My function is to give all of this a legal form, but also a business rhythm
My workday in the world of commercial real estate begins before our shopping centers open, in front of a screen where, with a slight touch on the keyboard, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations of marketing campaigns are already open.
Being a lawyer in the real estate industry, especially with a focus on retail leasing, means balancing between the precision of regulations and the dynamics of the market, and when marketing is included in all of that, you get the perfect blend of the analytical and the creative.
Morning – retail leasing is much more than paper
Every lease agreement is a small universe – behind it stand the visions of tenants, the strategies of our leasing team, and the need to legally protect the value of the property, while at the same time leaving enough space for commercial creativity.
My function is to give all of this a legal form, but also a business rhythm. The greatest challenge of my day is usually not the fact that the speed of developments requires something to be perfectly completed yesterday, but rather the fact that every yesterday has its own business, legal, and emotional layers. Behind one provision there is often weeks-long communication with tenants who are generators of creative ideas, and the legal domain must be not only accurate, but also strategically connected with commercial goals.
In those moments I am a diplomat, a negotiator, a lawyer, but also a silent partner in the development of someone’s business, because a lease is not just space, but an environment that someone calls their own, a place that lives through colors, shapes, music, scents, energy, and becomes part of the consumer’s everyday life. That is already a serious responsibility – but also the beauty of the job. What brings me the greatest joy is when a completely new brand or concept comes to our shopping centers, I see it as an idea to which we also gave life, and then continued to grow and develop with it. I try never to forget that I create contracts for life, not for the archive, so my task is to find a way to shape agreements into provisions that are clear, balanced, and sustainable in the long term.
Noon: marketing and law, not such a strange combination
In parallel with working on a lease agreement, I receive a call from the marketing team. A campaign is being planned for the opening of a new brand’s store in our shopping center, and it is necessary for me to urgently check whether the use of the center’s name in the campaign complies with contractual obligations, as well as whether the advertising is fully aligned with regulations. The line of demarcation between law and branding is very thin – everything must be entirely legally compliant and lawful, while also being inspiring for the brand itself and for the customer. It often happens that in one day I switch from legal logic into the tone of campaign communication, and find myself consulting about billboard content or legal footnotes in advertising materials.
At that moment, my role is not only to protect the company’s interests, but also to enable the brand to communicate as freely as possible within the predefined limits. I love when law and art meet halfway and when, instead of “it’s not possible due to article 11.2,” I can say “it’s possible, but this way.”
Afternoon is reserved for analysis, brainstorming, and project preparation
Since legal structure influences the value of property, my work directly intertwines with investment plans and commercial projections that I must always keep in mind. The exchange of new ideas and experiences, analysis and revision of standard contractual provisions, adapting existing contracts to situations that happen in practice, and preparing the legal structure for future activities are an obligatory part of my workday. That part of the work is quiet, often invisible, but without it nothing would function. In that segment, I enjoy the feeling of being part of something bigger, stable, something that is constantly being improved.
In the beginning and at the end, behind all of it stands the team
Every day, without exception, there is a moment when I pause, look around me, and know that I am not alone. My legal team consists of people with whom I share both the pressure and the success. People who know the job, feel the pulse of the market, and think three steps ahead, who do not skip details, but never lose sight of the bigger picture. And when it is most urgent, most tense, most complex – we work.
Always together, without noise, without euphoria, precisely, concentrated, and accurately. That is how we become designers of space, with the difference that instead of lighting, furniture, and equipment, we work with words. In all of it there is also laughter, and support, and that look that says “I know, we will solve it.” That is what I value the most.
The function of a lawyer today is to offer much more than law
In our industry, a lawyer must be both the guardian of the company’s interests and an ally of its growth. They must understand the law, but also the business. They must read between the lines, both in the contract and in communication. And they must infallibly know when to draw the line so that everyone can see it, and when to move it.
At the end of the day, when I close my laptop, the feeling that remains is that I have not only followed legal procedures that day, but also shaped part of urban life – the spaces where people shop, stroll, and meet. And that is what motivates me anew every day and brings me back to live and work in the service of space, people, and lasting value.