In the realm of IT law in Germany, a new figure has risen to the ranks as a distinguished lawyer, renowned for her profound expertise and unwavering professionalism. Paolina Ilieva has notably established herself in the past year as someone to watch and seek out for all types of legal matters in the field of IT law, both in public procurement and private transactions.
The career of Paolina Ilieva is a testament to her steadfast determination, boundless energy, unwavering desire to achieve, and zeal to excel in every task she undertakes. “Vibrant” is how she describes herself in a word. Rightly so, as she is always brimming with energy and enthusiasm. What makes her stand out in the hyper-competitive legal space is her drive to achieve more and tackle the impossible. As soon as she achieves one goal, she immediately sets her sights on the next one and throws herself into it. “My way of transitioning from one task to the next radiates energy in all directions. People often ask me about my endless energy source, but as simple as it sounds, I am just born this way.” says Paolina.
“My inborn constant vibrancy keeps me from standing still, always pushing me to move forward,” she adds. “I’m simply not content to stay in calm waters, and a day with very little to do leaves a certain bitter taste in my mouth that it has been a day in vain.”
Paolina’s desire to succeed is fueled by a mix of personal ambition and a childhood dream of becoming a lawyer to help others. “This passion drives me to provide the best legal services possible,” she says. “There is no greater satisfaction for me than to see how my work has changed someone’s life”.
Life before KP Partners
Paolina took a leap of faith and established KP Partners in March of 2022. Prior to founding it, she worked on two continents in three different countries, in top tier law firms learning from the best practitioners in the legal field. Her ambition to become a lawyer however took root very early in her life. At just seven years old, she decided that she would one day become a lawyer open her own law firm and fight pro bono cases to help those in need.
Paolina originally comes from Bulgaria, where she was born and lived until 18 years of age. Since her home country’s Constitution, Civil Code, and other laws are modeled on German legal codes, she realized it would be best to learn the law from the source. For that, she had to first learn to speak German fluently. Resolute on her childhood dream, Paolina has graduated from the First German High School in Sofia, Bulgaria, and then applied to study law at Ludwig-Maximillan University in Munich, where she was accepted and eventually successfully graduated.
Delivering top-notch results is second nature to Paolina; aiming for the best has always been a part of who she is. “This drive has been with me since I was young,” she says. So, it is no surprise that she graduated high school with top honors and was among the best graduates of her year. In law school, she was in the top 1% at numerous exams and has received three scholarships for outstanding academic performance.
As glorious as they sound the years of her law studies were not an easy phase for Paolina. In Germany, law school has one of the toughest state exams worldwide, and ample time to prepare is paramount to passing. However, Paolina’s time to study was very limited due to other factors she had to deal with. As a foreigner studying in a foreign language, Paolina first had to surpass her high school German knowledge and become close to a native speaker. In addition, her parents did not have the financial means to support her beyond the first two years of her academic studies. She, therefore, started working two jobs in her freshmen year of law school to make ends meet. “The combination of two jobs, classes and exam preparation has been extremely difficult for me.” Paolina recalls. “But it also helped me overcome any language barriers, become fluent, and stop being shy among my fellow students. This is how I managed to successfully integrate myself into the new environment I was living and start feeling at home here.”
As a law student, Paolina took the opportunities to work at a tax law firm, the legal department of an international company, and the purchasing department of one of the largest German manufacturers. In retrospect, she considers herself lucky that circumstances put her under such pressure. It allowed her to experience various kinds of possible positions for legal professionals, helping her decide before graduation what kind of lawyer she wanted to be.
After graduating, Paolina immediately applied to the law firm she had in mind, DLA Piper in Munich. The firm hired her as a trainee lawyer during her legal clerkship. While working at its Litigation & Regulatory department, she got the opportunity to be involved in high-profile class actions for leading companies in the industry. “Under the guidance of one of the leading Dispute Resolution lawyers in Germany, Thomas Gädtke, I was able to gain valuable knowledge of the dispute resolution process, as well as tactics and structure for my work,” Paolina says.
She then moved to work for Lee & Ko in Seoul, South Korea. The redirection of her career to South Korea has been a long time coming. Seoul was a familiar place for her, as she had completed her final year of law school there as part of an exchange program between her university and Seoul National University. She was offered an internship, followed by a permanent position at Lee & Ko in its arbitration department. In South Korea, she worked with some of the most renowned legal practitioners in Asia. “Working on international arbitration cases with the co-head of the department, Robert R. Wachter, has been a blessing.” Paolina says. Under him, she honed her writing skills, developed a practical mindset, and learned the finest attention to detail.
However, due to unforeseen personal reasons amid the COVID-19 crisis, Paolina’s career path was abruptly diverted from South Korea back to her home country, Bulgaria, where she joined the international law firm Marshall Denning LLP as a German lawyer dedicated to the IT clientele from the DACH region. Her focus at Marshall Denning was a combination of the resolution of IT disputes and handling IT transactions. She learned the importance of working with many stakeholders and balancing the interests of all parties. Paolina points out that the Bulgaria-based branch of this firm gave her great insight into the inner workings of the big IT corporations that she was consulting. She thus developed a deep understanding of the legal needs of IT clients.
“Feeling ready to go my own way, I applied and graduated from an evening class business academy in Bulgaria and started building KP Partners by diving in and approaching the person I knew would be a great partner, Kiril Kiryakov,” Paolina says. “When he said yes, our journey as KP Partners began.”
Challenges and Achievements
Paolina Ilieva was faced with number of challenges while building KP Partners. She points out that it has required a lot of personal commitment, strong financial management, and the ability to wear several hats at once. She had to constantly learn and adapt to navigate the complexities of IT law, which is ever evolving with technological advances. Additionally, she also had to acquire new skills in organisational management from A to Z, including sales, accounting, branding, recruitment, and people management.
“All these skills have been invaluable in driving the growth of our firm and ensuring its long-term success,” Paolina says. “Ultimately, these experiences taught me the importance of believing, adaptability, resilience, and the power of strategic partnerships.”
Within a short period of time, KP Partners has managed to gain a strong reputation in a competitive market. For Paolina, this is one of her greatest achievements as a leader. She and her team have significantly increased their client base and achieved remarkable growth through strategic decision-making, fostering a high-performance culture, being constantly present at leading events in the IT legal industry, and maintaining a commitment to excellence. This has led them to consulting several internationally renowned IT Corporations.
“Seeing the tangible results of our efforts and knowing that I have played a key role in driving our firm’s success is incredibly fulfilling,” Paolina says. For her, success means dedication to the fullest and beyond, or in other words giving 110% of herself.
Brief Introduction to KP Partners
KP Partners is a boutique law firm dedicated to the idea of building bridges for its customers so that they reach the goals of their new endeavors. Its mission is to break down barriers and create seamless connections for all involved parties. Paolina points out that the firm is committed to enabling entrepreneurs to expand beyond the German market and facilitating the entry of foreign companies into it, offering invaluable expertise in the evolving fields of IT and AI law.
As new European legislation reshapes the digital era at present, KP Partners swiftly stood out as one of the forefront runners, providing critical insights into the newly passed statutes and directives as well as the necessary guidance for its clients to master the transformative legal landscape in the IT and AI industry.
KP Partners is currently preparing to open new divisions in Switzerland and Bulgaria by the end of 2024 and early 2025. This strategic expansion underscores a significant milestone for the firm, marking a period of substantial growth following its successful first two years since its establishment. According to Paolina, they are committed to broadening their reach and enhancing their services in these new markets.
In July, a new team member will be joining KP Partners as its new trainee attorney. A few years ago, Paolina worked with her colleague Charlotte Schäffer at DLA Piper and thus she is convinced that Charlotte will be an invaluable asset to their team.
Three Core Virtues
“I have three core virtues that I believe are essential to setting a business on its upward trajectory, Paolina says. “They form the foundation of how KP Partners operates.”
The first core value is “trust”. Paolina explains that in any partnership, partners must be able to trust each other. “I feel blessed with the partner I have because our partnership is based on a deep foundation of trust,” she says. Whenever they have difficulties or dilemmas, they always call on each other. Paolina can always count on her partner, Kiril Kiryakov, and in return, she strives to be the same responsible person for him. She shares that they cover for each other when unforeseen circumstances arise and work together on any case where they feel that an extra set of eyes will provide greater assurance and ensure the client’s success.
“Attention to detail” is another core virtue of Paolina. Whether it is administrative or client work, she pays the utmost attention to every little detail. She believes in a Bulgarian folk tale that says it is the small stones that turn the cart around. “I came to this conclusion myself during my legal studies and made it my highest quality of work to refine everything I do down to the smallest detail,” Paolina shares. Over time, this is what has set her apart as a professional and made the biggest impression on her clients.
Paolina’s third core value – last but not least – is constant development. She firmly believes that lawyers can never stop learning. With ever-changing legislation, everyone at KP Partners, including Paolina, is constantly attending workshops, conferences, and learning sessions to maintain cutting-edge knowledge in the legal field of their work. Paolina is right this moment expecting her official title as certified lawyer for IT law after completing an additional qualification course of the German Lawyers Academy and proving outstanding experience in the field of IT law to the responsible Chamber.
A Woman in the Legal Industry
As a woman, Paolina has found it not an easy task to thrive in the legal industry. “It’s well-known that in the legal industry, merely one-third of the legal professionals are women,” she points out. “The numbers drop even further when considering female attorneys in partner positions.”
Coming from a different country Paolina was aware that at the outset of her legal studies she would not have an equal start. Further, she also knew that it would be immensely difficult to reach the leadership position she holds today. “Throughout my journey, I encountered numerous difficulties from different aspects,” Paolina says.
Starting with law school, she faced questions outside the examination subject plan during her oral state examinations as the only woman among the examinees, with an examiner known for his unequal treatment towards women. Recently, a client mistakenly assumed she was a working student at KP Partners rather than the partner attorney on his case due to her youthful appearance.
What she found most discouraging was when some people expressed that she wouldn’t make it as a woman in business with a foreign background in Germany, suggesting that it was only a matter of time before she would return to being an employed lawyer at someone else’s firm. Nevertheless, Paolina has never allowed those moments to cause any hesitation on her path. She believes in being always certain of her own capabilities and never letting others dissuade her from her dreams and goals.
“I made a conscious choice not to succumb to the labels and obstacles imposed on me by others and to disregard any challenges related to my origin or gender,” says Paolina.
She wants future generations of women to never let others’ opinions alter their self-perception. “A person can thrive and achieve their aspirations, regardless of gender or background, as long as they believe in themselves, and this is exactly how I am certain of my success – I believe in it,” she says.
A Partner’s Day at Work
Paolina starts her day at early dawn. She tries to be the first one to reach the office, before 8 a.m. It is because she prefers to speed up with the new tasks before the working hours begin and also wrap up some lingering do’s, all in preparation for her client meetings. She also takes a moment to scan through legal magazines and stay updated on the latest legislation, ensuring she is informed about any changes in the law.
Following that, Paolina allocates tasks for the day to her colleagues on the KP team. This part of the day is also a learning opportunity for the working students at the firm, since she guides them through their tasks as the day progresses. “My door is always open for any questions that might arise during the work process,” Paolina says.
Once the morning briefing is complete, phase two begins. It involves a series of client meetings, which last until the late afternoon. After 5 p.m., Paolina enters her quiet time. She shares that this is when she focuses on the core of her work – drafting. Whether it is drafting contracts, preparing submissions for IT disputes, delivering expert opinions, or creating legal content for e-commerce, this is the time when she fully concentrates on these critical tasks.
Paolina underscores that running KP Partners is not a one-woman show. “Building a successful and sustainable business is by no means a one-man show. Partnering with a lawyer whose expertise complements my own has been instrumental in shaping KP Partners’ service offering, and I’m really thankful for that,” she says.
Personal Goals – Continuous Growth
Paolina’s personal goals focus on continuous growth, both professionally and personally. She aims to lead by example in her field, striving for excellence in her work while maintaining a balanced life. She also wants to make a meaningful impact on the legal profession and support the development of the next generation of lawyers.
However, her deepest wish as a person and lawyer is to stay true to herself and remain humble, no matter how far she goes. “I want to continue to provide legal advice to all kinds of clients, not just businesses, but also to leave my mark as someone who helps people in need,” Paolina says.
Lawyers are often portrayed as power-hungry and greedy. Paolina wants to change that image when people think of her.
Message to Aspiring Businesswomen
In her message to aspiring businesswomen, Paolina underscores that success is a journey, not a destination. She encourages them to embrace every opportunity to learn and grow, never forgetting the importance of maintaining their integrity and authenticity.
“Your achievements are important, but staying grounded and approachable will make your journey even more rewarding,” she adds. “Balancing ambition with humility and maintaining a down-to-earth attitude will not only help one succeed but also inspire those around.”
