In each issue of our newsletter, people from our law firm introduce themselves personally. This time, it is the turn of trademark lawyer Hendrikje Schilling from our Frankfurt office.

I grew up in Bielefeld, Westphalia, and in Giessen, Hesse, which, although not exactly distinguished by its architectural charm, offered me a very good and stimulating environment as a medium-sized university town. So I remained faithful to Giessen at the beginning of my studies, choosing law because of my preference for text analysis and writing, tested by my advanced German and English courses. After a few semesters in Giessen, I was drawn abroad to Brittany, which is often a bit rough, but above all picturesquely beautiful over long stretches. I completed my studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

During my legal clerkship, also in Berlin, I had my first contact with trademark law, the law against unfair competition and other areas of intellectual property law. This field of law immediately attracted and challenged me - in a positive sense. Here I could and can apply my interest in text analysis, for example, when studying and also applying court or official decisions. And with good argumentation, it is always possible, for example, to help a trademark application that was initially considered hopeless by the office to be registered after all. I also found internationality here again. Often, not only German trademarks, designs etc. are concerned, but also the application, defense or attack of foreign or European trademarks is part of my daily work.

In my free time, I like to travel, not only to Brittany, which is still close to my heart, but also again and again to Lake Maggiore, the North Sea or even Portugal. Water is the clear "guiding theme ", important for swimming, boat trips or often strolling along it. I also read a lot, mainly contemporary literature. Lately, I have been fascinated by the book "Die Enkelin" (The Granddaughter) by Bernhard Schlink, an author who was not only also born in Bielefeld, but with whom I also studied in Berlin, which is why I am particularly fond of his books. This novel addresses many issues of the recent past and present that touch our lives: German-German history, right-wing/ethnic associations and, last but not least, a cross-generational struggle for mutual understanding and togetherness.