Five minutes with Aylla Assis

Tell us about yourself

I’m Aylla, based in London and part of our diverse Global Office team. As the Legal Services Manager, I assist in delivering Baker Tilly's strategic goals of growing the legal services line across our network. This includes all kinds of collaboration and engagement initiatives with our member firms.

I'm originally from Brazil, and I love interacting with our members and facilitating conversations and relationships. I’m always up for a chat!

Outside of work, what keeps you busy?

I now have two very young kittens at home bustling with energy, excitement and sharp little nails. When they allow me five minutes of peace, books are my way to relax. I try to read at least two per month but weirdly haven't read lots of good ones this year (taking recommendations!).

I also spent hours on my guiltiest pleasure during the lockdown: binge-watching reality shows such as RuPaul's Drag Race and Gogglebox, a TV show about British people watching TV. It's just hilarious.

What made you transition from the Legal industry into accounting?Switching from working strictly as a lawyer to a business-oriented operational role has been my idea for a long time.

Switching from working strictly as a lawyer to a business-oriented operational role has been my idea for a long time.

Many lawyers enter big law firms with a long-term career plan that goes through several associate levels to become senior partners. There's a clear set of milestones, and I never felt compelled to what I saw at the finishing line. If you work hard and put up with the (very long) hours, it's relatively easy to go through the corporate legal ladder, but you have limited room for shaping your development.

Although I liked the intellectually challenging work, I now feel more energised and excited by our network. It gives me the possibility to undertake exciting work with our members and innovate. I'm constantly devising new ways to bring our members together and fostering a genuine sense of being part of a legal network.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

For me, it wasn't so much about one single piece of advice, but I learned a lot from role models.

I've been fortunate to work with people who excel in what they do and act like decent human beings. These are humble people: they listen to others, show respect, inspire others to think outside the box and try new ideas. The effect of this professional humility is powerful. It taught me never to settle or lower expectations for professional and human excellence.

That said, one awesome piece of advice was to buy bitcoins in 2014. Alas, I didn't take that one.

How can we bring together different cultures to work as one global family?

Empathy and communication, but if that fails...try bringing food to the table. It's nice how that changes the dynamic, even virtual working lunches or breakfasts can make the conversation flow better.

The prevailing Zoom etiquette is against eating during meetings, but I say food connects people, and it gives us a glimpse of other cultures' history and values.

What are the opportunities for Legal Services within the global Baker Tilly network?

Legal is growing so much across the network. In the last five years, there was significant progress: we now have several members offering integrated legal advice worldwide. I'm lucky to have started after so much hard work went into it.

The legal industry and how it is regulated is changing fast. There are real opportunities for members to collaborate with experienced lawyers who can work seamlessly with the other services lines, assisting clients in their international development while raising Baker Tilly's profile as a professional service provider. Exciting times!

Get to know us in five minutes

 

Marc Mercader		Valencia Serero