So maybe working for a law firm isn’t down your street, you want to work for a prestigious tech firm, or defend refugees as a public servant. Just know that there are many other options to practice law. Here, Flora Duguid, MVF’s in-house legal counsel, talks Lawyer Monthly through the endless variety of jobs a 21st century lawyer can home in on.
Are you cut out for a non-traditional law career?
The legal profession is ripe for disruption and new career paths for law grads in the tech sector are being forged all the time. For the past three years, the tech sector has offered the highest number of entry-level jobs. New concepts like driverless cars and the Internet of Things means that the tech sector is developing faster than the law can keep up. This spells opportunities for the smart and ambitious who are willing to take the jump.
So, you’ve graduated - what now?
Graduating from university is daunting for many people, but law is a respected discipline and offers a whole array of opportunities. Now, more than ever, these opportunities lie outside of the traditional law firm. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a law degree, I wanted to learn more about the corporate world, particularly companies in the startup space who were building their ventures from scratch and gaining notoriety for doing business differently.
My first job was at a travel and events start-up and as one of the first employees I was given a lot of responsibility very early on; travelling between the Caribbean and the Med, negotiating contracts and on-boarding new suppliers. Based out of the founder’s living room, we had that wonderful feeling of possibility that comes in the early days of a startup because we knew we were the ones that could get the business off the ground. Of course, the late nights were inevitable but certainly made better with the help of pizza and beer!
After training and qualifying as a solicitor at RPC I knew that my passion was in commercial law, with a focus on digital media and emerging technology. Working with tech-clients meant that the work was always fast-paced, extremely commercial and challenging because we were providing advice on disruptive legal innovations.
I was seconded to Google’s legal team where I worked on some really exciting issues - the team were acting on unanswered questions, like how to regulate the YouTube platform in line with the emergence of online vlogger influencers. Laws created in the 20th century don’t always solve 21st century tech issues. The lawyers I worked with were incredibly creative, tackling challenges that have arisen in the information age - the team was creating new precedents.
Working at the UK’s fastest growing tech company
It’s not enough just to understand the law - lawyers need to grasp how the business works from a commercial and technological point of view, especially when working with founders who are in the process of scaling their business. In my current position, as legal counsel at MVF, I have been able to combine my passion for tech, law and entrepreneurship, working across a range of commercial issues to help set the business up for success and facilitate growth through M&A and staying abreast of emerging trends in the digital space.
As a fast-growing digital marketing technology company, data protection is a key focus for our team, covering everything from data security to the types of data collected. It’s establishing what the law requires you to do to protect that information, but also advising from a commercial perspective so the company can monetise it. Building trusting relationships with key stakeholders across the business has been essential in helping me understand our main drivers for success and strategise accordingly.
Ask questions to interesting people
There are lots of exceptionally successful and inspirational people working in the legal industry and the most valuable thing I did in the very early years of my career was never shying away from asking lots of questions. At RPC, I was mentored by Olly Bray, a highly experienced commercial contracts partner who has a wealth of knowledge about digital media; from emerging technologies to innovations in advertising and marketing, right through to data protection law.
There is a common misconception that practicing law requires no creativity but this myth was busted soon after I joined Google. I was surrounded by some of the most innovative and imaginative people in the business who are working at the crossroads of law and new technology, helping Google build innovative and important products for users around the world, but most importantly they were always willing to share their insight.
Since working at MVF, Tom Worner, our General Counsel has been a real source of inspiration, teaching me the importance of developing a sound business acumen in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
It might sound cliche but never forget the power of building a network - find opportunities to meet with legal professionals who work in-house to learn more about the variety of work available and the challenges they have faced working outside of a traditional firm.
Sam Harper, GC at Deliveroo has had a really interesting career and has been a soundboard to bounce ideas off. Josh Horowitz, former GC at Tilt is interesting to follow - holding a mix of legal and commercial roles at tech giants.
Build your community
My advice is to absorb yourself with your passions - for me that’s tech, start-ups and entrepreneurialism in the legal sphere. Serial entrepreneur Jimmy Vestbirk has launched Legal Geek which organises events and meet-ups for lawtech start-ups and hackathons where some of the most groundbreaking ideas are born.
Keep close to the developments in the legal-tech world - there is always a new company disrupting the sector and challenging the status-quo of the traditional law firm. Echosign - the e-signature content management software was the creation of a Berkeley law school grad which has grown into a $50 million APR business. Rocket Lawyer, the Google Ventures backed legal document service was founded in 2008 and generates over $30 million in annual revenue.
As well as building a network, it’s important to seek out opportunities to practice outside of your day job.
I’m a member of the Summit Series - a network which creates unique gatherings designed to catalyse entrepreneurship, creative achievement and global change. I mentor at start-up accelerators providing legal and commercial advice to fast-growing, dynamic companies. I also adjudicate for Virgin Business pitchathons and hold office hours at co-working spaces.
Final word
As business, tech and the law collide, the tech sector needs people with a legal background who can interpret the law for new products. Lawyers have been trained to be methodical, analytical and have strong attention to detail – all invaluable skills. It’s an exciting place to be - entrepreneurial lawyers will be creating and shaping the legal landscape for tomorrow’s digital sphere.
