After finishing my hotel apprenticeship in Germany, I worked in the 5-star hospitality segment in different parts of the world for over 10 years. In 2017, I found myself back in Europe ̶ in Vienna, in fact. Being a mother, it was very important to me to find a job that would allow me to have both a career and a family.
Until the moment when the head-hunter informed me about a receptionist position at an international law firm, I had not known that such a switch from the hospitality to the law industry was possible. I was hesitant, and did not believe I was the right fit for the job, however I was assured that I would be just fine. This, as it turns out, could not have been more true. Working at Freshfields has exposed me to a completely new working environment, with talented, open-minded and hardworking people.
Each day is different and there is always a new challenge. Now being the firm’s reception and conference manager, I can look back on four years of all kinds of responsibilities, events, and great moments. The reception team works hard. We are the first point of contact for future and existing clients, maintain our meeting rooms, arrange the catering, organise events and also work the switchboard. Teamwork is not just a buzzword, it is respectfully practised, and our efforts are acknowledged.
Working at Freshfields is not only a great experience and a job that never gets boring; it also makes it possible for me to have a good work/life balance, and being a mother, this is very important and truly a gift to me.

As Business Development Executive, I am the first point of contact for the Vienna partners and associates in relation to all marketing and business development activities. I work closely with my CE colleagues in developing and implementing cross-border projects, and support global campaigns, initiatives, and comparable marketing efforts to ensure that BD activities and best practices are leveraged for the Austrian market. Prior to joining Freshfields in February 2019, I worked at the U.S. Commercial Service for eight years, advising and assisting U.S. clients in finding potential business partners in Austria. What I like most about working at Freshfields is having a diverse pool of international talents as colleagues, and that it offers a wide range of in-house training and career development opportunities.

Before starting at Freshfields I worked in the retail department of a large German fashion chain for many years, where I did just about everything, including accounting. I was able to use the experience I gained there, in the exciting and extensive remit that I was given here at Freshfields.
The personal contact with my colleagues, as well as the friendly and open-minded atmosphere are just some of the reasons why I enjoy my job, but what I love most about my work here at Freshfields is the diversity of my remit: from office management to various human resources responsibilities such as personnel administration and mental wellbeing, to facility management; I get to do it all.
In the meantime, I have become an administration consultant and am responsible for my own area, allowing me to independently review individual projects. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and happy to be able to work in such a great team.
I think it’s great that every employee can participate in agile-working groups on a variety of topics; as part of the Responsible Business team, for example, I can work with like-minded people on social projects that are very close to my heart.
At Freshfields, the well-being of our colleagues is the top priority and that makes it the best place to work for me.

I have been working as a personal assistant at Freshfields since 2007. From the first moment, I felt comfortable in the international environment with its extremely good team spirit. My varied responsibilities include not only supporting the corporate partner assigned to me, who has also been the Managing Partner of the Vienna office since May 2019, but also assisting counsels and lawyers on all administrative matters and supporting large global transactions. In addition, I have been appointed to organise numerous internal events, such as Christmas parties, alumni meetings, and annual ski trips. My professional and personal development is always encouraged. For example, I was invited to complete a SCRUM Master’s training programme and to participate in agile projects, and in 2019 I was able to attend a Mental Health Mentor workshop. As part of the Explore CE programme, I was offered secondments at our Service Centre in Manchester and Freshfields’ Berlin office, from which I benefited enormously. In addition to the outstanding collegiality and personal respect across all positions, I highly appreciate the atmosphere of constant improvement and feel extremely privileged to be part of the Freshfields team.

Since I graduated from a hotel and tourism college, I certainly did not think that I would end up at an international law firm. However, I am all the more grateful to have chosen this path.
I very much appreciate my colleagues, the environment, the atmosphere, and the content of my work. Mutual appreciation and teamwork are a priority for us. The communication and support in and outside of the teams is very important to me. Because of this, there is a very pleasant working atmosphere which enables structured and goal-oriented working.
I have been working for Freshfields since 2004. For the first few years, I worked in Office Management, and after returning from parental leave, I moved to the Human Resources department.
My responsibilities include processing and maintaining administrative as well as organisational personnel issues, administering and organising Austria-specific seminars and training modules, being the interface to payroll accounting and the bar association, and much more.
Due to my many years of service, I not only know both the firm and my colleagues very well, and always have an open ear for questions and concerns. It is simply great to be part of this international firm.

My journey with Freshfields began in 2009 at the Vienna office, where I served as a local IT Administrator. In this role, I successfully managed the IT infrastructure, provided comprehensive user training and support, and actively participated in virtual global teams. My dedication to professional growth led me to acquire numerous technical certifications as well as management skills, including ITIL, Scrum, COBIT5, Prince2, and LeanSixSigma.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working at Freshfields is the organization’s unwavering support for personal development. Throughout my career, I have been encouraged to push boundaries, which has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. The flexibility of remote work has granted me valuable time with my two children, fostering a harmonious work-life balance.

Over the past decade, I have actively participated in several projects and assumed various roles within the IT department, including Network & Security team member, Messaging team contributor, and IT Infrastructure Lead for Continental Europe (CE). Currently, I proudly serve as the Senior Business Relationship Manager for Germany/Austria and Bratislava.

In my IT BRM role, I act as the face of IT in my region, collaborating closely with business stakeholders to facilitate seamless transformational changes while ensuring alignment with the firm’s strategic priorities. My focus remains on enhancing our collective knowledge of existing tools and applications while promoting innovative solutions for the future. Bridging the gap between central IT teams in Manchester and local IT teams, I strive to foster cohesive collaboration, making optimal use of available resources. I value building and nurturing strong relationships with all colleagues and actively seek their feedback to continuously improve our services. My role also involves reporting any issues or opportunities that may arise within the IT ecosystem and ensuring a strong bond between IT and business stakeholders.

In the dynamic landscape of the IT sector, staying ahead of the curve is crucial to maintaining our competitive edge. By fostering a unified and well-informed IT team, we can deliver exceptional services to our customers and provide them with the necessary tools to excel in their endeavours.

I take immense pride in being part of the Freshfields family and eagerly anticipate the exciting challenges and transformations that lie ahead. No two days are alike, but our unwavering teamwork allows us to overcome any obstacle with success.
Personal development is very important to me, and Freshfields is fully supportive of my career path. Freshfields values the extra miles I go for the firm and provides me with a lot of opportunities to broaden my horizons. I am able to work remotely and on a very flexible basis, which allows me to have enough time with my two children and to have a great work-life balance.
Recently I have become a member of Network & Security team and was promoted to IT Infrastructure Lead Continental Europe (CE). In this role I am the single point of contact for all IT-related issues in Continental Europe, and am responsible for bridging our central IT teams in Manchester with our local IT teams to ensure we work together, use existing resources and follow standards. I make sure that knowledge is shared across teams and that we use up-to-date tools for our day-to-day work.
I am very proud to be part of Freshfields and looking forward to new, exciting times ahead of us with constant challenges and changes.
My Freshfields journey started in 2009 in our Vienna office as a Local IT Administrator. My local IT work included managing the IT infrastructure as well as training and supporting our users. In addition, I joined virtual global teams and introduced new phone systems, monitoring, global HD videoconferencing technology, etc. While supporting all these services globally, and gaining a lot of technical certifications, I also focused on project management and became certified in various areas.
Personal development is very important to me, and Freshfields is fully supportive of my career path. Freshfields values the extra miles I go for the firm and provides me with a lot of opportunities to broaden my horizons. I am able to work remotely and on a very flexible basis, which allows me to have enough time with my two children and to have a great work-life balance.
Recently I have become a member of Network & Security team and was promoted to IT Infrastructure Lead Continental Europe (CE). In this role I am the single point of contact for all IT-related issues in Continental Europe, and am responsible for bridging our central IT teams in Manchester with our local IT teams to ensure we work together, use existing resources and follow standards. I make sure that knowledge is shared across teams and that we use up-to-date tools for our day-to-day work.
I am very proud to be part of Freshfields and looking forward to new, exciting times ahead of us with constant challenges and changes.
No day is the same as we tackle challenges together as one exceptional team.

During my studies, one of my favourite places at university was the library. When I decided to move to Vienna, the job ad from Freshfields caught my attention. My curiosity was awakened as soon as I learned of the extensive library that is located at the heart of the Freshfields office in Vienna.
The job as a librarian and information specialist at Freshfields is very diverse and brings many new challenges. Our aim is to provide users with the best possible support and a high-quality service in their daily work.
We provide lawyers with extensive literature, we organise the print stock, and also provide national and international databases, which we constantly evaluate to be able to provide the most important tools. Our range of training materials is also very broad. Another focus is our information management in a wide range of areas: literary research; press monitoring on specific topics, research in various databases, company information and much more.
Another benefit is the opportunity to work on different projects, be it locally in Vienna or internationally. Being able to work with colleagues from different countries is especially enjoyable, and personal contacts have often developed into long-lasting international friendships.
At Freshfields, I not only enjoy the professionalism, but also particularly appreciate the team spirit and the ongoing support of my colleagues. It is a huge pleasure to work in this international environment at Freshfields and I truly enjoy my job here!