Guardians of Growth: Katie Vickery on Reinvention, Leadership & Building a Meaningful Legal Career

In this episode of This Legal Life, host Ben Chiriboga talks with Katie Vickery, Partner and Head of Regulatory at Osborne Clarke, to explore what it takes to build a lasting and fulfilling legal career. From the early jolt of the Enron collapse to becoming a leader in product regulation and sustainability law, Katie shares how reinvention, mentorship, and curiosity shaped her 24+ year journey in the profession.

Listeners will learn how to spot emerging client needs, why building and handing off practices is an act of leadership, and how personal and professional alignment creates long-term career satisfaction. Katie’s story is a blueprint for anyone looking to lead with purpose—and leave a legacy worth sharing.

Meet Our Guest:

Katie Vickery, a UK partner at the international legal practice Osborne Clarke, provides clients with solutions to legal regulatory problems across the world. She works with many household names providing advice on how to manage regulatory compliance, risk and enforcement, particularly in the fields of product safety, circular economy, sustainability and consumer law.

She leads a specialist team of product and sustainability lawyers and co-heads Osborne Clarke’s International ESG & Sustainability service line.

Both an advisory lawyer and a litigator, Katie provides pragmatic and risk-based advice on regulatory interpretation and liaising with regulators. She helps businesses facing “bet the farm” regulatory investigations—managing global product recalls, major safety and environmental incidents, and imposing regulatory burdens and restrictions.

Katie has built and adapted several practices throughout her career, adapting to market changes and opportunities. She is recognised as a leader in business development and in developing people to achieve their own practice ambitions.

Links:

What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently

Global Compliance | Osborne Clarke