The first edition of Next Generation Lawyers – a wrap-up
Jan Janukowicz is the winner, with Aleksandra Domarecka and Konrad Grussy sharing the runner-up spot – we are delighted to announce the leaders of the inaugural edition of our original Next Generation Lawyers programme for young lawyers.
And we can safely say it was not only a bullseye, but above all a rewarding investment on both sides. An investment in skills, professional maturity, business acumen, mindset and identity. And in shaping a new future that both our firm and its young, highly talented and thoroughly prepared leaders are now stepping into.
How young lawyers learn to shape the future of law
Next Generation Lawyers was born out of a conviction that technical legal excellence is these days, merely the starting point. A solid and essential one, to be sure – but to make a real impact on both your own career and your client’s business, something extra is needed. Leadership skills, fluency in the language of business, and the courage to think strategically and outside the box. Add to that an awareness of personal branding and the ability to navigate a world built on relationships.
That is why we designed an intensive six-month programme for genuinely passionate young lawyers. It aimed, on the one hand, to strengthen their soft skills and leadership capabilities, and on the other, to equip them with hard-edged business development tools.
And the formula worked brilliantly. Our participants learned what inclusive team management really means and how to harness emotional intelligence. They discovered the potential of networking and how to boost cross-selling.
They also saw first-hand what can be gained through a consistent commitment to building image as experts.
Growth you can see and hear
No description can replace what the participants themselves have to say.
Aleksandra Domarecka had a clear objective: she wanted to learn how to think about acquiring clients by looking beyond her own network of contacts.
My main reason for joining the programme was a desire to enhance my business development skills and step beyond the scope of my day-to-day work. I was keen to broaden my understanding of how to win clients not only through my own network of contacts, but also by learning to effectively identify prospective clients. I also wanted to take a more creative approach to building new business relationships and reaching people who might need our services. Equally important to me was gaining insight into the most common mistakes made at each stage of the client acquisition process, and how to avoid them.
Konrad Grussy took away from the programme something that transformed his approach to the entire client relationship:
Trust is not built through a single meeting or a well-crafted legal opinion. It’s the product of a consistent way of working together – attentive listening, anticipating the client’s needs, clear communication and delivering solutions that reflect the realities of their business. This kind of approach makes it possible to build relationships that go well beyond a single project.
His advice for other young lawyers?
Don’t treat business development as something separate from your work as a lawyer. The strongest client relationships are built not through selling, but through a genuine understanding of clients’ needs, curiosity about their business and a consistent commitment to delivering value. With that mindset, business development becomes a natural outcome of a job well done.
Aleksandra Popielska was also particularly appreciative of the modules on business development and self-presentation:
I learned how important it is to build your professional image consciously and to tailor the way you communicate to each client. The advice I received was thoroughly grounded – useful not only in client-facing situations, but also in day-to-day teamwork and when speaking in public.
What stood out most for this talented real estate lawyer?
The programme reinforced my belief that a lawyer’s role is not confined to producing analyses and documents. Relationship-building skills, an understanding of the client’s needs and the ability to look at their challenges from a broader, business-oriented perspective are becoming increasingly important. These are competencies well worth developing from the very start of your career.
The competition winner, Jan Janukowicz, stresses that the programme did not so much change his approach to selling legal services as bring structure to it and provide him with additional, concrete tools:
The programme gave me a new perspective on communicating the value of our services, which makes a practical approach to cross-selling much easier and helps show clients the broader context of our support.
Another particularly practical discovery for our programme leader was the module on the art of writing short, precise emails, together with the workshops on effective time management. He now blocks out dedicated slots in his calendar for focused individual work – giving him the composure and confidence to engage in business dialogue.
I’ve gained the confidence to step beyond the boundaries of my own area of specialisation. I now look more readily and more assuredly for opportunities to offer support from across the firm, always, of course, with a feel for the dynamics of the meeting.
What Next Generation Lawyers really teaches
Listening to the participants of the first edition, one thing is clear: the programme has genuinely shifted the way they think.
How, exactly?
- How they see the lawyer’s role – not as someone who carries out instructions, but as an alert business partner to the client
- How they approach relationships – where trust is the product of consistent action, not a one-off impression
- How they communicate in the language of value rather than listing the scope of services – and the ability to articulate what the client will gain, not merely what they will receive
- How they see cross-selling as a natural part of teamwork
- How they organise their own work and think long-term
These are competencies that can only be developed through experience, practice and the space for reflection. And that is precisely what we intended to provide when we created Next Generation Lawyers.
The first edition is behind us. What’s next?
The inaugural edition of the programme is not just a source of satisfaction, but, above all, a rich pool of insights for the future. We can see how participants are changing the way they engage with clients, how they step beyond the boundaries of their own practice areas with greater confidence, and how they are increasingly involved in the life of the firm well beyond the purely legal dimension.
We believe that an organisation grows fastest when its people do not keep knowledge to themselves but are able to pass it on, while remaining open to learning from others. Next Generation Lawyers is one of the drivers that keep making this happen.
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