Paula Gomes Freire was a guest on Rádio Observador’s Querido Líder podcast, in an episode dedicated to the question 'Should a leader expose their vulnerabilities?', hosted by journalist Ricardo Conceição, with the participation of Milton de Sousa and Jorge Medeiros.

Throughout the episode, VdA’s Managing Partner reflects on the challenges of leadership, management and organisational culture, explaining why the legal sector is particularly demanding from a leadership perspective, in a context where human capital plays a central role. In a law firm, 'the main asset is knowledge, the relationships we build with clients and each individual’s reputation', she notes.

Autonomy, a defining feature of the legal profession, also makes leadership more demanding, requiring the ability to align teams composed of highly independent professionals. 'Autonomy makes leadership even more challenging: the ability to align very independent minds. Leadership cannot be exercised by decree.'

During the conversation, Paula Gomes Freire also reflects on VdA’s culture and discusses topics such as the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession and her experience on the BES resolution.

• Listen to the episode of the Querido Líder podcast here.