In an extensive interview, Servet Yildiz Stêrk, winner of the Norwegian Bar Association's Talent Award 2021, shares his unique journey from a Kurdish mountain village in Turkey to his role as an innovative trainee lawyer in Norway.

Stêrk openly discusses his background as a Kurdish refugee and how experiences of alienation and injustice shaped his decision to study law: "When I chose to begin law studies, it was about the pursuit of justice. It was about the opportunity to make the world a better place by advocating for the weakest in society."

After completing his studies in 2014 and gaining experience from various positions in the public sector, Stêrk established his own legal aid business before starting as a trainee lawyer at Tveter and Kløvfjell in 2020. He describes how challenges in gaining entry into the traditional legal profession led him to take an alternative path: "Instead of attending more interviews where I often felt I had to try to break stereotypes, starting on my own was a way to show the industry the advantage diversity can offer."

As a pioneer in digital marketing within the industry, Stêrk has built a significant following on Instagram (@advokatfsterk) with close to 4,500 followers. He views this as part of his social responsibility: "It's about making legal services accessible by having a presence that lowers the threshold for contact and thereby prevents individuals from accepting injustice."

Stêrk emphasizes the value of a multicultural background in the legal profession: "As a lawyer, you can have clients from different countries with different expectations. Cultural understanding is extremely important." He sees his own multicultural background as a competitive advantage in an industry that is becoming increasingly globalized.

To law students, Stêrk offers encouraging advice: "Although the pressure for grades can often be significant, the best advice I can give is that grades are important, but they are not what makes a good lawyer."