9 United Kingdom “Being a people person, I thrived in the negotiation sphere andhave beenpassionate about helping market participants navigate through the myriad of derivatives documents and trading relationships.” With progression in mind, I moved to Man Group plc, one of my best career moves to date. Not only did I develop as a derivatives lawyer, but I grew as a person, strategist, project manager and leader, co-heading the prime brokerage and trading legal team in London. How did this work compare to your previous experience in commercial litigation? How did it differ? Just starting out in my law career in the UK was both highly exciting and daunting, being a young woman originating from Poland. Having witnessed my parents work hard seven days a week in Poland to secure a better future for me and our family shaped my character immensely and developed my strong work ethic that has served me well ever since. Starting out in commercial litigation at Foot Anstey was a fantastic stepping stone into the corporate world. We represented clients in all stages of domestic and international litigation in both established and emerging markets. During my time at Foot Anstey I completed seats in corporate, family and intellectual property. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. It is difficult to compare commercial litigation to being a derivatives lawyer, but I do remember realising two things when I first came across it – how conceptual and complex anything to do with banking and derivatives litigation was and that, if I wanted to explore it as a real possibility and become an expert, I would have move to one of the big cities that are hub locations for derivatives, so my next move was to London. Not being fully satisfied that I had found my place in law with commercial litigation, when I started working in the derivatives space it incited passion in me I never knew existed. I went on to manage a number of high-profile strategic launches, including single investor mandates and sovereign wealth funds. I also led negotiations of legal documentation templates and headed successful implementation and delivery of various transformative cross-border regulatory and business transformation projects. Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year Being a people person, I thrived in the negotiation sphere and have been passionate about helping market participants navigate through the myriad of derivatives documents and trading relationships. With extensive experience working with the buy side, sell side and asset allocators, I have built up a skill set I could only have dreamed of if I had remained in commercial litigation. What was it that finally gave you the push to leave corporate life behind and found FIT Legal Solutions and the Derivatives Lab? I hit a point where I started realising that if I did not make some brave decisions, I would never reach my full potential or build my dream of working for myself.
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