Interviewed by Hanna Müller

Núria Martín is not only Managing Partner, co-founder of Osborne Clarke Spain, and one of the ‘Top 50 inspiring women lawyers in Spain and Portugal’; she is also a mother of two children. Núria discusses her career achievement, the importance of networking events and balancing career and family.

You are Managing Partner, former Chair of Osborne Clarke’s International Council, and co-founder of Osborne Clarke Spain. Could you tell us about your current Managing Partner role and what skills have been required to be successful?

In my current role as Managing Partner, I focus on one major client and the rest of the time I manage the firm and our people. People are the most valuable asset in all businesses but especially in a law firm. I try to anticipate everyone’s needs, give my best and make sure that Osborne Clarke remains a great place to work. I also keep an eye on turnover, profit, and growth.

What makes me successful today is the time I spend listening to our people, always keeping the door of my office open, trying my best to achieve goals and make our firm profitable.

What makes me successful today is 
the time I spend listening to our people, 
always keeping the door of my office open, 
trying my best to achieve goals 
and make our firm profitable.

You have over 30 years of experience in both transactional and advisory work, leading major acquisition projects and coordinating legal councils around the world. What helped you get to where you are today in your professional career?

It is always a mixture of things, but luck remains an important component of success. We had always believed in the idea of building the Osborne Clarke office in Spain and we worked very hard for it. What helped contribute to my professional success was having loyal clients and great partners not only professionally speaking, but also on a personal level.

You played a big role in our 5^th Women Talent Pool Programme Kick-off in Barcelona where we welcomed 39 new participants. What is the impact of such events and networking opportunities on young female leaders in your view?

I have good memories of this event because it allowed me to work hand in hand with WIL Europe. These types of events are quite important, especially for younger female lawyers. They can learn a range of things, such as communication skills and the importance of building a strong network.

Now that the Covid-19 situation is slowly getting better (note to readers: this interview was held on 19^th November, 2021 when this was the case), I believe we should try to get back to normal life, go outside, join networking events and connect with other professionals at least twice a month.

Besides being a successful leader, you are also a mother. What type of opportunities and initiatives does Osborne Clarke Spain offer to new and expectant mothers?

For female lawyers, life can be as challenging or as easy as for their male counterparts. At Osborne Clarke Spain, we have more female than male lawyers and we want them to give them an opportunity to combine both maternity and their professional career. As long as mothers want to come back and continue their professional careers, we are very open to adapting to their needs. We have some female lawyers who work until the day before birth but we also have colleagues who leave two months before. Both are fine! We try to be very accommodating with young mothers returning to work after parental leaves. We try to find individual solutions for young mothers such as child-friendly working hours, part-time or home office. They can come back little by little and we adjust because we do not want to lose these talents.

We, at Osborne Clarke Spain, 
have more female than male lawyers 
and we want them to give them an opportunity 
to combine both maternity and their professional career.

Returning to the office after maternity leave can be scary, not to mention challenging. How did you manage the return to work after becoming a mother and did you, like many working parents, face parental guilt? If so, how did you manage it?

Parental guilt happens to a lot of mothers. Women always tend to feel guilty when things do not go smoothly. This is a very common pattern which we should try to fight against. As a mother of two children, I still remember very well the first day when I returned to the office after maternity leave. Indeed, I felt very guilty leaving my four-month-old baby at home.

After a couple of months, I was happy when it was Monday again because my weekends with the kids were much more exhausting than my job. That is why it is important to find a balance between your professional and personal life. In the end, this only works when husbands and partners support you. Parenting should a 50/50 and responsibilities must be shared. Women have just as much right to work and grow professionally as men. It is important that everyone, not only their partners but also their colleagues and bosses, understand that.

I try to tell our female lawyers who become mothers for the first time that we do not work at the same speed throughout our entire career. For different reasons, there will be moments where we must slow down and moments where we allocate more effort and time to our jobs. Everybody understands that. We should not feel guilty about it.

Parenting should be 50/50
and responsibilities must be shared. 

Proust Questionnaire: what do you consider your greatest achievement?

Professionally speaking, I am very proud of having built up the local structure of our office and being a founder of Osborne Clarke Spain. When the founders retire, the firm will continue being in good hands. I have been working with some of my colleagues for the last 39 years now. There are some whom I know since the very first beginning of my career.

In my private life, I am really proud of my daughter and son and the people they have become.

Video edited by Dovilė Bogušytė