Danillene Quinto

Meet Danillene, who is combining her background in international business with a passion for law. Committed to ethical practice, community service, and inspiring the next generation of legal professionals.

From Herts to international law leadership

For Danillene, studying at the University of Hertfordshire laid the foundation for an impressive legal career that now spans two continents. After completing an undergraduate degree in International Business Administration, she later returned to Herts for postgraduate legal study, experiences which opened doors to work opportunities and ultimately led to founding Lawher & Co Solicitors in the UK and Lawher.PH in the Philippines. ‘The network created by the community at Herts and the proximity of Herts to buoyant local businesses allowed me to have access to work experience during my postgraduate degrees. In turn, such work experience became my stepping stone to qualify as solicitor. 15 years after completing my non-legal undergraduate at Herts, it became a full circle as I am utilising and leaning into the pragmatic business skills learned during my undergrad to manage my own firm in the UK as well as our sister company in the Philippines.’

Choosing Herts and finding direction

The decision to pursue a degree in International Business Administration was motivated by the desire for versatility and future opportunities. ‘I chose my undergraduate as it felt at that time as one that would yield to wider breadth of opportunities for me as a young graduate with varied interests in marketing, finance, and IT. The recession in 2008 made me pivot hard towards a career path in law, which is more structured and less sensitive to the volatility of world events.’

Ambition, entrepreneurship, and giving back

Today, she is the Managing Director of thriving legal firms in both the UK and the Philippines, combining legal knowledge with strong business acumen. The ambition remains not just personal success, but creating impact through ethical and sustainable business practice. ‘To be able to ‘shepherd’ my firm into its maximum potential, to keep deriving joy from what I do daily, and to be able to ensure that our firm is sustainably adding value not just to our clients but to the communities we serve.’

In addition to business leadership, Danillene volunteers as a legal adviser for the Philippine Embassy in London and co-hosts a legal podcast. ‘I am a volunteer legal adviser to the Philippine Embassy in London. Additionally, I co-host with Phil Willans (my mentor) the legal podcast called The Case Finder.’

Outside work, she finds balance through sport and outdoor activities. ‘If I am not doing legal jiu jitsu, I enjoy going to my local Brazilian jiu jitsu club to train or alternatively, I also enjoy (up to a point!) semi-high-altitude expedition climbing. It is an effective way to reset, given what we do on a daily basis!’

Words of advice

Reflecting on her journey, she encourages students to embrace university life fully. ‘Sounds cliché, but make the most out of this era in your life, not just academically or socially, but really be present. You will look back at your time at Uni when you are as ancient as I am, and you will want to remember everything; when all was simpler and the horizon was clear and stretching with the grandest of hope that you can have at 21. Life is a blank canvas at that age, be present and paint it as deliberately and as beautifully as you can.’