Pitch Best Young M&A Lawyer 2022: Dominique Coumans, Allen & Overy

Company: Allen & Overy 
Job Description: Senior Associate 
Age: 31 
 
What are the specialties of this talent? 
Dominique has a wide range of experience advising on- and coordinating complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. She is increasingly focusing on the infrastructure, energy and renewables sector. Dominique has worked on numerous large deals. Recent highlights including advising:  

• Arcus Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of HB Returnable Transport Solutions from Mentha Capital  
• BNP Paribas on the acquisition of a majority stake in Dynamic Credit, a Dutch asset manager and specialist lender. 
• Kallista Energy on the acquisition of a 40% stake in Windpark Krammer from Enercon Independent Power Producer. 
• Five Arrows Principal Investments on the merger of Voogd & Voogd Group and Heilbron Group, both active in the Dutch insurance market. Both businesses were already controlled by funds managed by Five Arrows Principal Investments. 
• Apax Partners France on its acquisition of NL Mental Care Group, a mental health care service provider in the Netherlands, operating through the brands Mentaal Beter, Vitalmindz, Alleskits and Opdidakt. 

How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers? 
Dominique (or Do as we call her) was promoted to senior associate in September 2022 but in practice already acted as a senior for a much longer period. Dominique is a true M&A tiger and very eager: any chance to develop is accepted with both hands. Moreover, her growth accelerates as she gets more responsibility.  

Despite her relatively short number of years of experience compared to others who fulfill a similar role, Dominique is a real deal captain who you can trust completely with a handling a transaction. Dominique is in full control during the transaction process from A to Z and is able to do this independently. At the same time, she knows very well when and in which areas a partner will add value. She knows herself well and is fully aware of her own capabilities, without over- or underestimating herself. This is very pleasant and rare combination and makes for a very smooth and enjoyable collaboration.  

How she really distinguishes herself from other excellent M&A lawyers, is her interest in her surroundings. Dominique see the values of investing in personal relationships with clients, her team and other colleagues. She has excellent social skills: she senses where tensions arise in a transaction or process and how to manage that tension. At the same time, she dares to speak out against the established order if she thinks something could be done differently or better. She is able to do this pleasantly and with the right tone which results in the fact that her critical view is always appreciated and that often results in a development that benefits our organization. 

What impact does the talent have within the organization? 
Dominique plays an important role within our organization in various areas. She is very involved in the training of our junior associates, because she believes that juniors can only develop sustainably within the office with the right personal guidance. For example, Dominique is active as a trainer and training developer for our internal training program Base Camp.  

She also acts as a bridge between the different grades and teams within the office, because she is able to empathize with both sides and she is trusted and valued by both sides. She senses exactly where tensions or needs lie and proactively comes up with a solution that benefits everyone.  

A concrete example: in times of Covid, Dominique set up a Q&A system for junior associates in the Corporate team, because she observed that new trainees were struggling with uncertainty about their functioning due to a lack of personal contact. This system is now adopted by the entire practice group and ensures sharing knowledge and connection has improved significantly.  

Another way Dominique makes an impact within (and outside) the organization is by continuously challenging the status quo. The expression “that's how we always do it” feels like a red flag to her. Another example: Dominique noted that certain due diligence processes had long been causing friction between different practice groups. She decided to discuss the causes of this friction by organizing feedback sessions with the various stakeholders. The safe environment that Dominique manages to create during such a meeting creates an open dialogue. As a result, we have not only improved our processes, but especially the cooperation. This a remarkable achievement and of great added value when you consider we are in an industry where everything is fast-paced and tunnel vision on your own expertise can happen quickly.  

Dominique is also committed to a diverse and inclusive recruitment policy. Among other things, she conducts job interviews with student interns, where she consciously looks beyond the standard selection criteria. Next to her involvement in the recruitment process, Dominique is involved in various pro bono projects within the office, organized the Employee Weekend, participated in the office cabaret and was captain of the Allen & Overy hockey team. 

What impact does the talent have outside the organization? 
Dominique often acts as the spider in the web. She has a wide range of experience advising on and coordinating complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions and in almost every transaction, lawyers from different countries work together, from offices in our own A&O network and beyond. Dominique brings all teams and information together and acts as a reliable and competent point of contact for the client and international colleagues. She is an excellent fit for this role, because here too she combines her substantive expertise with her strong social skills. 

To what extent does the talent make the difference to clients? 
In the first place, Dominique is an excellent M&A lawyer, who independently handles large, international transactions, provides clients with perfect substantive support and achieves the best results. This makes her an asset to both the office and clients. However, where Dominique really makes the difference for clients is the personal relationship she builds with them in every transaction. This is at least as important as closing the deal, as Dominique believes the client will come back to Allen & Overy with a new deal, if they look back on the cooperation and process with pleasure. This forward-looking insight comes naturally to her and takes other years to develop.  

As mentioned, Dominique also feels where clients tensions or needs lie. Another example: when an in-house counsel got stuck at an SPA, Dominique offered a substantive one-on-one session to give that person more confidence. “Things like that give me so much energy,” says Dominique.  

Thanks to her enthusiasm, cordiality and genuine interest, Dominique makes real contact with clients and creates a pleasant working atmosphere. As a result, clients enjoy working with her and the team and the relationship remains very well even when the pressure increases. And even after the deal, Dominique often maintains contact with clients, who often explicitly state that they want to work with her again in the event of a subsequent deal.  

The best example of Dominique’s impact on clients is probably that clients regularly ask whether they can also come and work at A&O, because Dominique with her enthusiasm, it makes people want to work at A&O too (And of course we can only agree with that image.) 

Why does the talent deserve this nomination? 
Dominique is an extremely capable M&A lawyer, who stands out for her substantive knowledge, her impressive track record, her drive to develop and her ability to genuinely connect with people. She stands out from her peers because she is able to effectively combine her M&A expertise with great interpersonal and communications skills and “captain” a deal in a way that is normally associated with lawyers with twice her years of experience. Moreover, she is uniquely able to recognize the needs of those she works with internally and externally and respond to these with practical, forward-looking and most all successful solutions.  

She is incredibly energetic, always positive and driven to grow and develop further. In short, Dominique is a beacon for both clients and colleagues who doesn’t shy away from a challenge. 

Any references or recommendations from clients or (colleagues)? 
“I recently worked with Dominique on the acquisition of a majority stake in a Dutch alternative investment management boutique. She has been key in bringing this transaction to a successful close, not only due to her legal know-how, drive and coordination & negotiation skills, but also thanks to her strong interpersonal skills. It was a pleasure to work with her on this transaction.”  

“We worked with Dominique on a highly demanding and strategically important transaction for our organization. Dominique was the right lawyer for the job – efficient, hard-working pragmatic, technically excellent and a pleasure to work with throughout. Impressed the lawyers and non-lawyers in our deal team alike. The decision to return to A&O for a bolt-on acquisition was driven, to an important extent, by the prospect of working with her again.”