The K&L Gates partner believes that language is "key to the mind"
Rodolphe Ruffié-Farrugia is a partner at global law firm K&L Gates, but more than a lawyer, he sees himself as a “language lover” who is obsessed with words and grammar. He brings this love of the word into his legal career by always looking for the right words to connect with others.
In the first part of this interview, Ruffié-Farrugia gives Australasian Lawyer a glimpse into an epic love story (a story we hope to one day catch up on) and tells the tale of the first arbitration he handled on his own.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
Before being a lawyer, I am first and foremost a linguist – more even: a language lover. I have always been obsessed with the meaning of words and the workings of grammar (i.e., the "fuel and engine" of any language) as well as the logical reasoning at the core of philosophy and mathematics, which also are languages in their own way. This is because language is the key to the mind: as such, it enables us to empathise with how others experience the world.
The beauty of law is that it channels language to organise our lives in society and, at its best, delivers justice. It is this notion that led me to embrace a legal career; without surprise then, my favourite part of the job is finding the right words to connect with people, whether in the context of negotiations, a hearing, or a simple conversation.
What in your opinion has been the most memorable event of your career to date?
A most difficult question to answer, as quite a few candidates immediately spring to mind! Although I am torn between my first arbitrator appointment (in a case arising from a dispute over the transfer of a world-famous football player) or my first negotiations (alone, on the ground in Africa, head-to-head with a minister and his 20+ collaborators, for a whole week, over a billion-dollar dispute), I think the very first arbitration that I carried out – and won in full – entirely on my own still tops it all.
It goes back to almost 10 years ago when I was still in the early stages of my arbitral career, but I still remember it vividly: it was a case for a Western musician of modest means who somehow ended up being dragged as respondent into an Asian commercial arbitration. The claim was not exceptionally high for an international arbitration, but the stakes were (and so was the pressure!), as the client would have gone personally bankrupt ten times over had he lost the case. All the other parties were fully "solicitored & barristered" up, and the hearing lasted an entire week in Asia.
Since the client was impecunious, we were the only participants unable to fly there ourselves from Europe and I had to wake up every day at 3:30am to perform my oral submissions as well as the required cross and re-examinations. Another source of pressure was that I was instructed after the statements of claim and defence (of the other respondent, adverse and separately represented) were already filed, meaning a lot of improvisation was required to convince the arbitrator to modify the procedure without disrupting it too much.
Notwithstanding all these difficulties, the client and I managed to come out of this ordeal entirely victorious, being granted full costs (although our share was almost nil since I had agreed to undertake his defence on a pro-bono basis).
If you could relive one day in your life, which day would it be and why?
The day I met my wife, over 12 years ago – because you do not get this kind of story even in Hollywood pictures. But we would need another Q&A (or two) to cover this epic tale alone! As you can gather from my other answers, I believe that before being lawyers or advisors, we are first and foremost human beings. In that sense, no matter how large the space work may occupy in our lives, one should not lose sight from the solace to be found on the more personal side.
