of whom I have been working over decades. In addition to all these, the spiritual and pecuniary satisfactions procured by this profession are very high. But, frankly speaking, the best achievement I have had in this profession has been and still continues to be the exercising of a profession that I love practicing. In brief, Inal Law

Office is not only a workplace, but a real hobby place for me and my colleagues, which constitutes the main hallmark of Inal Law Office.

As an inductee into The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, you continue to receive deserved recognition as a leading lawyer across the national and international stage. What has been the key to your success after all these years?

The key to our success is discipline and dedication we show for each matter be it big or small. Whether it is a simple company establishment for a start-up or a complex M&A transaction of a multinational corporate, we embrace the same attitude and provide the same level of service for each and every client. This especially is very important while carrying out your legal tasks related to large and well-known companies, either local or international. As another factor, if I may deem myself “successful” in this profession, there is a huge effort behind the scene and most of the success belongs to my team & colleagues.

How would you define the culture at Inal Law Office?

Our culture is based on discipline, research, diligence, punctuality and treating each and every file as the most important file of the office and treating each and every client as our most important client. We also attach great importance to strict confidentiality and pay utmost diligence to our team’s developing their knowledge through continuous research of the sector, as law is a living mechanism knowledge of which should always be kept updated.

In addition to the recruitment drive your firm has with diverse lawyers, does Inal Law Office get involved in other diversity-related activities?

Since we do not make any discrimination among people of any background, we have never specifically thought of this in our office. We are welcoming everyone who has diligence, ambition, knowledge and fit for the tasks in our office. Every colleague is our most valuable asset and we cannot accept any discrimination in this respect.

With clients valuing diversity in their external law firms, how do we get more women into leadership roles in law firms?

Luckily, Turkey is currently one of the rare countries giving opportunity to women in leadership and we are proud of this. I strongly believe discrimination between genders is getting thinner by the day and, I am happy to see fellow women lawyers acting as partners, founders or co-founders and in other pivotal posts in which once was a predominantly male profession. I would like to congratulate each and every female lawyer who dedicates herself for her work.

Do you see any challenges for women within the legal industry in Turkey? And what would they be?

I personally do not see any specific challenge which women would face but men would not encounter in the legal industry in Turkey. Sometimes it is difficult to change the culture of a society in one day and it requires decades but I believe Turkey is one of the countries that the young female generation really know what they want and work hard to achieve what they want.

How do you manage a work-life balance?

To be honest, one of the most difficult issues of this profession is to achieve a work-life balance since this profession requires uninterrupted engagement, especially for lawyers working on an international scale considering the time zone differences. However, the truth is that success can only be achieved by maintaining a healthy work-life balance and being able to say no to work issues when it is necessary. This is why, we, at Inal Law Office, want our colleagues to enjoy their personal time without having to think about work to the extent possible. Nonetheless, they all are aware that they are working for an international law firm and especially our colleagues in our shipping department since shipping law is not different than working in an ER. For this purpose, we have developed different tailor-made solutions by means of which we successfully provide ourselves a work-life balance.

Which women have inspired you the most?

I have been inspired by a number of strong, powerful and spirited women so just to name one would be unfair to the others. That being said, I am overwhelmed with and admire women who has managed to stand on their own ground and progress into a senior leadership role in their profession.

What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capacity?

Having started working at two renowned lawyers’ office at the age of 21 was a great opportunity for me to see and experience first-hand what it requires to be both a successful lawyer while also running and leading a group of people in a law firm towards a common goal which, eventually, led me to found my own law firm at a young age and to gain a reputable name in the legal world. Honestly, my achievements are not limited with my profession and the biggest achievement is to develop myself personally in every aspect of life; having hobbies and enjoying life, which I hope I never lose.

What is the one piece of advice that you would give to a young woman at the start of her law career and has aspirations to become a partner one day?

I am very happy to see the younger generation of women lawyers with more self-esteem and faith in their own abilities. My advice to my young colleagues would be to work really hard, to continuously improve themselves and always keep themselves up to date with the developments in the legal industry and technology and certainly learn as many foreign languages as possible to follow up the sector on an international scale.

Tell us about your education journey starting at Istanbul University in 1998 and why you picked law.

My desire to become a lawyer started at a very young age. My grandfather was my inspiration to go to law school. He graduated from Ankara University Law School and served as a military judge for many years, and he used to tell me about the trials when I was a kid.

Besides, I have always been very social and outgoing, with strong interpersonal skills. So when it comes to choosing a profession, I followed in the footsteps of my grandfather, my idol, and graduated from Istanbul University Law Faculty.

After graduating, I completed my legal internship as a lawyer in a boutique law firm that served both individual and corporate clients and started working as a lawyer after obtaining my license. Afterward, I completed my master’s degree in Economic Law at Galatasaray University.

After graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in law you started as an attorney at a law firm but moved to become legal counsel at Doğuş Grubu a couple of years later. Why the change from private practice to in-house?

The law firm I worked for, provided litigation and legal consultancy for Doğuş Holding Tourism Group, among other clients. As I focused more and more on the work of this group within the scope of internal task sharing, the corporate management offered to hire me in-house. I evaluated this offer and decided that moving in-house will lead to being close to the business itself and this will give me a business-wise perspective. Within this framework, it was a very pleasant period for me to work in the company as an in-house lawyer, as it gave me the chance to know the dynamics of the company and cooperate in close contact with other teams within the company. This experience helped me to gain a business-wise perspective.

You spent nearly 15 years at Turkcell in a variety of senior roles. What were your personal key highlights while working at the company?

Turkcell is a highly dynamic company operating in a strictly regulated market, constantly updating itself with new targets. Therefore, in order to be successful, professional knowledge is not enough, you need to keep yourself up to date and adapt quickly to changes. In this context, personal characteristics are extremely important to make a difference. Since the first day I started working for the company, I have tried to understand the industry very well and to master the technical information related to the main field of activity of the company. I worked closely with the technical teams and learned the terminology from them. I provided cooperation not only with the technical teams but also with the other teams of the company (hr, marketing, information security, etc.) to ensure to speak the same language. So, if you ask me what qualifications have helped me to work so successfully at Turkcell for so many years, I would say rapid adaptation to changes and resilience.

Besides, managing a team in such a dynamic industry requires setting the right goals for the team, adjusting their outlook to change, and creating a very strong team spirit. I think I was successful to achieve these.

Finally, the transition from the field of electronic communication law, which I specialized in for years, to the field of personal data protection was essentially a step out of my comfort zone. Although I was familiar with this field as there have been personal data regulations in the sectoral legislation for many years and I contributed to the consultation stages of the law on behalf of Turkcell, entering this new field, was a step that I am glad I dared to take.

While acting as “Data Privacy and Competition Law Associate Director” at Turkcell, you were also appointed as the Data Protection Officer of the company. What has this new role added to your responsibilities?

As you know, the DPO is a role that some organizations are required to appoint under the GDPR. There is no requirement to make such an appointment under Turkish law.

However, appointing a DPO even if the data controller is not obliged to, is very important when it comes to conducting a data privacy compliance program and building a “culture of privacy”.

Both roles require expert knowledge of data protection law and practices. So, they have overlapping responsibilities.

A data privacy legal counsel is a lawyer who specializes in data privacy law and advises the company on legal issues related to data protection. The legal counsel also is responsible for drafting and negotiating data protection agreements, such as data processing agreements, and representing the company in legal proceedings related to data protection. So, within the scope of data privacy, my responsibilities were, inter alia, managing the team to fulfill these tasks successfully.

On the other hand, the DPO is responsible for thinking about compliance, considering the individual as well as the organization, explaining the requirements, and bringing the right people together to get the job done. Therefore, leadership skills, the ability to see the big picture, and project management skills are especially important.

A DPO needs to know not only what the law says, but also what it means and how to apply it to the company in question and its operations.

A successful DPO uses the law, guidance from regulators, case law, best practices from colleagues and cases where things have gone wrong, as well as his/her/their own experience, to advise his/her/their company appropriately. A smart DPO builds on and leverages the expertise available throughout the organization from the other functions; this is critical to gaining acceptance and support.

Your goal is to embed data protection into the company’s policies, processes and culture so that it becomes second nature. This is the goal of the accountability principle under the GDPR.

In my case, with my deep knowledge of the telco industry and my background in the company, I knew all the data processing activities of the company, so I could make decisions and advise about data privacy matters by taking into consideration of the business objectives. So I believe that’s the difference I made as a DPO in Turkcell.

What are your reflections on the diversity and inclusion culture in the legal profession in Türkiye?

I believe Türkiye has a large number of successful female attorneys. We cannot, however, disregard the fact that, like in the rest of the world, women face disadvantages in the realm of business.

Law in Türkiye is already a difficult field, lawyers struggle with many difficulties. But there are also other problems that women have to face compared to men.

Social and cultural stereotypes regarding women’s roles, excessive workloads, etc. make it difficult for women to achieve their goals.

Although many significant actions are being taken in this direction, gender diversity is a problem that is even less frequently brought up.

While the big law firms that have put diversity and inclusion on their agenda have contributed to raising awareness on these issues, everyone needs to value them in order to move forward. In this respect, we need to raise these issues more and more.

Inclusion and Diversity should be treated as an issue that concerns everyone, rather than a social responsibility practice of organizations. We should focus not only on the diversity of workplaces but also on the inclusiveness of work cultures, given that it positively impacts both individuals and organizations and reduces negativity.

You set up legal services and compliance firm DKB Legal in 2022 which primarily focuses on Data Privacy Law, Telecommunications Law, and Competition Law. What made you decide to leave your incredibly successful career at Turkcell and to be the founding partner of a new firm?

My long corporate career has given me a lot in terms of team management, business-wise perspective, communication, and collaboration with different professional careers. But at the end of these years, I felt the need for a change of path. I needed to step outside of my comfort zone since I wanted to start my own practice. I made that move and I am very happy. As a boutique law firm, we work in close contact with our clients. With my years of experience working in-house, we provide proactive, fast legal support focused on the company’s goals and strategies.

How is DKB Legal progressing with its diversity agenda?

As DKB Legal, we are a boutique law firm that is still in the growth stage and one of our most important values is diversity. In this context, we are a welcoming office for everyone.

As a law firm, we are dedicated to promoting inclusion and diversity in all facets of our operations. We are aware that different perspectives and experiences are necessary to provide our clients with the best possible legal representation. We are committed to establishing an office that is inviting and inclusive to everyone, particularly members of marginalized groups.

How do you define the culture at DKB Legal?

We are a dynamic, curious team that values teamwork. We work closely with our clients as if we were their internal teams and through this close collaboration, we produce quality output for our clients.

We value open communication, mutual respect, and hard work among our employees.

How do you see the new generation of women lawyers?

I believe there are outstanding and passionate women lawyers. Young female lawyers are determined versatile and have improved personal skills.

I appreciated the dedication of the female colleagues I have worked with and mentored throughout my career. I think we will hear more names/stories of successful women lawyers in the near future.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be?

I think I would have been a theater artist. I always loved being on the stage. I was on the theater team during my primary, middle and high school years and we took first place in inter-school competitions. In my first year of university, I played in the theater troupe of Istanbul Technical University Fine Arts Department. But I couldn’t continue due to the heavy workload of law school. Being on stage is something I enjoy immensely, maybe I will return one day 😊

Which women have inspired you the most?

My mother and my grandmother are strong, smart women who believe women must have a good education and a career. So, I grew up believing that my education and personal growth should come first, then anything else.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to have a mentor in my professional life but had so many female friends who encouraged me that I can achieve my goals. I especially want to thank my dear friend Emel Nakay, Senior Legal Counsel at Accenture, for always being there for me.

Knowing how important mentoring is, I make an effort to mentor young colleagues and female students as much as I can.

In this context, I mentored female law students and new female lawyers at “TurkishWIN” for years. I am currently a member of the “Womenat” Platform and mentoring young colleagues. I am enjoying this sharing immensely.

What motivates you?

Innovation and continuous learning are what keep me motivated. I can say that every new piece of information I read and every new experience I have inspires me. In addition, doing my best, providing the most beneficial support to my client, taking into account their goals and strategies, and achieving good results motivates me tremendously. At the same time, sharing what I know and giving lectures are things that make me very happy and motivated.

In this context, I actively participate in many trainings, seminars, conferences, and workshops. I am one of the trainers of the “TEİD Academy” within the Ethics and Reputation Society (TEİD) and I teach “KVKK and Effective Compliance Program Management” within the scope of “Corporate Ethics and Compliance Management Certificate Program”. All these activities motivate me a lot.

In your career so far what achievement are you most proud of?

In fact, it was a challenging process to specialize in the field of electronic communications law for many years at Turkcell, to work in this niche and sector-specific area, and to gain knowledge and experience. When KVKK came into force in Türkiye I was both honored and proud to be offered this role by our senior management, but at the same time, it was a big challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone, to manage a compliance program on a scale that I had not managed before and to implement legislation that was introduced from scratch in the country in a company the size of Turkcell and its subsidiaries. I think I took a risk by accepting this role and managing such a compliance program, but I think my team and I have achieved great things together.

I think it was quite a bold move in my decision to leave such a long corporate career and switch to private practice. So I am very proud of this move as well.

How do you manage your current work / life balance?

It doesn’t seem very realistic to me to have a stable private life / work-life balance all the time. Because it is very natural to have some periodic intensities. Life itself is not stable. My great fortune in this regard is that my son, my husband, and I make a great team. Thanks to my always supportive husband and good teamwork between him and our son, we get through such periods. When I am extra busy, my husband and son take over the load, and when I return to normal, we regain our balance.

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry?

Law is a profession that requires lifetime learning. Knowing this, I recommend them to constantly improve themselves and never stop questioning and wondering.

Tell us about your career choice and journey. What inspired you to become a lawyer? 

When I was a child, I wanted to be a flight stewardess. My dream was to see other countries and continents. Then at some point, I watched a movie where I first saw a young female litigator at the courthouse. She was a powerful figure, finding different solutions to weird problems and explaining the things people could or could not do. In retrospect, I now know that what she was saying was probably all wrong. But I liked it then. I said I wanted to know the law and become a lawyer. Luckily, by becoming a lawyer and providing legal assistance to global companies or taking part in international disputes, I also realised my dream of seeing other countries and continents.  

What are your reflections on the diversity and inclusion culture in the legal profession in Turkey? 

Women in Turkey have been acting as lawyers since the establishment of the Turkish Republic – for nearly 100 years. At this point, we should remember Turkey’s first women lawyer Süreyye Ağaoğlu with respect who was admitted to Bar in 1928. Unfortunately, the legal profession is still culturally male-dominated in Turkey. All of the big law firms were founded and managed by men, although there are female partners. These big law firms still follow authoritarian/patriarchal management styles, and this situation hampers pluralism and diversity in the workplaces. Until recent years, young lawyers were not included in client meetings and communications. Young lawyers and young law firms are trying to remove this archaic structure and together take steps for diversity. Besides, recently gender diversity has been supported by global clients and international law firms, instructing Turkish law firms.   

How is Baysal & Demir progressing with its diversity agenda? 

Since the establishment of Baysal & Demir, we are committed to creating and maintaining an environment that consistently attracts, retains, and inspires a diverse array of talented individuals. We understand diversity and inclusion to encompass all differences among people, such as gender, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, culture, and disability. We foster an inclusive working environment where each person can reach their full potential. 

In contrast to big law firms, we do not have an autocratic/patriarchal structure. Our goal is to establish a workplace based on equality and freedom principles with a pluralistic approach. We believe that success comes from giving talented and motivated lawyers space to perform their work, not from thick manuals or excessive hours.  

The international nature of our work means that diversity and inclusion are – in addition to being important values in their own right – imperative to our success.  Insights gained not only from our international clientele but also from our individual talent go to the very heart of our clients’ issues in different industries and geographies. 

Our diversity and inclusion goals remain a work in progress, as we recognise there is always more to be done across our firm and our industry. 

How do you define the culture at Baysal & Demir? 

Having worked for international clients for many years, we believe that what international clients are most interested in is something different from what they are getting from big law firms. 

In big law firms, each task is generally assigned to large legal teams. The partner’s involvement in these tasks is usually limited to a final review and each associate working on the task is only seeing a portion of it, preventing them from understanding the whole picture. 

What sets us apart at Baysal & Demir is dedicated small legal teams with close partner involvement at all stages. Our partners are not final reviewers. They have substantial, direct and continuous involvement at all stages of each project and/or dispute handled by the firm. Each of our associates grasps the entirety of the project/dispute they are involved in. They have a strong understanding of the project/dispute and the clients’ objectives. 

Besides, the clients are part of our teams. They are embedded in all stages of the process and work closely with our legal team. This close collaboration ensures that the communication lines are open, and there is transparency on our deliverables.  

In your opinion, are women lawyers treated differently by clients and colleagues compared to their male counterparts? 

I personally did not feel any difference throughout my 18 years career. 90% of my clients are foreign and mainly from the EU. I also worked with companies from Egypt, Dubai and India. However, I never felt I was treated differently because of my gender.  

How do you see the new generation of women lawyers? 

I think irrespective of gender, new-generation lawyers are very determined. They spent their university time much more efficiently compared to 25 years ago. They invest in their strengths, hobbies and future goals. Their self-expression skills are quite strong. They also establish their work-life balance better than our generation.  

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be? 

I entered a university exam in 1996. At that time, if I did not choose law faculty, I would choose foreign affairs and wanted to be a diplomat. But if you ask me today, I would like to be a cook because I like to use different ingredients with different methods and to host my guests and hear their compliments about the dishes that I have prepared to make them happy.  

Which women in your life have had the most influence on your career? 

I think my grandmother had the biggest influence on me, not only on my career but also on my personal life. I spent a lot of time with her because it was not easy for my mother to deal with me and my brother, who is two years old younger than me, simultaneously.  

My grandmother was a real free soul. I always enjoyed being with her. She was surrounded by cheerful friends, and she really liked to enjoy her life. Even at a young age, she inspired me to be a strong woman and enjoy my life.  

What motivates you? 

Two things:  

The first one is my legal team. Sometimes I feel that my brain will explode because of the complexity and/or technicality of the question we are trying to solve in a dispute or matter. At those times, I see my team’s continued efforts to resolve the problem, and our brainstorming motivates me. 

The second one is having successful results. After long months and sometimes years of working on a case or matter, sharing the positive results with the client is priceless.      

Are there any pivotal moments that shaped your career as a lawyer? 

There are many pivotal moments in my career. The first thing that comes to my mind is going to Germany for an LL.M degree. It opened the doors for me to work for a big law firm and global clients. Then during my career, I switched from corporate law to insurance and reinsurance and litigation and arbitration matters. I realised that contentious work is much more suited to my character. Finally, establishing my own firm with my dream is the last pivotal moment until now.  

How do you manage your current work / life balance?  

It is not easy to manage the work/life balance, I am not sure if I can manage now, although I have been trying to do it.  

What we do at Baysal Demir is an excellent example of teamwork. My team really supports me in managing my work/life balance.  

I worked nearly every weekend for the first ten years of my career. After my son was born, things changed. I try to be at home at 6.30pm and then continue to work once he falls asleep. I allocate weekends to my family. I should admit that without my husband’s help and support, I would not manage to perform in this profession with such dedication.   

Before the pandemic, I travelled a lot, mainly abroad, for business meetings, arbitration hearings and international conferences. After two years break last year, business travels started again but at a manageable frequency.   

Now I do my best to allocate time for myself, my family and friends. 

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry? 

It is a new generation and I do not think that I am in a position to give them advise about their professional life. I only would encourage them to be open to the opportunities and not feel obliged to follow what others do. I may only say that they should work with people they like and do the work they enjoy. 

Tell us about your journey into law and what made you choose it as your profession.

As opposed to the number of people who embark on their journey of law mostly through relatives; I’m the first in my family to discover these territories. My path started when I was remarkably young and realized that my ability to manage human social interactions, listen and to solve problems. This was my superpower. Thus, when it came to choose a profession, law was the perfectly suited career path that I could best apply these abilities.

When I started law school and my career afterwards; it was a full circle experience for me both professionally and socially, former feeding the latter in terms of causation and correlation. We can connect the rationale of what we learn in law and apply it into life experiences through empathizing and vice versa.

What made you decide to start your career in-house and what were your experiences as a woman working in such an environment?

I’ve had the opportunity to do several internships in different law offices when I was in law school. These experiences made me realize that I wanted to have a roster of companies to work with but in order to give them the best service, I had to have an exposure and an understanding from the inside. With that idea in mind, I started my professional career in a leading beverage company as an in-house lawyer.

The time I spent there was very productive as this large scale company. I managed all the legal work in-house with a small team, giving me a business and commercial point of view along with the legal aspect. I can easily say that the insights and work discipline I obtained here prepared me to the career that I have today.

I feel lucky to say that I’ve had no challenges as a woman starting my career at an in-house environment.

You’ve joined leading independent law firm Aksan in 2016 and became a Partner in 2022. What have been your personal key highlights since joining the firm nearly 7 years ago?

Just as I was learning on a different path, unexpectedly, I started as Attorney at Law in Aksan. Specializing and worked with clients in a variety of departments inside the firm including Labour and Social Security Law.

Subsequent to becoming a Managing Attorney, I was heavily involved in Dispute Resolution and all client relations with extensive practice in full consultancy, documentary

support and forming key strategies on managing the commercial relationships of my clients. Managing and working alongside a team that takes on the work as their own, always hard at work and my eagerness to also be my clients’ long-term solutions partner have definitely been my highlights. Carrying on with my journey as a Partner; having to work in company with our crowded, innovative and sincere family as Aksan for the past seven years has been exceptional.

What are your reflections on the diversity and inclusion culture in the legal profession in Turkey and how do you define the culture and diversity at Aksan Law Firm?

Hometown for generations of cultural diversity; Turkey has been the lead in some of the notable inclusivity moves over the history. Terms of diversity and inclusivity have long changed over time with the help of global reachability.

Law has historically suffered from being male dominated and in the lower end in terms of inclusivity as a profession, but in parallel with my previous statement; firms have been advertising their diversity agenda in adaptation to the current times. Aksan has an equal distribution of gender if not in more favor of women. While we have colleagues who have diverse backgrounds, Aksan focuses on exchanging knowledge and experience without creating an environment of competition and conflict. For that reason, as a common ground, Aksan always embraces the culture of compassion, respect and greetings within its roof. Reputable for our diverse global client portfolio; reflecting world dynamism has been our vision.

Which women have inspired you the most?

I believe that inspiration shouldn’t come from just one person, but from a collection of people we encounter during our time. I’ve had the opportunity to come across a number of successful, determined and motivational women throughout my life, all of them have inspired me in different ways.

How do you manage your current work / life balance?

Law is one of those professions that will become your life and balance created comes from continuity. Having a hard-working team that supports each other with an active and healthy mindset and lifestyle, the correlation I’ve mentioned before has made my work/life balance manageable.

What motivates you?

As I’ve previously described, an individual choosing this profession has to acknowledge law as a part of their life. Precisely like patients in health, clients place the utmost importance to their legal endeavors and get thoroughly engaged. My motivation mostly comes from the remarkable journey we go through with every case and sharing it with the client.

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry?

Looking back, the variety of internships that I’ve worked in have genuinely helped me prepare to the career I’ve had today. During that time, the opportunity to combine theory and practice helped me master my studies as well as choose my area of expertise. Law students in general would definitely benefit from these work experiences.