KorumLegal Consultant: Nathalie Tortellier reflects on the vibrancy that working in NewLaw provides her.

Nathalie Tortellier is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer in APAC. She has wide-ranging experience as an in-house counsel in multinational companies advising on financing and fundraising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial and operational matters, IP and employment and acting as leader responsible for the company secretarial department in private practice. Nathalie has broad industry experience with technology, software editing, food & beverages, retail hospitality, e-commerce, manufacturing and blockchain sectors.

1. Hi Nathalie! Can you tell us a little about the work you are currently doing and have been doing?  

For the last three years, I have been working on assignments, which are temporary roles in multinational corporations. I covered for an APAC GC during her two successive maternity leaves, and assisted another one who encountered difficulties in finding the right senior legal counsel for her team.   Since then, I have been advising various corporations on a wide range of transactions, such as the negotiation and the documentation of all elements of a tender in the F&B sector with the main real-estate company in Hong Kong, the drafting of the acquisition documentation of the Chinese factory of an automotive spare parts manufacturer, or the negotiation and review of documents for the sale of an interior design company based in Dubai to a Hong Kong buyer.

2. What made you take the leap into working in NewLaw for ALSP's? And why is it a good fit for you?

Diversity: I love meeting new people from diverse backgrounds, and I enjoy working for different industries. Working in NewLaw is definitely a good fit for me as it offers a unique multidisciplinary environment.

Adaptability: Laws and contracts are not obstacles but strong support to business development. I enjoy drawing my legal creativity from diversified companies' cultures and laws to be a solution-oriented person. 

Energy: "A challenge a day keeps the doctor away" could summarise the energy I love to deploy to understand the operating model of a client's business in order to assist the decision-makers with more accuracy and proficiency. The energy that entrepreneurs or executives send back is deeply rewarding and highly motivating. 

3. What's the most rewarding assignment you've ever had and why? 

Covering for the same GC twice 🙂 I was proud of such a move of trust and confidence in me!

4. As an experienced NewLaw/ ALSP consultant, where do you see NewLaw/ ALSP fitting into the matrix of the legal sector and how have you seen it evolve?

NewLaw has to secure its positioning in the legal sector, especially boutique or medium-size ALSPs. Keeping highly qualified consultants to strengthen their market share compared to large firms seems essential, as well as communicating on their core values that make them a refreshing option for their clients.

5. What trends do you expect to see in the legal services industry in the next 5 years? 

I imagine the growth of NewLaw with new generations of lawyers (in the widest sense of it) coming in. Their level of demand for a balanced way of life, the curiosity of their youth and their thirst for learning will boost the legal services industry.

6. Your favourite tune? And why? 

"Nothing else matters" by Metallica, and all the album when I make and bake a chocolate cake!