Kemilia-Jean Ogunmuyiwa

After more than a decade of advising on cross-border M&A, private equity, complex multi-jurisdictional carve-outs and corporate reorganizations at Magic Circle and U.S. law firms, I made the decision to transition into a consultancy role through Peerpoint so I could remain engaged in high-quality corporate work while managing family commitments with my young children.

I currently work as a senior associate consultant within the corporate team at A&O Shearman, advising on big ticket transactions alongside partners across the department. What’s great is that the scope, intensity and complexity of work mirrors that of my previous private practice experience and I still have access to institutional support, know-how and market-leading resources. I love that I get to work with super intelligent people, advise high-end clients and continue to gain valuable experience at a more manageable pace.

Consulting has provided me with a great degree of autonomy over both the type of mandates I take on and how I structure my working day. I typically focus on one or two transactions at a time that I will lead throughout the lifecycle of the deal, with support from the junior lawyers I supervise. This approach enables me to select assignments that align closely with my expertise and on which I can add the greatest value.

Assignments are generally six to twelve months long, allowing me to integrate fully into deal teams and provide consistent, senior-level support across all stages of a transaction. This model offers flexibility without compromising on quality work and provides a more sustainable way of working in corporate law, particularly for those seeking greater work-life balance.

I’m really proud of the work I am doing, developing my technical expertise and transactional experience at the highest level while retaining control over my workload. Consulting with Peerpoint has proven to be the best decision for me and my career (as I get to do interesting work and still make it to my evening hot yoga class), and for my little ones (who now get to enjoy my culinary experiments for dinner!) I look forward to getting stuck in on future mandates and seeing where my Peerpoint journey leads me.