Antti-Jussi Partanen on being a coach on and off the field
Enthusiastic, engaging, encouraging, down to earth, dedicated, and competitive – these are just some of the adjectives colleagues use to describe the partner and head of Roschier’s Real Estate practice in Finland.
Antti-Jussi Partanen appreciates hearing such feedback. “It’s always great to hear comments like this. I really like where I am right now. It’s fun, and I’m trying to keep the team energetic and motivated and see how the younger colleagues grow.”
A story of growth
Antti-Jussi’s close to 20-year career at Roschier has been one of lifelong learning, perseverance, and growth, traits that he now encourages in his colleagues.
“I applied to Roschier for a traineeship during my studies, and the first time in 2005, I didn’t get in. Then I applied again in 2006 and was successful,” he recalls. “I’ve been a member of the Roschier family ever since. This is still my first job after graduation!”
After working as a trainee, he was offered a position as an associate lawyer in November 2007. Since then, he has worked primarily on real assets, including real estate and infrastructure, with a strong focus on transactions. He has also been a visiting lawyer for large Finnish-listed companies like Fortum and Metso. His hard work paid off in 2020 when he was made a partner.
“Roschier has always offered me opportunities to grow as a professional and as a person, and now I want to give the same to others and help my colleagues to be the best versions of themselves.”
“Roschier has always offered me opportunities to grow as a professional and as a person, and now I want to give the same to others and help my colleagues to be the best versions of themselves.”
A passion for mentorship
As happy as he is now in the legal field, law was not always Antti-Jussi’s first choice when it came to building a career. Before choosing law school, he was also interested in pursuing mathematics and social sciences during high school and still carries some of that attachment with him. Luckily, he says, he manages to indulge his interests.
“Law combines these two fields: logical thinking and the social aspect,” he explains. “It is always fascinating being able to apply principles from these fields as I navigate and help to resolve the client’s legal and commercial issues in my day-to-day work.”
This is also reflected in Antti-Jussi’s passions, namely coaching and mentoring. He is an assistant coach in his two sons’ football teams and also mentors his colleagues at Roschier. He says the experiences have been educational.
“They have inspired me to use broad coaching styles in how I approach personal relationships, give feedback, and in how I interact with my team and colleagues at work,” he explains.
To support this interest, Antti-Jussi regularly reads books and participates in leadership and coaching training. He quickly realized that some of the same rules apply to motivating and coaching a sports team as well as a team of seasoned lawyers.
“There are principles that apply to both, and they boil down to building a gritty team that wants to compete and win,” he remarks. “Good coaches often try to find out and understand what inspires their team, what gets them to show up every day, and what motivates them to win. I try to do this with my team at Roschier, knowing that this information will encourage them down a path of growth.”
Content in an encouraging environment
When asked what he likes best about working at Roschier, Antti-Jussi’s answer comes quickly. “It is the co-workers and all the knowledge within the firm. There is no doubt about that.”
He says Roschier is one of the biggest and most well known law firms in the Nordics. “Our clients come to us knowing they can trust our expertise in the most complex and demanding issues that require collaboration among the various experts in the firm and tenacity to think things through to come up with pragmatic solutions. This creates an encouraging and supportive atmosphere where we all learn from each other.”
“We always try to get the best people in the firm, and I don’t only mean the best in their knowledge of the law, but also the best in teamwork and collaboration as well as commercial approach to the client’s needs.”
“We always try to get the best people in the firm, and I don’t only mean the best in their knowledge of the law, but also the best in teamwork and collaboration as well as commercial approach to the client’s needs,” he explains. “It’s always been a pleasure to work with my colleagues, and I discover new things every day.”
As he looks to the future, Antti-Jussi says he has no radical plans to change what he is doing. The reason is simple: He is content for now.
“I’m happy as a partner and a team leader and in getting to work with the brightest minds in the business. I get to constantly take on new challenges, develop myself, and support others. I’m very happy and extremely lucky to have landed such a dream job straight after graduation!”