M&S PROFILE: Dr Ece Gürsoy

Dr Ece Gürsoy, the chief legal officer of Lightsource Renewable Energy, is the recent winner of The Legal 500 UK in-house individual of the year: Environment category. In September the Lightsource Renewable Energy legal team was also awarded the Halsbury Legal Award for In-House Team of the Year.

What was your route into the profession?

I first studied in Istanbul where I also began my career and practiced both in-house and private practice at an international law firm. In Istanbul, I had the opportunity to work alongside senior partners and experienced foreign lawyers so I had the privilege of advising from different perspectives on various areas of law, which I really feel broadened my horizons. When I moved to England as a qualified associate, I had to begin from scratch to get my practicing qualifications all over again in order to practice here in England. I started working for Dentons and had my training with them to be admitted to Law Society as a solicitor. During my tenure at Dentons, I had the chance to expand my skillset from a UK law perspective specialising in energy, infrastructure and project finance transactions. Finally, my time at Lightsource has allowed me to transform the role of a classic in-house lawyer and truly immerse myself in the business to create bankable, workable legal solutions that are tailored to the needs of the company. These different experiences along my career path have certainly helped to shape me as a lawyer and also the way I try to approach the development of my team and trainees.

What has been your biggest career challenge so far?

I think the biggest challenge is to be the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle when it comes to marrying up the right legal advice with your client's (I use the term for both in-house (internal) and private practice (external)) expectations—to get this balance right can be a challenge.

You must know the business well enough to give the most relevant legal advice—this may sound somewhat cliché but the sentiment of it is crucial. Once you understand the core of the business, you can devise your legal knowledge into a workable legal solution and this is where you start creating sector specific precedent and practice, through which you contribute to the legal system and I believe this is the main challenge to overcome as well as a professional objective for successful practice. This understanding is also key to meeting a client's needs in terms of cost and timing in view of the pressing deadlines. I would also add keeping on top of developments in the law and more importantly getting your clients to see you as someone to consult with about their plans, instead of after the fact, or when they get into trouble, are the other key challenges and, by the same token, key ingredients to the successful legal practice.

Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?

I would say those few senior and talented partners that I worked with during my private practice in the early days of my career in Istanbul. I inherited the fundamentals of being a decent, disciplined and pragmatic lawyer from them. They taught me to be an ambitious go-getter lawyer, who at the same time gives an impeccable and considered advice.

I would also say that my PhD supervisor at Kings College has been an inspiration as he taught me the importance of being brief in dealing with vast amount of complex legal information and the importance of being extremely analytical when looking into a given legal matter.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?

This is a tough question, as I have had a passion for law for as long as I can remember, but I’m very interested in the structure of businesses, so I think this could be an area I would look at. I think it would have to be something which would allow me to draw on my analytical and organisational skills.

Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?

I would have to pick the White House Counsel from The West Wing. I really enjoyed the show.

What change would you make to the profession?

I believe we are already seeing change with the emergence of a new era of in-house legal professionals. Our recent Halsbury Legal Award highlighted the tangible contribution that we as an in-house legal team have made to the success of the business and I think this is becoming of more and more importance. The Lightsource legal team has put aside the traditional in-house role, where lawyers remain reactive to risks and remote from decision-making functions, and positioned itself as the company’s proactive strategic consultant. I believe that the role of the modern in-house lawyer is set to change the legal profession and the way the legal sector works. In any dynamic industry where speed is essential to success, it is key that your lawyers are involved from day one. In the current economic climate, where small businesses or start-ups are becoming sector leaders, the businesses and the CEOs need their in-house legal expertise within their reach it becomes of ever greater significance.

How do you relax?

When I am tired, the only cure is being somewhere nearby the sea.  Also, I really enjoy yoga, which I try to practice three times a week. I’ve found it so beneficial that I have even introduced it to my colleagues at Lightsource and we now have a weekly session here!