“I now find it more rewarding to see the team do well than to achieve something individually”

Partner Pessi Honkasalo from our Technology, Data & IP team shares his career journey from joining Krogerus as a trainee, exploring other career opportunities and finding his way back to Krogerus as Partner. He reflects on learning from colleagues and clients, taking on assignments that have pushed him outside his comfort zone, and how his role has evolved to focus on developing the expertise of other lawyers.

How has your career been so far and how did you end up at Krogerus?

My interest in law goes back a long way. When a newspaper interviewed me at the age of 12, I confidently said that I wanted to become a lawyer, although I had no idea what lawyers actually did. My plans were not entirely settled, either: between that interview and applying to law school, I was also going to become, at various points, a diplomat, a (political) historian and an editor at a publishing house.

I first came to Krogerus as a trainee through a programme run by my university. I stayed on as an Associate, first taking some time away to pursue a PhD in the UK. After returning and progressing to Senior Associate, an opportunity arose to build the legal function of a listed company. I took it, moving in-house as General Counsel and seeing legal work from a very different perspective. I later worked as a legal technologist and led a legal team at a multinational law firm before eventually finding my way back to Krogerus.

Technology has always interested me. Since I never quite learnt to code properly, I ended up working on the legal side of tech instead. That has proved a natural fit: I get to understand how new technologies work and tackle the legal questions they raise.

Despite that early certainty about becoming a lawyer, I have never planned my career very far ahead. I have tried to stay open to opportunities, take on work that seems interesting and keep learning. Looking back, the different roles have each given me a useful perspective on the profession.

How has your expertise evolved and what have been the most important drivers of your professional growth?

Completing my doctoral dissertation was probably the single most important step in developing my expertise and sharpening my analytical thinking. Beyond that, I have learnt most from difficult assignments that pushed me outside my comfort zone and made me take responsibility for things I had not done before.

I have also learnt a great deal from talented colleagues and from clients who know their businesses inside out. Honest feedback has been just as valuable. Few things help you improve more than having your thinking challenged and being told where your work could be better.

Experience naturally brings confidence, but it should also make you more aware of what you do not know. That is especially true in technology, data and IP law, where both the underlying technologies and the legal frameworks surrounding them are constantly evolving.

There is always something new to learn in my field. The real challenge is finding enough time to keep up. Continuous learning is simply part of the job, however experienced you are.

What does your role look like today compared to earlier in your career?

Earlier in my career, I focused mainly on legal analysis and drafting. Over time, I have taken on broader responsibility for clients, matters and the team. I now spend more time looking at the client's needs and the matter as a whole, rather than only at the individual legal question. An important part of that is giving younger colleagues room to take responsibility and develop their own expertise. But I still very much enjoy rolling up my sleeves and hammering out a draft myself when needed.

Developing other lawyers is now a central part of my role. I try to stay close to the team's day-to-day work and to be available when colleagues need to discuss something. As my responsibilities have grown, my view of success has changed too. I now find it more rewarding to see the team do well than to achieve something individually.

What keeps you curious and motivated as your career continues to evolve?

The law itself still interests me, particularly the work of turning difficult legal questions into practical advice. One reason I chose to study law was that I liked the idea of law as society's code. That still fascinates me.

I continue to learn a great deal from conversations with colleagues and clients. Working with younger lawyers is particularly valuable because they bring new ways of thinking and keep me questioning my own assumptions. They also tend to be much more aware of the world around them than I was at the same age. Reading remains important to me too, and I still prefer to do it the old-fashioned way: for new ideas, different perspectives or simply a good story, it is hard to beat a physical book.

There is still plenty I would like to learn and experience. I am curious about what future assignments and opportunities will bring. In particular, I am interested in how AI develops as a technology and how it changes legal work.

Piece of advice you would give an aspiring lawyer

• There are surprisingly few clear yes-or-no answers in law. Sound reasoning and well-founded arguments will take you a long way.
• Read widely, stay curious and take opportunities when they come. You rarely know in advance where they will lead or what you will learn.
• Make time for life outside work. With three children of pre- and primary-school age, I am rarely short of things to do in my "free" time.

Pessi's career in numbers