We introduce: Mercédes Dewulf

Born on the Belgian North Sea coast and raised in Cologne, my enthusiasm for different languages and cultures has accompanied me my entire life.

Throughout my entire childhood, becoming a veterinarian was at the top of my career aspirations, and the desire to emigrate always played a significant role. The decisive turning point, however, came at the age of 14 thru an internship with a lawyer. Suddenly, I wanted to study law, specifically in my hometown of Cologne. Because law and international work are not mutually exclusive – on the contrary. I was able to convince myself of this during a three-month exchange stay in Paris and another internship, this time in a German-Spanish law firm in Mallorca.

After graduating from high school, I then began my law studies at the University of Cologne, where I could continue to enjoy the international atmosphere of the city alongside my professional training.

I gained my first experience in consulting during my time at the Corporate Law Clinic, the student legal advisory service for start-ups at the University of Cologne. The consultation of young, creative companies and the associated legal challenges fascinated me and sparked my interest in the protection of intellectual property.

Today, I can bring all these interests together in my work on exciting and often international mandates in industrial property protection. What particularly excites me about my daily work is the opportunity to combine my personal interest in fashion and design with my legal activities.

That I don't juggle abstract numbers in my daily professional life today, but rather advocate for the protection of tangible and touchable products, is already evident from the fact that such products can be found in large numbers as display objects in my office. While in traditional law firms, neatly sorted file folders line the shelves, one could lovingly describe my office as a "shoe paradise."

In my free time, I seek athletic balance thru swimming and always enjoy discovering the diversity of Europe on spontaneous short trips. I also regularly visit the Belgian part of my family.