Pitch Best Young M&A Lawyer 2021: Julius Kahn, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Bekijk alle pitches & stem direct
Company: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Job Description: Associate Corporate M&A
Age: 29
What are the specialties of this talent?
Julius is exceptionally eager to gain a full understanding of every aspect of the transactions he is involved in. Not shy of asking questions and invested in putting in the hours to self-educate, he will make it a point of understanding why things are done in a certain way, what the alternatives are and what the pros and cons of a certain approach are. This attitude has allowed him to have a very steep learning curve from the start of his career at Freshfields. It also empowers other team members to speak up and ask questions if they do not understand something, all adding to a collegial culture of helping and sharing knowledge across teams.
In addition, Julius is not easily thrown off by surprises that may arise in complex transactions. Instead, he deals with these challenges in a swift and pragmatic manner, always maintaining his cool and keeping the best result for the client in mind. Lastly, Julius has very strong social skills, being able to break the ice with (new) clients very quickly and create a fun atmosphere to work in.
The combination of his intrinsic interest to fully understand every step of the process and his strong social skills, has led him to become a very strong lawyer with knowledge across various fields and enabled him to forge strong team and client relationships.
How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
In addition to the more classic M&A experience (working for corporates/PE’s/financial institutions) Julius has over the years, gained a strong track record in media and tech related transactions. His interest in ‘data heavy’ transactions has led him to self-educate on data protection laws, enabling him to advise clients on M&A transactions with a data focus without having to refer to data specialists, which has proven to be very valuable for clients. His wide experience in media and tech transactions have given Julius deep knowledge of this sector. This mix of deep knowledge in TMT transactions and hands-on skills have earned him the trust of the partners and clients to take the lead in various media deals at a relatively young age.
What impact does the talent have within the organization?
Julius is involved in the organization of numerous social office events, such as the Continental Europe Conference (a conference for the continental Freshfields offices and the London office organized in Amsterdam), organizing the Skiing trip and employees weekend trip. Within the firm, people also like Julius for his creative side (singing/performing) which is expressed by the fact that he has been (successfully) performing in the office Christmas band and involved in the cabaret show for the 20th anniversary party of Freshfields Amsterdam.
Julius is a team player at heart and being inclusive is something that he does naturally. He believes that the best working environment is achieved by forming a strong bond with your colleagues. Julius is seen by his colleagues as a confidante and is a big driver in the team for keeping the spirits and moral high. He is very invested in the wellbeing of his colleagues and has been driving multiple initiatives in that regard, including organizing virtual get-togethers and ‘ask me anything” sessions for new joiners to fill the gap of learning on the job in the office when everyone was forced to work from home during the pandemic.
Finally, Julius is very much involved with Freshfields Amsterdam learning program, educating and training the junior associates on various M&A and data related topics.
What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Since the start of his career at Freshfields, Julius has been committed to helping others, whether through sports, work or otherwise. He has raised money running the New York marathon for Human Rights Watch, he has done extensive pro-bono work for the Energiebank (initiative of the Voedselbank) and the Hersenstichting, and when the Corona lockdown hit Amsterdam a yea rago, he came up with an initiative called ‘Buurthelden’ to help raise money and awareness for small and local entrepreneurs (‘bruine kroegen’) in Amsterdam when faced with financial duress, which he completely managed outside work in his spare time.
To what extent does the talent make the difference to clients?
Julius knows how to approach and work with clients and has proven to have very strong client relationship skills. These skills allowed him to forge a strong connection with, amongst others, key client Talpa. Keen to better understand the business of his client, Julius was seconded to Talpa for a client secondment, which further strengthened the client relationship and gave Julius interesting insights in the field of media M&A. As a result, he has developed his client relationship with Talpa over the years in such a way that he has grown past the role of M&A lawyer and has truly become a trusted advisor for the Talpa team, meaning that his deep knowledge and understanding of the Talpa business and strategy allows him to move quickly and provide well-tailored advice. With the deep knowledge he has gained over the years, he is very well equipped to advise various clients on tech and media related matters, making him stand out as a M&A lawyer.
Why does the talent deserve this nomination?
Julius is an extremely motivated lawyer with an enormous drive to fully understand every aspect of his work and getting the job done. In addition to this drive, Julius has very strong social skills which makes him a team player and role model for younger associates. The combination of drive, strong academic and social skills has led him to build a very impressive TMT track record over the years and to grow past the role of M&A lawyer to become a trusted adviser for key clients.
