Wajma Mangal (Mangal Legal): “I know from personal experience how important support, networks and visible role models can be”

Leaders League: Wajma, you run your own law firm and serve on the board of the Hamburg Bar Association. How would you describe yourself and your work?

Wajma Mangal: I would describe myself as a specialist lawyer with a strong international outlook and a genuine commitment to contributing to the future of our profession.

With Mangal Legal, I made a conscious decision to focus on complex commercial disputes. My practice centers on arbitration and litigation, often in matters with a significant cross-border dimension. I have always been drawn to cases that require not only legal precision, but also strategic judgement and a broader understanding of international commercial dynamics.

My work on the board of the Hamburg Bar Association complements that practice in a consequential way. It allows me to contribute the perspective of a modern founder to help build bridges between established professional structures and the expectations of a new generation of lawyers.  Whether the issue is digitalization, modern working models or international connectivity, my aim is to help shape a profession that remains both future-ready and compelling. 

Being elected was not only a personal privilege, but also, in my view, an encouraging sign that younger voices and fresh perspectives are increasingly welcomed within the profession’s self-governing institutions. Now, after two years on the board, I can say with complete conviction that the commitment is deeply worthwhile. It gives one an entirely different perspective on the profession – not only on how it functions, but also on what is required to preserve its standards, independence, and credibility.

You are among the younger members of the Hamburg Bar Association’s board. What perspective do you bring?

I believe I bring the perspective of a younger generation of lawyers – one that is shaped by very practical questions. How do we define modern professional success? How do we reconcile excellence with sustainability? And how do we make the profession attractive for talented lawyers who want both ambition and autonomy?

Topics such as modern working models, work-life balance, and the realities of founding and growing a law firm are naturally close to my experience. Because the profession is changing so profoundly, it is essential that institutions reflect different career paths, different life realities, and different ways of thinking about legal practice. A profession that wants to remain strong must also remain open to evolution.

Many people outside the legal world – and even some within it – may not fully understand what a Bar Association’s board does. What are its core responsibilities?

At its heart, the board is the executive body of professional self-governance. Its responsibilities are wide-ranging and carry significant weight for the integrity, quality and reputation of the legal profession.

Part of our role is regulatory and supervisory. We help ensure that the rules governing the profession are upheld and further developed. That includes oversight of professional conduct, disciplinary matters, decisions concerning admission to the bar, and the awarding of specialist lawyer titles.

But the role is not merely administrative. It also has a strategic and institutional dimension. The board represents the interests of the legal profession in dialogue with the judiciary and public authorities, contributes to discussions on legislative reform, and plays a part in safeguarding the independence of lawyers – which, in any constitutional democracy, is of fundamental importance. In that sense, it stands at the meeting point of continuity and change: preserving professional values while responding to the realities of a modern and increasingly digital legal market.

You took on this role on top of an already demanding legal career. Why?

Because I have never been interested only in practicing law. I have also always been interested in the framework within which law is practiced. The Bar Association helps shape that framework in very concrete ways. Contributing to that process felt meaningful to me from the outset. More broadly, I believe honorary service is vital, particularly in an independent profession such as ours. Professions endure because people are willing to contribute beyond what is strictly required of them.

I also know from personal experience how important support, networks and visible role models can be. Those structures do not sustain themselves. They depend on people being willing to assume responsibility – not someday, but now.

You built your own law firm from the ground up. How has that experience shaped you?

Building a firm of one’s own is a lesson in both freedom and accountability. Especially in the early stages, one is confronted not with abstractions, but with very concrete decisions: how to build a team, how to set priorities, how to position the firm strategically, and how to grow in a way that is both severe and sustainable.

That experience has sharpened my perspective considerably. It has made me very aware of the pressures, uncertainties, and practical realities that many lawyers face in their daily professional lives. And that practical understanding is precisely what I can bring to the board’s work.

What does your work on the board give back to your own practice?

It provides a particularly valuable overview of the professional and regulatory landscape in which lawyers operate. Through the board’s work, I gain insight into where risks arise in practice, which approaches have proven effective, and how certain liability issues can often be recognized and addressed at an early stage.

That is useful not only for running a law firm responsibly, but also for understanding the broader needs of the profession. It sharpens one’s judgment, deepens one’s awareness of professional standards, and reinforces the importance of acting with both independence and foresight.

With all that responsibility, do you still enjoy the work?

Very much so. Of course, it requires time, discipline and commitment. But it is also genuinely rewarding. The exchange with dedicated colleagues is intellectually enriching, and there is a real sense that the work matters. One is not simply observing the evolution of the profession from the outside; one has the opportunity to help shape it.

That, to me, is the most meaningful aspect of all. Lasting impact rarely comes from convenience. It comes from taking responsibility where it counts.