Alice Dunoyer de Segonzac

Give a brief overview of your role at the firm now, when you joined and your background before joining

I am a senior associate within the white-collar crime, compliance and internal investigations team in Paris. I studied at Sciences Po Paris (undergrad and law school) and I also studied art history and aesthetics at La Sorbonne (Paris I) in parallel. Prior to joining Clifford Chance, I spent three years in another international law firm with a focus on commercial litigation and arbitration.

Why did you become a lawyer and what prompted and sustained your pursuit?

The idea that I could become a lawyer emerged at a later stage during my studies. At 18 years old, I knew nothing about law schools, lawyers and courthouses. Both of my parents were (and still are) musicians, and I had no relatives or role models in the legal industry. I wanted to become a diplomat because I was fascinated by history and politics, and I loved to argue and advocate! My first years as an undergrad at Sciences Po allowed me to meet a lot of different people and professionals and I understood that the intellectual challenge and the international environment I could find in big law would probably better fit me than working for a public administration. I am also bi-national (i.e. Franco-American), and did not want to choose to serve either a country or another. Participating in a moot court during my first year in law school triggered off my enthusiasm and since then I know I am a born litigator!

How would you describe the culture and atmosphere at Clifford Chance?

Trust, excellence and emulation are what I value and find every day in my team.

What are the key skills you have developed here which have been invaluable to your career?

The key skills I developed at Clifford Chance are listening and observation skills. As a litigator, you always want to be right, and it may be tempting to dominate the floor but listening and observation are key to be accurate and relevant. This is true for pure legal skills but also for business skills. Listening attentively and being sensitive to weak signals and body language is absolutely key to earn the trust of your clients, take action appropriately, and convey the appropriate messages either to the opposite parties, the court, a judicial expert, or any other stakeholder.

What do you like most about your job?

What I enjoy the most are challenges. I often got bored before doing this job, this has never occurred since! I love finding the right argument or angle, solving complex problems involving legal, geopolitical and governance issues, and above all onboarding younger lawyers or interns into this journey!

What do you notice and value most about the people?

I value combativeness, pugnacity and the capacity to engage personally in what you say. I think the personal touch is what makes the difference. It is this "je ne sais quoi" that will ultimately convince the client, the judge, the audience that they must follow you.

What is your key advice for anyone considering a career at Clifford Chance?

My advice is to be humble but yet ambitious, know your talents and put them forward, know your weaknesses and work them out!

What is the most exciting deal/matter/project you have worked on recently?

Our matters are unfortunately highly confidential, and it is complicated to talk about recent matters. The two most exciting topics we are working on right now are first the defense of companies targeted by complaints regarding alleged complicity of human rights infringements for having business relationships with authoritarian regimes and second advisory work on the so-called duty of vigilance which requires large companies to identify, mitigate and monitor risks in relation to human rights infringements or harms to the environment. These matters are deeply rooted in today’s political challenges and question many fundamental principles (extraterritoriality of national laws in a globalized world, corporate vs. personal liability, concrete environmental and social impact of economic activity, etc.).

What differentiates Clifford Chance from other firms/organisations you have worked at?

I think clients value the fact that we try to be pragmatic, forward thinking and agile thinking. This state of mind is very unique to Clifford Chance. We are not only lawyers we are trusted advisors.

What was your recruitment process when you joined the firm?

I was hired as a lateral. I had met Clifford Chance lawyers through my nascent professional network as I was wondering if and how to do a move from commercial litigation to criminal law. When the white-collar crime practice grew, they remembered me and contacted me. I did two rounds of interviews, met the full team and joined the adventure!