As Managing Director and European General Counsel at Hayfin Capital, Jennifer plays a key role in supporting the firm’s private credit strategy across Europe. Since joining Hayfin in 2020, she has successfully transitioned into private credit from a different legal background, demonstrating how adaptable and commercially minded lawyers can thrive in fund leadership roles.

Driven by a strong sense of advocacy shaped by her family’s journey, Jennifer brings both rigour and humanity to her leadership. We chose to interview her because her story challenges conventional career paths and shows that stepping into unfamiliar territory (even at senior levels) can be a powerful catalyst for growth, impact and long-term success in the funds space.

Can you share a bit about why you decided to go into law and what led you to move in-house rather than stay in private practice?

My parents sacrificed a lot to seek a better life for their daughters, so I had 3 options: lawyer, doctor or business/engineer type. My older sister is a doctor (a fantastic cardiologist, actually!) so that was taken. *wink* I did not have a knack for engineering but I definitely did for logic and problem-solving, so lawyer it was! This is part of the truth. The other part is my parents came to America with almost nothing and I saw them work ridiculously hard, never treat themselves, and give up a lot while trying to navigate stereotypes and racism. I grew up knowing that I wanted to use my voice to advocate. 

At first I was going to become a human rights lawyer or an immigration lawyer. However I decided to do something more corporate because, in all honestly, it paid more. This meant that I could pay off law school and undergrad debt, ensure my parents didn’t feel like they gave up a lot and still be concerned I did not earn enough, and ensure I could support myself and my family. It turns out, I really love working in finance and funds. I love problem solving and trying to find common ground that benefits both my company and the clients/investors.

I could do either private practice or in-house as I am driven by working with people and solving problems. I moved in house because I really enjoy the commercial side of the business and the unique problem solving that ensures legal and risk decisions take into account commercials, operational complexity and practicality. 

What has been one of the most memorable moments of your legal career so far—and why?

When I first joined Hayfin, I joined a private credit offsite and had to give a presentation on legal issues and processes the team needed to follow. I knew the materials might be quite dry so I started with a pirate lawyer joke! Who doesn’t love a pirate lawyer joke?! It broke the ice! In all seriousness, I am not sure I have a most memorable moment. What I do have is a bunch of small moments – the joy I get from deals with my colleagues, getting to know investors and finding solutions for very tricky situations. 

What one factor has helped you the most throughout your career?

Building relationships and treating everyone with respect. Whether someone is an investor, junior member of the team, portfolio manager, receptionist, cleaner, etc., I always treat them with respect and give them my time. It often means they do the same. Plus, it is easy to be kind, respectful and responsive. For me success is how I am remembered and this means that hopefully most people will remember me as someone who is kind, respectful and who helped them solve issues.

With the world of financial services always changing, what emerging trends or challenges do you foresee shaping legal functions in this space over the next year?

Everyone is talking about AI. I think it can be really additive to an organisation but will clearly need time to bed in. I am trying to learn as much as I can, but I am hopeful it means that the legal function can focus on value-add judgements and have info at their fingertips to give sound advice. 

Many people hesitate to pivot into something unfamiliar, especially at senior levels. What mindset or practical steps helped you navigate that change, and how can others build the confidence to do the same?

Being trained as a lawyer means you have very transferable skills: (a) good logical problem-solving, (b) understand risks, (c) understand first principles, (d) being a quick learner, (e) active listening and (f) being able to take in volumes of information and distil it down to what is important. At first it was daunting moving into funds from my historical equity capital markets practice, but as an in -house lawyer, I had always navigated random issues to solve, so I knew I could do this. 

What’s your advice to leaders who want to create a more diverse and inclusive culture?

Leaders need to recognise different types of leadership and consider their own stereotypes. Some leaders are more collaborative and show by example. They may not be the loudest, the ones who shout about their achievements, know how to play politics. But instead, that person is someone who genuinely cares about people and they will drive an inclusive culture in an organisation. Every organisation is made up of people so it really does matter.

Leaders should also consider reverse mentoring. Leaders may not realise their blind-spots. Leaders should welcome differing opinions and be concerned if who they favour are those people who only agree with them. Most people will be too nervous to point out blind spots to a senior member of the team, but if such person is specifically meant to do it as their “mentor”, then it makes it easier. 

Leaders should learn about different cultures and understand their team members’ own personal challenges and experiences. For example, if due to culture or someone’s life experience, that person hesitates to take the spotlight, then the leader should recognise that rather than saying that person will not be able to present in front of investors, for example. Instead the leader should help that person navigate something that is unfamiliar. 

What change do you hope to see for women in the legal industry in the next 10 years?

I still think there are stereotypes that are hard for women to navigate. I do hope that over the next 10 years, with the many resources to help organisations learn about creating and maintaining diverse and inclusive environments, to recognise the contributions of women and minorities and give them a seat at the table. There have been studies that show that gender stereotypes linked to the perceived value of type of work impacts women being in leadership roles and higher paying roles. For example: feedback for men tend to have more adjectives that are task oriented, whereas women get relationship/emotion-focused feedback. More women may participate in workplace diversity/wellness committees for the greater good of the organisation, but this does not lead to promotions or increased pay. Women tend to speak less at meetings and may then be seen as “contributing less”. The main issue with these stereotypes and unconscious bias, is it hurts women’s confidence. Women then may not speak up or pursue leadership opportunities. That is a shame as the women I have worked with have been amazing and are fantastic contributors!