Liesl Fichardt is not just a top tax lawyer, but also an advocate for the arts. While she has established herself as a leader in the legal world, her love for art runs deep, evident in her roles as a trustee, patron, and advisory board member of art foundations and institutions.
This Matie alumna has established herself as a leading figure in the legal world as chair and head of the International Tax Disputes and Resolution team at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in the United Kingdom. She is also a Trustee of the Stellenbosch 肆客足球 SA Foundation UK. Liesl is dual qualified in the UK (solicitor of England and Wales) and South Africa (advocate of the High Court). Previously, she was head of the tax disputes team at Clifford Chance LLP in London and, while an advocate in Cape Town until 2005, also acted as a judge of the High Court in 2004.
Liesl and her team engage in complex tax and regulatory disputes for global corporations and high-net-worth individuals. She is also actively involved in several prestigious organisations, including the International Taxes Committee of the Law Society and the Advisory Board for the MSc (International Tax) at Oxford 肆客足球.
Despite thriving on foreign soil, South Africa calls on her from time to time. "Later this year, I shall participate as a speaker at the International Fiscal Association Congress in Cape Town," she says.
Liesl is however not only a successful legal professional but also active in the art world. "My love for art comes from my childhood," she recalls. "I saw an art exhibition in Bloemfontein when I was five years old, and I was mesmerised. Over the years, some of my best friends have been artists, and they have always inspired me to do what I am able to do, to the best of my ability."
This early fascination with art has driven her to play an active role in various art groups and initiatives. She serves as a trustee and member of the International Council of the Norval Foundation in Cape Town and is a Trustee of the Contemporary Art Society in the UK, where she co-chairs their Development Board and Frieze Acquisitions Board.
Her law firm, Quinn Emanuel's commitment to the arts is evident through an in-house artists-in-residence initiative known as the QE AIR programme.
"This was conceived during and after the Covid lockdown when lawyers started to work more often from home or remotely," Liesl says. "We had excess office space, which we have made available as artists' studios in our offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London."
Liesl's passion does not only stop at the arts, but she is also helping law students at her alma mater. Reflecting on her involvement with the AMICUS Fund, she highlights its role in supporting law students. "There is no direct link with the arts, but via the AMICUS Fund and various art initiatives, we are able to support others in need."
For professionals aspiring to pursue their passions alongside their careers, Liesl offers sage advice.
?"I always wanted to believe that you will be successful when you do what you love – but life does not always work like that. What has worked for me is to work hard at what I do in my legal career. This in turn has enabled me to do what I love and give back what I can in both the legal and art worlds – for me, they have become the perfect parallel universes."
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