It is generally accepted that the profession of a lawyer involves only silent work with papers. We assure you that this is not the case at all. Katya’s work involves constant communication with colleagues worldwide and learning about almost every aspect of creating games. In addition, to an exciting job, she has a family, many interesting hobbies and stories! 

Practically, she has it all! Let’s get to know Katya better.

What is your current role in our company?

My current role is Deputy General Counsel – I look after the legal aspects of our global business, as well as after a few special projects here in Lithuania.

Could you tell us the story about your career path and education?

My career path has been quite interesting. After graduating from law school, I started as a litigator. That experience gave me the confidence to move into my next role as general counsel for a games publisher, which was a lot of fun! Having merged the company with a larger games group and built a legal team there, I spent a couple of years working with a number of different games studios as an independent counsel, which is when I met Wargaming’s team, who approached me with a few projects.

After that, I decided to take a break from my work life and pursue an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from Stockholm University. Finally, in 2014, after completing my LLM, I joined Wargaming as Deputy General Counsel. Since then, being a part of such an innovative organisation has been amazing!

Name several reasons why you chose to join the gaming industry. What is so attractive about the game industry?

Going to court is quite intense and challenging, but working in the games industry beats pure litigation as you’re engaged across a broad scope of issues and have a chance to see projects from idea to release.

Moreover, the game industry is truly global, and you work with an international team that mixes languages and cultures – which, to me, is the most amazing work environment. Sometimes you have a meeting with, say, six people, each coming from a different country – while collaborating on the same project. The challenge, the evolution, the creative angle, and the diversity of the games industry are hard to beat, especially when you consider that the core of our business is making people happy.

Could you share your perspective on what is so unique about Wargaming?

Wargaming is a player-centric company: we succeed when we make people happy, have a long-term view and are not afraid of taking creative risks.

Also, we are very international, with a mix of languages and cultures at every level. Sometimes you meet a Japanese games company or an American, where one culture is central to the company – at Wargaming, it’s like at the United Nations. The company’s diversity allows us to take the best practices from each region and learn to apply them elsewhere. You never stop learning because there are always colleagues with the unique experience to share.

Could you tell us what is so special about the Legal discipline and your area of responsibility?

You should understand games, and you should understand the law. Plus, you must be able to communicate between the two worlds: the world of development and business. It won’t work if you’re a genius in your area but are unable to explain it to colleagues from creative or finance.

We think of lawyers in the games industry as general practice doctors: you keep learning all your life because experience is a huge part of your ability to predict outcomes and prevent risks. In my time in the industry, I saw hundreds of deals that sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed, and this kaleidoscope of experience – matched with the evolution of the industry and mapped onto the global games market – is what we are for our company. We know things, can explain things, and work to advise early on to make our experience and expertise helpful for decision-makers.

Could you share your thoughts about the privileges of being in Lithuania? What do you like the most about this country? Tell the fact why everyone should visit Lithuania!

I moved to Vilnius after living in Stockholm, Hamburg and Ghent. For our family, this wasn’t the first experience of moving abroad, so I’m confident when I say that Vilnius is truly a unique city – a city with a beautiful, walkable Old Town, rivers and trees, a city at the crossroads of the West and the East, the North and the South. Walking the streets of Vilnius, you hear a dozen of languages.

People come here to be who they are – rather than to try to fit into some specific stereotype. Like Berlin or Barcelona, Vilnius allows its citizens to express themselves and enjoy the diversity and the mix of cultures.

What are your hobbies?

I’m really into alpine skiing and making mixed-media art. For some time, my kids became my sort of “hobby”. Still, now as they are a bit older, we are actually able to share hobbies together: we do skiing, we do climbing, we hiking and biking in the mountains a lot, and together, we work on art projects and in the garden that we planted locally near our house in Užupis. It really feels amazing when everyone in the family is excited to go to the mountains or plant flower bulbs for the spring.

Do you have a funny story from your work life? Who are you when you close office doors or your laptop?

As lawyers, we often communicate inside and outside the company. Sometimes people think that lawyers are the competitive team that doesn’t talk to each other between different companies, but actually, this is the opposite: the legal teams at most of the leading games studios are great friends with each other and often help with advice.

How would you describe your work for the stranger at the bar?

To a stranger, I would say that my day may include a call with a colleague in Australia, a discussion with a lawyer in Brazil, a review of an issue brought by our studio in the UK, a meeting with a Vilnius-based partner who works with the local office – and then a conversation with an American games company that needs advice on how we resolved a project in, say, Serbia. And it’s all about the games people know and love, not some abstraction or a fiscal trade. Our team’s role is to help creative people be efficient at making players happy, which gives us our sense of purpose: if our creative teams succeed, the lives of our players will be richer, and their community will flourish. We take pride in making this happen.

What advice would you give to a new joiner?

My advice to new joiners would be to communicate as much as possible with their colleagues, ask questions, and get feedback. It’s really important to build relationships in the workplace and establish a good rapport with your team. Additionally, I believe that there is no limit to learning. No matter how experienced you are, there are always new things to learn which can help your future career.