35 Years of Leadership: Julia Wulf, Taylor Wessing, Former WLG IP & IT Group Co-Chair

Julia Wulf
Partner at Taylor Wessing
WLG IP & IT Practice Group Co-chair, 2005–2011

How did you first get involved with WLG, and what led you to take on a leadership position?

Pretty soon after I joined Taylor Wessing, I was asked by my former senior partner to accompany him to one of the semi-annual World Law Group conferences. This partner was convinced that Taylor Wessing should be represented not only by male corporate lawyers but also by a young female IP lawyer.

After this first meeting, I took part in most of the conferences that followed and always attended the IP & IT group meetings.

I was fascinated by the way Andy Anderson, one of the early chairs of the group, ran the meetings. His competence, accompanied by reliability and fairness had a wonderful influence on the members of the group. He made them understand how important it is to communicate the activities of the group within their respective law firms.

It didn’t take long before I was asked by Andy to become his Co-chair. We initiated several surveys on IP topics which turned out to be very helpful for every IP lawyer dealing with international clients.

What is your advice to lawyers, especially women, who want to get more involved with or take on a leadership position within the WLG network?

My recommendation especially to young female lawyers is to take every opportunity - starting perhaps with the virtual opportunities - to take part in the activities of World Law Group, to regularly report on interesting developments in their respective countries, and to get involved. It is important to consistently engage and to be backed by one`s own firm.

It is also so important to get to know your colleagues at other member firms. Knowing them makes it easier to recommend them and trust them - clients feel that you trust them and are more open to other lawyers you recommend to them. The interactions also help you learn how to deal with colleagues from foreign countries.

How did your role as IP & IT Co-chair help build your global network, impact your practice, and benefit your firm?

As co-chair of a group, you regularly get into contact with other engaged members of the respective legal area. In combination with one of the main contact partners of Taylor Wessing, I received so many calls and emails either for IP and IT matters, as well as other areas. Thus, I became more connected within my own firm and other WLG member firms. The more you work together with lawyers of other member firms, the more you have the chance to build trustful relationships. The trust spreads back to the clients. You know exactly whom you can rely on and whom you can recommend to your clients.

Because of her participation and role in the group, she was often brought on to matters by corporate lawyers because of her ability to bring in foreign IP lawyers.