20 years at Lindahl: "It's a good grade, you develop all the time"

Johan Tollgerdt Ronnell is a partner and national manager for Lindahl's real estate group. During his almost 20 years at Lindahl, he has seen the firm grow, while his own career has developed.

When Johan was new at Lindahl, he was involved in building up the then new office in Malmö. Today he can be proud of the growth - Lindahl's Malmö office has gone from just over 10 people to being a well-established and leading office in the region with almost 100 employees.

"We didn't want to be a 'crystal chandelier firm' like the traditional law firms were at the time. We did a lot of fun marketing and went out to find new clients and establish ourselves. The extreme entrepreneurial spirit contributed a lot to our strong growth."

"Lawyers are the facilitators of the business"

As a business lawyer, Johan has long worked closely with the real estate sector, an industry that has also evolved over the years. In his work, he supports companies and property owners with legal advice on transactions, development projects and infrastructure investments.

"It is important to have the right lawyer in place for any complex legal matter. The commercial parties have often already agreed on price and terms, and we lawyers will ensure that the process runs smoothly. We should not get bogged down in irrelevancies, but should be the facilitators of the deal."

Today, there are lawyers with real estate expertise in all six Lindahl offices. Johan's role is both to ensure that there is a strong exchange of expertise between Lindahl experts around the country and to support his colleagues in Malmö.

"The people in my team are extremely driven and competent, and my most important task is to try to give them the opportunity to grow in their own roles. At Lindahl there is really the opportunity to grow, I have noticed that during my years here."

Want to meet clients on the same level

Johan enjoys his role as a lawyer because he gets to work with people and help them with their business. At the same time, he is well aware that there are many prejudices about lawyers as a profession.

"Clients often expect a lawyer to always dress in a suit. This can make many clients a little uncomfortable as they feel that they are not being met on the same level. My view on dress code is that it's important to be in a workplace where you feel comfortable. I don't always wear a suit, and many of the people I meet appreciate that. But of course I adapt to the context, for example international clients and banks tend to be more formal."

Going forward, Johan hopes to help more young employees find their own career path within Lindahl.

"Today it is more common to change jobs frequently, but at a firm like Lindahl you can have a long, varied and developing career at the same workplace. It is both inspiring and fun to be involved in creating a platform for young lawyers. Lindahl has incredible growth opportunities for driven and talented people."