*Employment status alert* Ellinor decided to approach new exciting opportunities and left Daniel Wellington in July 2024. She gave thumbs-up to leave the post.

Meet our Senior Legal Counsel Ellinor. In this Insider Story, she shared why being a Legal Counsel in DW can differ from many other similar jobs in Stockholm. First, quick facts:

How’d you end up at DW?

I first got in touch with DW early in my career, when I was working at a law firm – and of course I knew of the brand from a consumer perspective too. When an opening in the in-house legal team was pitched to me, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity!

DW caught my interest as a Swedish company with a global reach, and I got a possibility to combine working with corporate and commercial legal questions as well as intellectual property rights, brand protection, and anti-counterfeiting matters, which aligns well with my career background and interests. Having a global legal counsel role like this is quite unique, at least based in Sweden, so I decided to join!

What are you working with?

Everything - haha! I’m dealing with highs and lows and everything in between in legal matters. The Legal team operates like a miniature law firm – specializing in DW matters – so any question that comes up within our operations can end up on our desks. This means anything from business support in drafting and negotiating agreements with business partners, to addressing internal questions from stakeholders about legal risks and compliance. I’m also working with protecting our intellectual property rights (trademarks, copyrights etc.) and combatting counterfeit (fake) products.

Over the last four years, I have negotiated with most of our major (celebrity) collaborations and campaigns, which have been both complex and fun. Such collaborations usually have many stakeholders, which means that I get some insight into questions and considerations in non-legal matters, such as organizing photoshoots and styling, budgeting global campaigns, and a better understanding of how these campaigns positively affect our business and overall brand awareness - which I otherwise would not encounter in a Legal Counsel role.

What's the best thing about working as a Legal Counsel at DW?

I’m constantly learning new things and different perspectives! I get to work very close with the business and work directly with people in other teams who have knowledge about things and within areas that I’m not familiar with — sales, branding, IT, marketing etc. Being involved in business decisions makes me understand the DW business, the "Why" and our direction, which helps a lot with providing the best possible legal advice. In the past, working at a law firm, I learnt that being too far away from the client’s business made it more difficult to provide legal advice that would bring value to the business. With the way of working at DW I feel like a better lawyer in many ways.

What has been the most challenging aspect?

I joined the company during a time with a lot of change – just before Covid hit and we were forced to make many difficult decisions. Handling important projects with tight deadlines, where the effects and outcomes were big, has at times been challenging. There was a period where a lot of old processes and ways of working no longer could be held up, where we needed to set up new ones, find a new structure and prioritize our work. I don’t think I thought much about it while we were in the middle of it, but now, looking back, it’s clear that we are at a more stable place as a company, and with some distance I have realized that it was a challenging time.

What is your favourite DW moment?

Thinking back at my time at DW, there is not a particular moment that comes to mind as a favourite – there are loads of them! Of course, social activities, parties and after-works are loads of fun, but the absolute strength of DW and what I love the most about working here is when we face a problem and people from different departments unite as a little task force to solve it to the best of our ability. I think this shows pure teamwork and is so inspiring. The people of DW are what makes DW great, and I’m so happy and proud to have made many good friends here.

What does the future hold for DW and you?

After four years at DW, I continue to develop in so many ways — step by step I’m becoming a better lawyer, leader, and colleague. I think the future for DW looks very bright. There's a new ‘wind in the sails’. Like many other companies, we’ve had a shaky period, but now we are heading upward and onward toward a brighter future. We can also see that the changes we have made have contributed to the positive place we are in now.

If someone wants to become a Legal Counsel at DW, what do you recommend to them?

You should enjoy working closely with the business and commercial questions and be willing to be flexible, while of course maintaining your integrity as a legal counsel. I think it’s crucial to enjoy a fast-paced environment and be able to follow the quick turns and changes of the business. In return, you will gain a lot of insight and knowledge from different parts of the business and develop immensely. We work hard, but we also have a lot of fun while doing so.

Thank you for reading! Curious to learn more about our Legal team? Reach out our have a look over at our Legal Page