Join Volker Weisshaar, General Counsel EMEA at Sonos, as he talks about how to establish legal teams for US tech giants in Europe, scale them for success, and navigate a divergent approach to regulations and privacy. 

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Key Insights

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1. Start Small, Learn Everything, Then Build Up

Being the first legal hire means doing it all—contracts, compliance, logistics, finance, and culture. Weisshaar says this is the best way to build credibility and lead by example: “You have to get your hands dirty first—then you can teach others how to do it.” He believes modern legal leaders must be operators as much as advisors.
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2. Hire for Customer Focus, Not Credentials

At early-stage subsidiaries, processes are fluid and ambiguity is normal. Volker looks for lawyers who say yes more than no. “When you tell someone ‘no,’ it should mean something because you rarely say it.” He builds teams around a problem-solving mindset—lawyers who see legal as a service function driving business momentum.
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3. Europe’s Legal Landscape Demands Context, Not Control

Weisshaar draws a clear distinction between the US and EU approaches to law: “The US has fewer regulations but clearer lines. Europe has endless rules—the art is knowing which ones really matter.” His teams focus on interpreting gray zones and educating US HQs on how to navigate them with local credibility.
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4. Regulation Is Tight—But Culture Still Drives Innovation

Volker believes Europe’s regulatory density does slow startups but not fatally: “What we lack in speed, we make up in diversity and stability.” He points to Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam as rising tech hubs—helped by a growing awareness that Europe needs to develop its own Silicon Valley-style ecosystem uniting academia, finance, and industry.
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5. Tough Conversations Build Stronger Teams

As his teams grew, Volker learned that clarity beats comfort. Early in his career he avoided hard talks, thinking mutual understanding was enough—until he saw confusion multiply. Now he embraces direct feedback with respect: “The pain is worth it. People trust you more when you name what’s not working.” He cites research showing most managers avoid tough conversations—and calls that a growth killer.
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6. AI Is a Tool—Not a Strategy

Volker uses AI personally every day but is measured about deployment. “Before you buy tools, ask: Who does this help—the lawyers, sales, finance? And what problem are we really solving?” For him, technology should support clarity and collaboration, not complexity.
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7. Pride in Building What Lasts

Of all his achievements, Volker is most proud of designing Sonos’s new selective distribution model for Europe—aligning competition law, e-commerce, and brand consistency. “It was a legal project that became a business strategy.” It’s now the framework through which Sonos sells to thousands of retailers across the region.
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8. Closing Insight

“You can’t scale trust with policies—you scale it by showing up.”

Volker’s approach to leadership proves that the best legal teams aren’t defined by headcount or tools—they’re defined by how well they connect across cultures and complexity.