Globally the Peerpoint team is made up of around 40 people. Here we speak to some members of the engagement team about what they do and what it means to be part of the Peerpoint business.
Marie Kirby, Head of Talent
Marie heads up our talent team in the UK and has overseen the creation of the engagement team.
“A number of factors led us to forming our new engagement team. As a business we were looking for ways to streamline and enhance how we worked and to improve overall efficiencies to enable us to spend more quality, added value time with our consultants. At the same time, ways of working and the global talent market were changing.
I’m really excited about the plans we have for our consultants over the next 12 months! We ran a global consultant survey last year and have taken on board the feedback we received and have a number of exciting initiatives in the pipeline. For example, we will soon be launching a new global learning management system where consultants can access bespoke legal consulting focused training and development materials encompassing themes such as business skills, legal and technical skills and career development tools. They will also have access to some fantastic Allen & Overy (A&O) training and seminars.
I’m also looking forward to continuing to offer our lawyers the ability to undertake assignments in different jurisdictions and also remotely to support overseas clients. Since we opened our Middle East and U.S. offices last year, we have really been able to expand options and horizons for them. These offices have been great additions to our existing Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore locations. We also look forward to being better able to support more junior talent who are keen to work with us and attract talented lawyers who want to return to the law in a more flexible and manageable way. Whatever stage they are at, we want to help our consultants develop skills of the future so that they have what they need to succeed and thrive in their careers.”
Contact Marie here.
Ben Moult, Engagement Manager
Ben is part of the engagement team in London but occasionally supports our other global offices when we have client roles open to international talent.
“My role is focussed on supporting our lawyers, which means proactively thinking about their careers in order to find the right opportunities for them. I invest my time in understanding our consultants’ skillsets, needs and aspirations so that I can match them to the right opportunities. With this understanding, I then support our client management team in representing each consultant in the best light to maximise the chances of that consultant getting their dream placement. I also work closely with our consultants throughout their placement to offer support where needed and to discuss what’s next for them.
From a client perspective I often speak to our clients to understand first-hand what they need and the selling points for their organisation so I can share these with our consultants. This allows me to have a well-rounded view of the market, which in turn I use to support our consultants on their career plan.
I thoroughly enjoy working for Peerpoint as it’s very collaborative and innovative and allows me to interact with a whole range of different people. It’s really satisfying being able to help people find the roles they’re looking for and offer flexibility to individuals that need it.
Over the last year the legal recruitment market has continued to be busy and businesses of all sizes have needed interim talent. Being a consultant has allowed many of the individuals I’ve spoken with to take control of their careers in a more fulfilling way. I would really encourage people who may have thought about giving consultancy a go to speak to a member of the Peerpoint team as it’s a great time to enter the legal consulting market.”
Contact Ben here.
Jade Abbott, Engagement Manager
Jade is part of the engagement team in London but has also supported our Australia business previously as part of the client management team.
“Our aim is to help streamline the experience and ensure that relevant information is shared amongst both the consultants and the client management team quickly and accurately to ensure the right opportunities are found and we can minimise too many points of contact for consultants.
I very much enjoy working with lawyers and learning more about what drew them to consulting in the first place. Understanding those reasons and then being able to find the perfect role to help a consultant achieve their goals – whether that be more flexibility, a career change or to embark on a personal project – is something I love. I really appreciate how much Peerpoint puts the consultant at the centre of its business and has such a strong framework built to support lawyers through all phases of their career.
It’s a consultants’ market at the moment in that there are a lot of opportunities. I think we’ve seen a real rise in clients wanting legal consultant support since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The breadth of interesting roles is exciting to see and only set to grow. We’ve also seen more clients open to discussing a range of hybrid models in order to secure legal consultants, even if that means having consultants support clients remotely from different countries.”
Contact Jade here.
Holly Taggart, Engagement Assistant
Holly is part of the UK engagement team and is based in Belfast.
“I primarily organise the placement check-ins for consultants with relevant team members as well as ensuring there’s an open channel of communication between our consultants and the team. I also sit on a variety of different projects, including helping set up our new global learning management system, which is really exciting. Day to day I also make sure all of our consultants’ information is up-to-date and accurate.
I particularly enjoy being part of a new team, finding ways to efficiently implement new processes or transform old ones to the benefit of the consultants on our panel. I also enjoy the variety of tasks I do within a day.
I joined Peerpoint at an exciting time in its development. I love how the business is continually looking at the next step, whilst also keeping their original commitment of consultant career fulfilment at the heart of everything. I believe the vast majority of my generation want to try and pursue legal careers that enable them to sustain a healthy work-life balance rather than buying into the long hours and burnout that has traditionally been associated with the legal industry. A quality legal career shouldn’t have to mean making career compromises and I think Peerpoint is proving that.”
Contact Holly here.