I had not been really happy and satisfied in my job as the founder of Fiebinger, Polak and Partners for a while, even though I, as an attorney, and we, as a law firm, had fulfilled all the classic parameters. Major cases and arbitrations, significant clients from many industries, international recognition, a growing staff – there were undeniable successes indeed, but each of these steps also meant increasing obligations. The concentration on less and less types of matters curtails the diversity of our profession. And to me, it felt more and more like I was moving in slow motion.

My curiosity and agility were less and less in demand, I missed the immediacy and spontaneity of personal encounters. It became increasingly frustrating to think about the depth of the structure, the weight of the cases, the enormous demands of the high-powered machine of a large law firm in every decision. And over the last few years, that has taken me further and further away from why I actually became a lawyer.

2020 and the coronavirus pandemic meant a profound disruption for me as well, but it also provided the very tranquility for reconsideration that I had never found in the pressure of daily routine. A sudden, forced pause, the realization of the fragility of our life models, not thought possible, as if in a burning glass.

Thus, a decision matured in a few months that I had been carrying around with me for quite some time: to stop working as an organizer of large-scale causa and to return to working as a solo attorney – independent, holistic, responsive, in close proximity to people and facing the full range of legal challenges, just as I did at the beginning of my career.