Miriam González Durántez’s profile is sky-high. She’s one of the most successful EU lawyers in the City, has persuaded over 15,000 women to volunteer for her Inspiring Women campaign and is the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. In an interview with Tom Moore she argues that the EU is undervalued in the City and how law can smash its glass ceilings.
Your practice is something of a rarity outside Brussels. Why have City law firms neglected EU law?
I don’t know why this has originated, it may have something to do with the general attitude of some in the country towards the EU. The City and law firms in it are very well positioned in certain areas, for example financial services, but there is much more to the EU. When people think about EU regulation they think about competition. EU regulation is about more, from data privacy to consumer protection.
You have big companies operating in the UK that may be encountering barriers in some member states that they consider are against the law. Yet you have mostly a few QCs running those cases without being backed by the strength of the European teams within law firms. That’s a bit of an anomaly.
Why has the World Trade Organization (WTO) come to a standstill and what does this mean for international trade?
As an ex-trade negotiator for the WTO I’m not very objective!
Very often the international community is unfair on the WTO. When I was negotiating there I felt that there was a wish from the outside world to have institutions constantly reinventing themselves. They finish a round and people immediately want them to start another round and go in a different direction. The WTO should focus on the implementation of the rules, rather than on constantly adding new ones.
It is one of the biggest trading achievements of the 20th century and it’s incredible that it’s still there, works and is sustainable.
‘You could imagine that there is a glass ceiling everywhere but I’m more interested in the solution than the cause.’
Inspiring Women has now hit 15,000 volunteers. Does talent win through in law or are there still glass ceilings?
You could imagine that there is a glass ceiling everywhere but I’m more interested in the solution than the cause. Children picture lawyers as somebody with a wig but they don’t see all the many roles you can play within law. It’s all a blur at 13 so I believe in exposing all the different roles so that they can choose.
The assets of a law firm are the lawyers so it’s important we retain female talent. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, most people have already put in place different initiatives, but they need to be run forcefully from the top.
Are you happy with the speed of change in the UK?
No. It’s taking longer than every woman wishes but the important thing is that change takes place. I would like to see a situation whereby the talent of any woman is not lost for any other reason than her own will. I’ve come across thousands of women who want to help, if you put all that good will into action, you can make a lot of change. The best moment has been seeing my three sons be enthusiastic about my campaign to help girls as that gives me hope in the next generation.
tom.moore@legalease.co.uk