In each issue of our newsletter, people from our firm introduce themselves personally. This time it is the turn of our corporate lawyer Julia Schällig.

I have been fascinated by language and languages for as long as I can remember. I devoured books as a child and later studied all kinds of old and new languages at the humanistic grammar school in Tübingen. Growing up with two older siblings ensured that sticking to my own opinion, negotiating different positions and, last but not least, strategic considerations - back then it was about the last piece of cake, loading the dishwasher or taking the dog for a walk - were part of my everyday life from an early age.

And so I developed the desire to make language, languages and negotiation my profession: I wanted to apply to the Federal Foreign Office for the senior civil service and become a diplomat. The prerequisite for this was a university degree. There was a particular need for lawyers at the time. So I went to Heidelberg and enrolled at the Faculty of Law. Law, I thought, would be the right means to an end.

But my high expectations were bitterly disappointed: in law school, I was required to classify human (mis)behavior under criminal law and civil law claims - the shorter the better. Long verbal explanations and creative design were not welcome. The first experiences in the field of diplomacy were equally unencouraging: during internships at German missions abroad, many foreign languages were spoken, politics were discussed and cultures were experienced. However, speechlessness and an abrupt end to all negotiations were always the result when, after four years, all efforts had to be abandoned and the move to a new foreign country and a new foreign language was necessary.

And so I finally buried the dream of the Foreign Office and concentrated more on the means and less on the end. I passed my first state examination in Heidelberg. During my legal clerkship in Constance, a whole new world suddenly opened up to me. I came into contact with legal drafting for the first time: There were actually lawyers who dealt almost exclusively with drafting contracts. And they also discussed them in detail with their clients and negotiated intensively with the other side.

And so I was lucky enough to be able to make language, languages and negotiation my profession after all. Today, precisely understanding my clients' interests in discussions, formulating, negotiating and defending them, taking into account the legal framework, is an essential part of my work as a lawyer in the field of corporate law. It is a wonderful mixture of down-to-earth craftsmanship and creative skill. And it has a lot to do with language. Even after many years in the profession, I still find it fascinating. Especially when I deal with colleagues who understand their craft and surprise me with resourceful solutions.

I enjoy reading and traveling, playing the violin and viola, hiking, sailing and skiing. And sometimes I get to help my children with the odd (linguistic) question. By the way, we still like to discuss and negotiate strategically at the family table - preferably over the last piece of cake or loading the dishwasher. We don't have a dog, however.