The Curve of the Legal Profession

An interview with Kalin Stoyanov

Photo by Giammarco on Unsplash

Kalin Stoyanov graduated from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in 2013. His career path commenced in the Netherlands and led him back to his native country – Bulgaria, where he currently occupies the position of legal counsel in Paysafe group.

Seldom could the legal profession be erratic, leading you through roads you did not even expect existed. Law prompts you to rediscover yourself, reconsider and reaffirm your values, or even alter your perception of the world.

How to maintain the spark for law even in the most desperate circumstances?

How to establish a balance between vocation and professional duties?

Is it possible to incorporate the strive to be a societal change agent in the life of a corporate lawyer?

This compelling conversation is dedicated to the winding path to personal fulfilment and professional satisfaction.

Would you present yourself?

My name is Kalin Stoyanov, and I am 32 years old. I studied at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. I started in 2008, and I graduated in 2013. After that, I completed my Master’s degree in European Law at Maastricht University.

I worked in the Netherlands for a few years; from 2015 until 2019. I worked in different places, but predominantly in the European police office, also known as Europol where I spent almost three years. after that, I suddenly decided to start a new chapter of my life.

I moved to my current place of employment which is a company called “Paysafe”. It is in the fintech sector and deals with offering digital payment methods to companies and customers. We offer payment process services in nearly 140 countries. Paysafe is an innovative company, and it is a huge pleasure yet still a challenge to work there because it is very dynamic as well. Our internal processes are changing very often so we need to adapt all the time. It is for me to be able to work in this kind of environment, and it is one of the reasons why I changed from public to private sector.

It was very pragmatic in the public sector (in Europol). I found the people very conservative. Most of them like to stay in their comfort zone doing the same work every day, and not thinking about development, something that I did not like about the environment. On the other hand, the private sector is extremely progressive.

For a young professional, it is important to learn new things and develop quickly.

What ignited your spark for law? Is there a compelling story or experience behind your choice?

Oh, not really. I come from a family of doctors predominantly, so I was the black sheep of the family; I decided to go in a completely different direction because I was never really attracted to any medical science. I always wanted to study something related to an international environment, something that I have never experienced before.

To be honest, I did not know what I was getting myself into when I chose law. It was something of an acquired taste for law because as you start to study new things, learn new subjects, and meet new people, then you begin to build an affinity for Law.

I probably chose law because I was always interested in literature, in trying to express myself better, to be understood, and to understand people. Additionally, history played a huge part in it [choosing law] because this has always been one of my sweet spots.

Was there a moment during your course of studies when you felt devoid of motivation? If so, what was the thing that made you get ‘back to the game’ (mantra, thought, or just a pure dose of self-discipline)?

I would not say that I have lost motivation throughout my studies, I would rather say there were very tough moments because it was difficult for me to live in the Netherlands financially. Most of my colleagues in the university had more resources coming from their parents, and it was never the case for me. So, I always had to work apart from studying and when I went to the Netherlands, it was almost impossible for Bulgarians to work. Although I was a student at a nice university, it was almost impossible to find employment, I had to go the extra mile to find a job. These were probably the moments when I felt demotivated.

Apart from that, I never felt demotivated by the subjects, my colleagues, nor the teachers because, I would say, The Hague University is a very inspiring place to study. Especially, at times I think about my first year when I arrived at there, I was fascinated by the beautiful building, and by the way our teachers spoke about Law and the perks of the profession.

I think you build motivation throughout the years. In the process, you are getting a very good picture of the law in general, and after that then you're will be in a position where you can pick the field that suits you better. What is important for the first-year students is to start thinking about which part of the law is for them, and which part of the law they like the most. Otherwise, I think they will get demotivated very quickly.

How did you choose your internship?

My first internship was part of the mandatory bachelor’s program. I was in the middle of my third year, looking for an internship for a few months. Back then, the university unfortunately, was not able to assist us. There were a limited amount of internships, so most of us had to find one by ourselves. I found an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, also known as the ICTY.

I was lucky and honored to work in one of the two teams for the defense of Mr Radovan Karadzic. The first team was merely supplementary support to his role because he was representing himself.

I was part of the so-called ‘Standby defense team’, preparing to ‘jump into the case’ if, at any moment, the judge rules that Karadzic was not able to represent himself anymore. It was an exceptional experience for me because I managed to get a very good impression of how international tribunals function. I also acquired first-hand experience with International Criminal law. Not to mention, I met inspiring people such as legal counsels with years of practice and qualifications in international tribunals.

For a young student and professional like me, it was influential to be able to work with such people.

Apart from that, I did another internship in a company called ‘Panteia’ as part of my master’s degree. Panteia helps Corporations and NGOs apply for projects and programs coming from the European Union. We were a diverse team of specialists, lawyers, project managers, and compliance specialists who knew the legislation of the European Union quite well.

I did only two internships, but my internship for the ICTY lasted quite a long time. It was supposed to be for six months as it is what the university required. However, I stayed with the ICTY [for] more than a year and a half. I enjoyed it. Even though we were working pro bono, and I did not earn a single euro out of this internship, it was a good exposure to such experienced and knowledgeable people in international law.

And what was the culmination of your internship? Do you have an experience that you will never forget?

I do. Mentioning the internship in the ICTY, we had this tradition that every intern could attend a real court proceeding before leaving. I went into the courtroom, and I sat close to Radovan Karadzic. I was maybe 21 or 22, so for me, the atmosphere, the opportunity to stay there in front of five judges, at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, to sit close to Radovan Karadzic and close 10 experienced legal counsels was the culmination. I had the opportunity to speak with Radovan Karadzic. For me, he did what he did, he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, having the wrong position. On the other hand, he struck me as a good person, in general. He was positive, humble, and constantly trying to connect even with the interns, and inspire them to study more, to know more.

So yeah, that is the culmination of my internship – the opportunity to go into court and attend a real legal preceding was an unforgettable experience, for sure.

What did you gain from these internships?

I gained a lot, but I am I'm going to limit it to the qualities that I think every student should concentrate on when following the internship. First of all, students should have the ability to learn the professional routine at the place where they are doing their internship. Nobody expects them to be amazing lawyers, and to have broad knowledge of law nor the proceedings.

The only thing that's important is to get into this professional routine of being punctual, understanding what the boss requires, and being able to socialize and communicate with colleagues professionally. Another valuable aspect is to make contacts.

Meet as many people as possible, go out to bars after work, spend time with new colleagues, and meet new people.

When I am thinking about the contacts and the people I met back then, and how they have influenced my professional development I find this ability worth developing. Everything else is just a bonus.

How difficult is it to adapt to the professional world after completing an internship?

Unfortunately, in our sector, it is really difficult to find a job after graduating. The thing is that once you finish the internship, you do not immediately start working. You will rather get yourself into this vicious circle; to find the job, you need experience, and to get experience, you need the job.

In the beginning, I and most of my fellow students, had to work either pro bono without being paid or if we were lucky, it was such a minimal amount that it was not sufficient for almost anything. Even though, you could not cover your daily expenses, this is a period that most people should go through. It is really difficult, but it usually would not last that long. It could be six months to a year, and then it is way less difficult to find a better job.

After my first internship, I immediately started doing my master’s degree. I did my second internship in Panteia, as I already mentioned. I stayed without a job for a few months, and then I started another internship at Europol. Most European Union agencies and organizations cannot extend your internship beyond six months. However, I started working on projects which were very important for Europol. I got lucky, plus I put a lot of effort into it, so after the 6-month period ended, I started working for an external company at Europol. I worked like this for more than a year, and then I received a permanent position. It was a gradual step-by-step process to getting the permanent position. I am a good example that this could be achieved. When I am thinking about the contacts and the people I met back then, and how they have influenced my professional development I find this ability worth developing. Everything else is just a bonus.

If you spend the necessary time and effort on what you do, there is always a way.

The consultancy position in Europol was my first legal job that was decently paid. It was a kind of a fresh breath. I was able to afford more things, get a better apartment, and a better life overall. My stumbling block, all of a sudden, it turned out to be way fortunate and happier than it had been before.

The first edition of this year’s journal will be mainly dedicated to environmental law. Do you believe that the law can reeducate people and persuade them to protect the environment?

Back then, I wanted to make a lot of money quickly. I wanted to work in big corporations or big public organizations and deal with either criminal or corporate law.

Additionally, when I was at university, I was not that into environmental law either. However, things have changed for me. I shifted into a sustainable way of living. For the past few years, I have been engaging myself more and more in environmental activities. For example, I recently started working as a pro bono lawyer for an association of the Bulgarian parks. I am helping this association oppose either the government or big corporations who wants to build anything within the borders of our national parks. This NGO starts procedures against the government or corporations, and they very often need legal support. As they do not have the financial resources to hire a lawyer, I help them simply as a pro bono legal adviser whenever I can, and for whatever.

In this sense, I only wish I had studied environmental law when I was in university, but I am picking it up now, and I am studying more.

Law is important for solving environmental issues because they always require the intervention of institutions, agencies or even courts.

To force a company or a factory to stop polluting, you need to know the law, you need to be able to use the applicable national legislation and file a complaint in the respective institution. At the same time, you are facing a very rich corporate machine on the other side of the bench, and very often the ‘battle’ is unequal.

In most cases, everybody makes a future projection of him/herself as a professional when starting university. Did you use to have such and if so, does it match the reality and who you are now?

Firstly, I thought of myself as a human rights lawyer, but then I quickly changed the picture to a corporate lawyer.

I am a corporate lawyer at the moment and, to be honest, I expected quite a lot. Yes, it is extremely challenging, and I extract a lot of positives from my job, but recently I feel the need to do ‘more good’ for society. Otherwise, I do not sense fulfilment in my professional capacity alone.

I think at the end of the day, it is a combination to grow in your profession in the corporate environment, and at the same time, finding what makes you happy and what makes you valuable to the people you love.

This is of great significance and value to me and I notice the same tendency among my colleagues, especially those working in the corporate environment.

For Aristotle “Law is order, and good law is good order”. What is the law for you?

Law is, yes, order, for sure, but the law, for me, has to do more with justice. With all these rights and wrongs, and when somebody harms society by doing wrongful activities, the law is there to protect them in a way that serves justice.

I started studying law, and I keep working in the field because I like to think that by what I do, I contribute to a more just world.