Legal consulting with Peerpoint.

Specialising in M&A, capital markets and debt financing law by day, I’m also at the start of an acting career, which places me in rather a unique position. It was this, in fact, that prompted my joining of the Peerpoint panel in April 2017. 

Peerpoint has a sophisticated set-up and provided a viable way for me not only to take periods of time off between assignments to focus on my acting, but also to pursue both careers simultaneously. Peerpoint is solutions-focused, facilitating the needs of the client assignment, while encouraging the professional and personal ambitions of the consultant. There has been total transparency around my commitments, and I’ve found Peerpoint and the clients to be both receptive of, and interested in, my acting work.

As lawyers we tend to be risk-averse, yet taking the step into consultancy can provide so much freedom and opportunity. It’s exciting working for different clients and learning about their organisations in a way in which you may not within a permanent role. It provides an opportunity to not only expand your business and legal network but also to leverage from Allen & Overy’s contacts and relationships. A&O also has an impressive international network, meaning they are well placed to support foreign lawyers in their relocation plans, or in gaining international exposure.

Peerpoint engenders a huge amount of respect for what lawyers are trying to achieve in their personal and professional lives, and that’s really refreshing to see.

I left Allen & Overy when my family moved abroad, but I was still interested in working. When we moved back to the UK, I was keen to work but I knew I wouldn't be able to work in the same way I used to; the long hours in the office no longer suited me. So, I turned to consultancy.

I wanted quality, high-profile, technically challenging work. With Peerpoint I can make a positive choice to take on an assignment. I support the banking team at A&O, either in the office or from home, around four or five hours a day when the children are at school. When they're on holiday, I am too. Our clients are international – I can work from the office or from home, and still fully support the client.

The London LMA market is well developed and you need to stay on top of the market. What I'm doing now keeps me up to speed. If I want to develop my career further, I still can. At one point I thought I'd have to give up my career; now I can take it from here.

I have a rule when it comes to my career: every six months I reassess my top priorities, write them down and commit to them. At the start of my career, the focus was on salary and becoming a partner. Five years after qualifying, I began to re-examine what I wanted to do.

That’s where Peerpoint came in. I read about someone on the panel who is an artist and uses Peerpoint to supplement his artistic work. It really struck a chord with me, so I joined. Having more control gave me the chance to re-visit my childhood dreams: boxing and stage acting. A bigger one though was my interest in business. Peerpoint allowed me to explore that, to the point where I’ve launched my second social impact startup, 30 Minute Chat

Peerpoint hasn’t just enabled me this opportunity, it’s been the perfect partner every step of the way. The team worked very hard to find assignments that match my own criteria to the point where, when I first joined, I received three offers all in line with what I was looking for. That’s what surprised me the most: many of their clients are actively looking for lawyers at an earlier stage in their career, like me.

A solicitor specialising in litigation and financial regulation, I trained and worked in private practice in Hong Kong for nine years, before moving in-house to work for an investment bank. While I enjoyed my work as a lawyer, I sought more variety over the type of work I chose to do, and wanted more control over my working hours.

Since joining Peerpoint, I have worked as a professional support lawyer supporting the Allen & Overy Hong Kong litigation team, on contentious financial regulatory investigations within the Hong Kong office, and in the financial crime compliance team of a global investment bank. Peerpoint works with high-calibre, international clients, which gives me access to challenging, top-tier work. It also presents opportunities for me to work outside of litigation and investigations.

Peerpoint offers excellent resources, such as in-house seminars, know-how and events, as well as opportunities to network among the consultants. For me, consulting with Peerpoint has given me a greater work-life balance, and has enabled me to pursue my Japanese language studies. With a more flexible working structure, I have also had more time to travel and explore Japanese culture, which has provided me with a really valuable opportunity that most likely would not have been possible within a permanent role.