8 www.lawyer-monthly.com Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards 2024 represent clients at over 500 court hearings annually. It is not unheard of for me to take part in complex tens of millions of dollars lawsuits across borders. You have extensive experience in criminal defense. What drew you to this particular field of law, and what keeps you motivated to defend your clients in highstakes cases? There isn’t a better challenge than to stand by someone who often has the whole world against them because everyone deserves defence, regardless of the nature of the case. What attracted me to this type of law was the observation of the long road to committing a crime, which stems from their childhood. The environment people grew up in and what was considered normal all contribute to them inheriting these ’norms’. So, in reality, they can’t comprehend the weight of their punishable action and the negative consequences it has on others. My motivation is professional and to prove that my client did not commit the charges against him. If he did, then my goal is for the court to truly accept the extenuating circumstances and not only seemingly. The other aspect of criminal law I find interesting, and most people disagree with, is that losing your freedom is an awfully serious punishment. If you had to think about not being allowed to leave your home for one week only, you’d feel extremely uncomfortable. In comparison to this, you are surrounded by complete strangers in a prison and often live in appalling conditions for years. This creates an unbearable situation that one simply cannot expect a socially acceptable solution. The reintegration of people who spent years behind bars is almost impossible. In my view, those years should be spent in an inspiring environment similar to everyday life, like many prisons in Norway. Places like those turn inmates into better people at the end of their prison sentences. Can you describe a particularly challenging case, whether in criminal law or family law, and how you were able to achieve a successful outcome? Cohabiting unmarried couples presents a huge challenge in family law. All parties must prove the allocation of mutually accumulated collective funds that may occur during a ten-year relationship. I’ve had a case where a woman from a developing country lived in Hungary with her partner for 20 years, and they had children too. The lady in question helped her partner build Q Q
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