Gabrielle Dannberg is a respected practitioner focused on complex domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions. Clients praise her especially for her pragmatic solutions and strong project management skills. We asked our newly appointed Managing Partner Gabrielle Dannberg a few questions. Here’s what she said.
Q: You will formally begin in your new position as the Managing Partner as of 1 January 2023. What is D&I’s vision for 2023 and beyond?
We want to be the obvious choice for demanding corporate clients. At the same time we want to be a progressive and inspirational working community for star individuals. We are on a good path, and will continue to grow and constantly develop our services. We aim to create exceptional value together with our clients. We work hard to nurture our collaborative culture and believe that the best advice and brightest ideas are created when we combine our deep expertise with the insights of our clients.
Q: Where do you see the biggest challenges of the law firm business during the next 5 years?
The last few years have taught us that the world we live in can change quickly. Law firms need to be prepared for unexpected events and we need to become more resilient and develop our abilities to adapt to change quickly. The competition for talent and clients is tough, and without being able to attract and retain the best talent, we cannot offer our clients the most insightful service. The next generation of lawyers challenges our ways of working, and we need to be able to transform ourselves and together develop new ways of working smarter.
Q: For many years, you have been personally involved in the recruitment processes at D&I. What qualities do you mostly look for in a young aspiring lawyer?
Yes, I have enjoyed being involved in our recruitment. It is so important, and I have found it both highly interesting and rewarding! The young aspiring lawyers are smart and possess more self-knowledge than I (and dare I say my peers) did in the early stages of my career. We are looking for different kinds of persons – there is an intrinsic value in building diverse teams. The things I especially look for are a great attitude, curiosity, a passion for something, team working skills and resilience.
Q: What kind of Managing Partner are you planning to be?
That’s an interesting and hard question! I firmly believe that no one can be anything else than what they are, and that we need to play on our individual strengths to succeed. I hope that I can contribute to our people reaching their full potential and thereby help us as a firm to be the best law firm partner to our clients. I want to lead by example and motivate the people around me to excel. I will focus a lot on communication.
Q: Tell us you work at D&I without telling us you work at D&I!
I work in many different teams all the time, with people of different backgrounds and with different skill sets. Everyone’s input is necessary and valued, and we collaborate for the best results for our clients. I get to challenge myself every day, and no day is like the other. I like that I get to meet colleagues in our only kitchen every day and that our firm-wide whatsapp group is in active use.
