Ayer, 21 de marzo se publicó la entrevista realizada a Diana Fdez Soutullo, abogada en TIC Legal / Soutullo & Asociadas , por la periodista Verónica R. Setién para WORKCASE.

Accede a la entrevista por WORKCASE 

An for those who prefer English,

Diana Fdez Soutullo, lawyer in TIC Legal / Soutullo & Asociadas  has been interviewed by WORKCASE. The interview has been pusblished yesterday.

Please, find here the English translation of the interview. Courtesy of Paula Soutullo

“A lawyer specialized in technology should be in contact with mathematicians and telecommunications specialists«

The passport stamps of Diana Fernández Soutullo , Galician lawyer, is the best witness of her travels around the world. Member of the second generation of jurists in the Soutullo family, Diana studied law and graduate programs on legal practice and international law thinking that end up working in an institution such as the UN or the European Union. Therefore, from tiny learned to speak several languages and today, along with their mother-tongues Galician and Spanish, fluent in English, French and Portuguese, and defended quite well in German. This enviable ability to speak other languages has allowed her to engage in the internationalization of companies , a task that she has performed with great success in over 30 countries, from Kenya to Dubai or Australia to Kazjstán, also had given her the opportunity of chatting with our coworker on most international issues such as intellectual property or right of ICT , in which she specializes.

Your dream was to work in European institutions, why did you change course?

I could taste the experience of working in the European Parliament and I realized it was not what I expected. Maybe I was very young-I was 23-but quickly came to the conclusion that this did not meet my expectations. Rather, the business itself is more suited to what you want, because it is much more dynamic. As good Galician, felt that the world is very big and needed to see it. So I grabbed my luggage and went to Australia. Upon returning, I thought I would work in any sector agency in Brussels, but fate took me to a company located very close to my hometown, Sanxenxo .

How was that first experience in private business?

It was a company dedicated to health tourism on the island of A Toxa, where I was responsible for the internal legal advice and the internationalization of the company. So I was able to create a department of international expansion and lead this company to settle in Galicia, Portugal, France and Morocco. At that time many trips succeeded around the world and came to work in banking, but was somewhat experimental.

Do you decide then to give a new twist to your career?

Yes, it was 2011 and everyone said it was not a good time for change, but in life you have to move. Without much thought, I applied for a job at a company in Madrid and five days later was working there. At first I struggled to adapt to life in Madrid but today, I’m very happy. I worked for a multinational company based in the Spanish telecommunications sector, where I discovered the wide range of possibilities of the technology industry and the legal or provision of legal services in this field empty. They were two very intense years, also traveling around the world, and finally a moment when I saw clearly that I had to work on my own.

What finally motivated you to start working on your own?

As a freelancer, working for another company I cannot always reach an agreement with the decisions made, or would like to go further, provide better service, better help the community … I have specialized in internationalization and technology because I believe it is essential to differentiate in any subject. The world is moving so fast that it is impossible to cover all reforms. And as we live in a global world and new technologies we are global, I decided to go for these fields.

And with this international experience, how and why did you end up working in a coworking space? Is it being good for you from a professional point of view?

I could have sought for a shared office, but I thought I needed a space with a neutral line, where I can receive customers, but, above all, where I could interact with other people.

For me, being in Workcase has many positive aspects: location, treatment, opportunities for collaboration with other coworkers … It is also very different from other coworking space, I really like your line and the environment that has been created between the people. Even in the long term I wont find an office. In America, there are law firms that follow this philosophy and work in wide open spaces. It is increasingly necessary to collaborate with other teams and professionals; is not surprising that there is a lawyer with a pharmacist or a Telecommunications specialist. And for me, I am specialized in the world of technology, this is critical. A lawyer can not know by heart the world of technology if it is not in contact with mathematicians, computer and telecos. Traditional and sober green offices continue to exist, but coexist with a modern line of wide open spaces working in different trades.

As an expert in ICT law, what legal news we advise you pay attention in the coming months?

It has never generated much legislation and many levels (regional, national, European …) as now affecting new technologies. A major change is one that affects the rules for users and consumers, as retailers must comply by 14 June at the new regulation. If they do not fit before that time, will suffer a penalty.

Another campaign I’m working on now is affecting online pharmacy, but still can not sell drugs, they can already sell other products. Due to lack training in the sector (very regulated and very conservative), many companies are not taking the steps that would be necessary.

As for the famous disputes on intellectual property on the Internet and illegal downloading, should be analyzed case by case, but clearly there is no creation if the creator does not make money. Technology platforms can not claim benefit from the work of a creator without receiving this money. In any case, we live in a technological world and we can not understand the protection of intellectual property just as it was understood in the nineteenth century.

By Verónica R. Setién