Why have you decided to specialise in ADR? What attracted you to this area of law?

Natural love to disputes… To be serious, I find the art of law in arbitration. You shall apply your knowledge, logics, think about the strategy, there is always a place for creative approach. Arbitration challenges you as a professional every day. It stimulates you to discover more, to do more, to develop your skills more, to become better version of yourself to reach the main aim – to help your client.

What do you consider to be the biggest challenge in your career as a female practitioner in arbitration?

At this stage my biggest challenge is quite maximalist: being a young woman and trying to convince others that there is no need to wait for 20+ years to become an active practitioner in this field.

What do you consider as the biggest challenge for the ADR in the future?

In my opinion the biggest challenge and the biggest blessing for ADR in future is technology. Technology everywhere: IT-related disputes, technology within dispute resolution procedure. We should get prepared and learn how to live with “hard” and “soft” in our profession making them our instruments.

Are there any interesting developments in the field of ADR in the jurisdiction you are based in?

The main development of 2018 for ADR in Belarus is a rise of the investments disputes. This year two first ICSID cases in history of Belarus commenced, there is one more dispute before PCA, and few disputes before International Commercial Arbitration Court at the CCI of the Russian Federation. It is a new sphere for our country, new market and challenge for lawyers.

I also could not help mentioning our establishment of the Young ADR – Belarus which is a new project that unites young practitioners, scientists and students interested in ADR in Belarus. We hope that we will be able to promote arbitration in Belarus interestingly and effectively: through events, practical workshops and information support.

If you had a time machine, what piece of advice would you give to yourself at the beginning of your career in ADR?

I still consider myself to be at the beginning of my career now. However, I already have the piece of advice to the young practitioners including myself: “Never stop learning. Sky is not the limit”.

What is it like to work in a predominantly male profession such as ADR?

Working in ADR means to be surrounded by very hard-working, intelligent, creative and motivated people who every day inspires you to grow as a professional, to think strategically and to make difficult decisions. You shall have a strong personality and think unconventionally in this profession.

If you could be a film/book character for one day who would it be and why?

Sherlock Holmes. Being intelligent, logical and attentive to the details and dealing with the most complex cases – sounds like a great plan for a day!

If you could meet for a dinner a famous person, dead or alive, who would that be?

Maria Skłodowska-Curie. Twice Nobel price awardee, the first female professor of Sorbonne, outstanding Polish, she is my example of the woman who is very successful both in her career and family life. I would definitely ask her about the life-work balance, and, of course, about her research activity and radioactivity (I specialized in Physics at the high school, so still have some questions left).

If you could experience first-hand one historical event what would it be and why?

Probably, I would choose two events.

1569 – signing of the Union of Lublin when Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów (Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) was established. It is a bright historical event that united several states in our region and flourished in their economic and cultural development.

I would also join the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in 2010-2013 when the Higgs boson was found. The event that was predicted by the scientists before, great technological and science win which explains our world a bit more – it is definitely worth experiencing.