Get to know Marguerita Sedrati-Müller

My working days are very different and varied. There is almost no such thing as a typical workday. I usually have a mix of meetings with management or my team, including several jour fixe meetings. I spend a lot of time on strategic matters, work on (client) projects and, above all, take care of what matters most here at Schoenherr: our people.

For a long time, the biggest challenge was balancing being a parent with my job, especially when my daughter was still little. In the early years, I made a clear decision to prioritise my daughter and put my career on the back burner. My daughter is now a teenager and I am more flexible in terms of time. That makes working much easier.

As I hold multiple roles here at Schoenherr, it can be quite challenging at times to balance the responsibilities of being both an attorney and the director of our People & Culture team. But my role as director is extremely versatile, and I find that my legal background and all the experiences I've gained as an attorney real-ly come in handy.

Being a lawyer is demanding in many respects. Not only do I want to find the right legal solutions for my clients, but I also have to be a confidante, a sparring partner, a conflict resolver and an entrepreneur. The role requires strong analytical thinking as well as excellent social skills, because I am in a "people job".

That I love what I do, and that my work doesn't feel like a job but like a passion with purpose. I am in a position to help people, which is what I love doing.

My first milestone was an internship at a New York law firm shortly after graduating. After that, I also completed my mediation training while working and passed the bar exam, which I took when I was six months pregnant. Of course, being admitted to the bar was also a special highlight for me. After that, I was also an HR partner in a large commercial law firm for five years and was able to learn a lot about people. This motivated me to train as a leadership trainer, become a collaborative practitioner and, rather unexpectedly, dive into the world of legal tech. My most recent milestone was taking over as the director of our People & Culture department – my heart's desire.

There have been so many that I can't say which is greatest. Being able to learn from the incredibly talented people here is definitely something I cherish. What I find particularly cool about Schoenherr is that I am valued for my talents and challenged and encouraged accordingly.

"When in hell, keep walking."

Not to start studying immediately after high school, but to take a trip around the world first to better understand both the world and myself. I would also advise my younger self to be even braver, not to place so much importance on the opin-ions of others, and to always live by the motto: "Be humble, be kind, be brave".

What would I do differently today? Nothing. I firmly believe that things happen as they should and at the right time in life.