This is what it says on my business card:

• Dr. Jutta C. Möller
• Lawyer
• Specialist Lawyer for construction and architectural law
• Partner HR / Recruiting

Area of expertise:
Real estate and public procurement law

How did you come to join FPS?

I was working as a partner in a medium-sized law firm and missed working as part of a team in my areas of expertise. When I was approached about joining FPS, I was very interested because of the existing expertise and team strength in real estate law and public procurement law.

You work in Düsseldorf. How does cross-location collaboration work?

There are various building blocks that together form a larger whole: On the one hand, we hold regular team and face-to-face meetings in the specialist departments to discuss our mandates and current issues. On the other hand, we form interdisciplinary teams for most of our mandates, which of course collaborate across locations. Ultimately, this only works if we know and appreciate each other personally, which is why we enjoy meeting and exchanging ideas outside of everyday office life at joint events, summer parties, workshops and other occasions.

What can new employees in Düsseldorf look forward to?

New employees at our Düsseldorf office are immediately fully involved in our daily work. We look forward to working together to define work processes, discuss questions and find the best solutions for our clients. In spring and summer, we like to meet on our terrace with lounge area overlooking the city centre, use the conference room for joint lunches or simply chat over a cup of coffee at the espresso machine.

How do you support your young colleagues in their professional development?

I involve young colleagues in client work from day one. This means that I take them to team meetings and discussions, and let them draft advisory letters and emails from the outset, initially of course always in close consultation and exchange. Our ongoing on-the-job training takes place in conjunction with the training provided by the responsible partner. In addition, we offer our training programmes ‘How to FPS’ and ‘How to FPS advanced’ as well as our Young Professionals Lectures. All of this is aimed at providing our associates with the best possible professional and practical support.

What would you be doing today if you hadn't decided to become a lawyer?

When I started studying law, I thought about going into journalism. But after gaining some work experience in smaller editorial offices, I decided against it. Due to my work at a chair of international law, I considered for a while whether the Foreign Office might offer an exciting place to work. However, advising clients and thinking my way into ever-changing situations and finding solutions appealed to me more. I find that the best thing about my job is the interaction with our clients from so many different industries. I still enjoy having civil engineers explain technical issues to me – with accompanying hand-drawn sketches, of course – and I am delighted at how calmly even highly contentious issues can be discussed. Today, I really cannot imagine doing any other job.