Meet the innovators: Powerhouse duo Sharon Lewis and John Salmon on shaping the future of finance through Digital Assets and Blockchain

John: Sharon is one of the best lawyers I’ve ever met at understanding the vison that clients are after. She brilliantly recognizes where the clients are going to go – keying into their movements and anticipating their needs. That’s what we try to always bring back to the team.

Sharon: It all starts with really listening to what the client wants. Once you’ve embraced that, you can then prioritize it. Understanding your sector – understanding what’s happening in that sector – is key, and that’s become increasingly complicated. Many companies are multi-sectored; there are global impacts, as well as generally the digitalization of our world. So, whatever we produce for our clients has to be useful in their complex context.

John: Cultivating a team with diversity of experience and knowledge is crucial. Clients are so multifaceted now, and their issues require multifaceted advice. That’s where the best of the firm really shines.

Sharon: Another benefit of having a multitude of people around you is the fruit that comes through disagreement. At times, I’ve made the most progress where I’ve had my perspective challenged, and I ask myself, “is it something I should be doing differently?” These critical conversations enable us to break out beyond our own areas, push ourselves, and win hearts and minds for the sake of our clients.

John: It’s simple but so powerful – we want to do what’s best for the client.

Sharon: It goes back to listening to what they want and then partnering with them to achieve it. It’s a combination of listening and being client-facing, being forward-looking, and thinking about the future of the firm rather than just the next month coming.

John: We’ve had a lot of success in two fronts – that our brand is recognized as one of the leaders in this space and that we’ve been able to partner with clients at the heart of what’s been a pretty dramatic change.

We’re top ranking in the UK and highly ranked in multiple other jurisdictions. People recognize that we’re one of the leading players, and clients tell us that we’re one of the firms that “gets it”. We understand what’s going on in this space and are winning the right projects.

Success is ultimately about getting work in the door, but there’s obviously steps to that. We worked hard early on by talking to clients and some of the first innovative projects – building our brand and experience. I’m confident in saying we’ve done that successfully and helped shape the sector into what it is today.

Sharon: It’s multifaceted. I’m incredibly proud of the DAB practice, and I do think it really is at the heart of the world of tomorrow.

I read recently that digital bonds would be mainstay by 2030, and to have been able to foresee this five, maybe ten years ago, and to have really pushed for our firm to be among the top of class in this, is a source of great accomplishment. You can’t feel it today, but as and when this happens, it will change capital markets globally, and will therefore change law firms globally. It is of really monumental importance in my world.

John: Ultimately, what we believe is that financial markets will change as a result of this technology. It’s hard to predict exactly how and when, but we do think that there will be a fundamental, seismic change at the heart of financial services. You can see it bit by bit, and part of that is driven by the market as well as regulation and legislation.

Sharon: It will fundamentally shift the way in which our capital markets operate. I actually hope that as a consequence it will make those capital markets more open to many, many more people – and change the way in which people save and invest.

An example here in the UK is that we need to think not just about the digitalization of capital markets but also digital ID, digitalization of MOTs, digitalization of driving licenses, digitalization of passports, digitalization of land registry... And Hogan Lovells will be a part of that.

Sharon: Allowing time for creativity is essential. I love chatting to people, and that feeds my creativity. If I wasn’t a lawyer, I’d have gone into design. I enjoy making my own jewelry now and piecing together vintage fashion ensembles.

Early on in my legal career, I was told the Financial Times should be my bible, and I do read it to this day and find that it is a source of inspiration. The paper version is delivered to my desk in Paris, and I absolutely love it and the ideas it gives me.

Though I prefer antiques over modern things, there are a lot of things I’ve done throughout my career that aren’t in my natural space. That has never stopped me, because it really is about knowing what the client wants, doing the best for them, the future of our firm, and future generations.

John: I’m genuinely just interested in the work I do. I’ve always been a techy person, and since I got into law, that aspect of it has always had my attention. It’s been 25 years now – always thinking about what the next thing is. I find that broadening my perspective by reading and actually speaking to people is the best way to get myself thinking about the future and nurture my own creativity.

Sharon: Our clients are mainly in the Financial Institutions sector and Financial Institutions is at the heart of industry, the heart of growth, and the heart of everything that we do.

John: Financial Services is such an interesting space. Every client is really different. We are fortunate in that we act for a lot of the biggest global financial institutions, and what you see is very different approaches to the same issues.

Ultimately, our clients have leadership who believe in their companies. They want advisors who will help them navigate through all of that complexity, and that’s exactly what we do.