M&A Awards 2026: José Borkent (Best Young M&A Lawyer 2026)
Company: Stibbe
Job Description: Associate Corporate/M&A
Age: 25
Years of working experience in M&A: 3
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What are the specialties of this talent?
José is a sharp, thorough and proactive M&A lawyer with a strong intellectual curiosity and a clear ability to translate complex legal issues into accurate, practical and commercially relevant advice.
One of José’s particular strengths is her ability to combine detailed legal analysis with a strong overview of the transaction as a whole. She takes the time to understand the issues at hand, asks the right questions and develops a thorough understanding of the legal and broader transactional context. This allows her to identify connections between different workstreams and to contribute effectively to the management of transactions.
José also takes significant ownership of her work. She works in a structured manner, maintains a clear overview and can be relied upon to keep matters moving. Her approach is both analytical and pragmatic: she aims not only to identify the legal issue, but also to understand what is needed to resolve it effectively within the dynamics of a transaction.
A further strength is her client focus. José is highly responsive and service-oriented and quickly builds trust with clients. She combines substantive legal expertise with a practical and accessible approach, making her a trusted point of contact throughout a transaction.
How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
José distinguishes herself through the combination of a steep learning curve, early responsibility and a genuine intellectual engagement with M&A. Despite being at an early stage of her career, she has already been entrusted with significant responsibility and independence in managing transactions and advising sophisticated clients.
What particularly sets her apart is her willingness to look beyond the immediate legal question. José actively challenges assumptions and the status quo when she believes there is a better way forward. She wants to understand not only what the legal position is, but also why it matters in the broader transactional context. This intellectual curiosity allows her to contribute at a level beyond what would be expected given her seniority.
Her colleagues describe her as a promising lawyer who operates above her seniority. At the same time, José combines this substantive confidence with an approachable and collaborative manner. She is positive, reliable and easy to work with, while remaining clear and firm when discussing substantive issues.
This combination of independence, intellectual curiosity and collaborative leadership gives José a strong foundation for further development and leadership.
What impact does the talent have within the organization?
José has quickly established herself as a highly valued member of Stibbe’s Corporate/M&A team, making a meaningful contribution to both the quality and efficiency of the team's work. Despite having only three years of experience, she operates with a level of independence, responsibility and maturity that exceeds what would ordinarily be expected at her seniority.
Her impact is particularly evident in the way she takes ownership of transactions and contributes to the effective coordination of different workstreams. José's structured approach, strong organisational skills and ability to maintain oversight of complex matters help her colleagues navigate the fast-paced and demanding nature of M&A transactions. She anticipates potential issues, proactively follows up on outstanding matters and ensures that work progresses efficiently, making her a reliable and trusted team member.
José also contributes to the team's intellectual environment. Her curiosity, willingness to challenge established approaches and ability to offer well-reasoned solutions encourage constructive discussions and strengthen the quality of the team's work. She combines this with a positive, approachable and collaborative attitude, earning the trust and appreciation of colleagues at all levels.
Beyond her transactional responsibilities, José actively contributes to the development of junior colleagues, students and interns by sharing her knowledge and involving them in the M&A practice. Her enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring helps create a supportive learning environment within the team.
Through her combination of substantive excellence, proactive ownership and commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing, José already makes a tangible contribution to Stibbe's M&A practice and demonstrates clear potential to become a future leader within the firm.
What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
José has a longstanding commitment to sharing knowledge and helping others develop. Her interest in teaching goes back to secondary school, when she started tutoring children from disadvantaged backgrounds. During this period, after obtaining her Cambridge Advanced English qualification and International Baccalaureate certificate and graduating with honours, she also volunteered to support children who needed additional help with English.
During and following her legal studies, from which she graduated cum laude at both bachelor’s and master’s level, José continued to actively share her knowledge. She provided tutoring to students in various areas of law, as well as in other academic subjects such as history and mathematics, and contributed to a legal textbook written by one of her university professors.
To date, her passion for sharing knowledge is reflected in the way José inspires and engages students and interns who are keen to learn more about what the M&A practice entails. She takes the time to involve them in transactions, giving them a clear and enthusiastic introduction to the work and the opportunities it offers.
Her continued engagement in teaching reflects her broad interests, her willingness to share knowledge with others and her commitment to continuously developing and keeping her own knowledge and skills up to date.
To what extent does the talent make a difference when working with clients?
José makes a difference to clients through a combination of responsiveness, substantive quality and ownership.
Clients can rely on José to engage with complex legal and transactional issues while communicating them clearly and practically. She is highly responsive and willing to go the extra mile to deliver for clients. Her approach gives clients confidence that issues will be followed through and that she will take responsibility for finding a way forward.
José also takes ownership of the broader transaction; she keeps track of complex transaction documentation, understands the different workstreams and actively considers how the various elements of a transaction fit together.
As a result, José has developed into a trusted point of contact for clients. Her ability to combine detailed legal work with an understanding of the wider transaction enables her to contribute not only as a lawyer, but also to the effective management and progress of the matter.
Why does the talent deserves this nomination?
José’s nomination is supported by a clear and steep learning curve and trajectory of exceptional development, increasing responsibility and consistently strong feedback from clients, partners and colleagues.
She is analytical, precise, proactive and highly motivated by M&A. She has a genuine interest in understanding the substance of complex transactions and is not afraid to challenge assumptions or contribute her own solution. At the same time, she has demonstrated an ability to coordinate work, connect different aspects of a transaction and support effective collaboration within a team.
For these reasons, José represents a particularly strong example of the next generation of M&A lawyers: analytically strong, intellectually curious, commercially minded, client-focused and increasingly capable of taking ownership of complex transactions.
Any references or recommendations from clients or (colleagues)?
“A driven, sharp and talented lawyer who picks up matters quickly and well.”
“Reliable, very service-oriented, calm under pressure and someone you can rely on.”
“Very clear in her communication and highly organised; she keeps track of the to-dos for you in the hectic dynamics of an M&A transaction.”
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