In each issue of our newsletter, people from our firm introduce themselves personally. This time it is the turn of tax lawyer Yusuf Yildirim from our Berlin office.

I was born and raised in Berlin-Kreuzberg - also known as "Little Istanbul". I stayed true to my roots until the 10th grade, before my parents decided to leave the party and noise hotspot behind to move to the boring outskirts of Berlin-Buckow. Accordingly, I changed high schools, even met my present wife at the new school, and finally took my high school diploma there.

Fortunately, however, the fond Kreuzberg memories from childhood remain, such as my daily routine as a young boy of climbing onto the window sill every morning to watch the garbage collectors (I used to call them garbage men) of Berlin's city cleaning service do their work.

In fact, I dreamed of this profession as a child, but in the end my vocation became something else. At the end of the day - as the former chairman of the board of my favorite club Bayern Munich used to say - there were two alternatives left after graduating from high school: either I would become a mechanical engineer to support my father as an independent entrepreneur in this industry, or I would devote myself to law.

The final decision was finally made during my civilian service and I set off for the University of Potsdam to study law. I realized that as a lawyer I could be an even greater support to my father. Studying law and my focus on tax law gave me the opportunity early on to recognize economic interrelationships and to think more closely about the viability of decisions in business management - to this day, I actively support my father, especially in tax matters.

After completing my law studies and legal clerkship in Berlin, I started my career as a qualified lawyer in tax law in a medium-sized Berlin law firm in the team of Oliver C. Ehrmann. Tax law remained the common thread in my career. In addition to my job, I am currently completing a master's degree in "Corporate and Tax Law" at the University of Potsdam. National and international tax law offers a wealth of complex issues and requires special expertise in structuring advice. However, it also encourages the development of creative and pragmatic approaches to solutions, which should provide legal certainty for clients. This must always be confirmed and is what motivates me.

The most important balance for me to my profession is soccer. I have been a goalkeeper since the age of six and early on emulated my idol at the time, Oliver Kahn. Even after 20 years as an active goalkeeper in the club, I will no longer be a Manuel Neuer in terms of soccer, but I score points on the line with reflexes in Titan style.

Yusuf Yildirim