Becoming a legal consultant with Peerpoint can open up a world of possibilities when it comes to pursuing your own interests and passions. We believe it is possible to have a fulfilling high-level legal career without feeling like other projects, side-hustles and ideas have to take a back seat. We spoke to three Peerpoint consultants from around the world about what it is they enjoy doing alongside their legal consulting career.
Lauren Obee, Capital markets lawyer, UK
Tell us about how you use your time when you’re not working as a legal consultant?
My legal consulting career started last year and since finishing my assignment at the end of March 2023, I have focussed on my own non-law related start-up, a publishing company specialising in English Language materials, called Regency Books. I have also travelled extensively and am currently learning Mandarin for three months in Taiwan.
What are you looking to achieve over the next year with your ventures?
After taking six months away from legal consulting this year, I plan to return to take on another role. In the medium-term, I hope to split upcoming calendar years by dividing my time between working in a legal role and working in publishing. I see this as an ideal way to maintain my interest and skills in the law, and working on my own ventures outside the law, further developing my business and strategy skills.
Whilst I’m in Taiwan, I’m learning a new skill and working as a digital nomad, an adventure that has only come to fruition through the flexibility that legal consulting provides. Taking time to learn new skills and having an opportunity to apply my legal skills and knowledge in new contexts is massively rewarding. I am convinced that there is a symbiotic relationship here, as I feel my learning outside of law will only have beneficial impacts on the future legal consultancy roles I undertake.
How has legal consulting enabled you to balance your career and interests?
A full-time career at a law firm, whilst rewarding in many ways, left little time for outside interests. Having a greater work-life balance is definitely the most attractive benefit of a career in legal consulting. During a contract I can focus on progressing my legal skills and sharing my experience with colleagues gained through many years in private practice. Whilst legal consulting is not necessarily a 9 to 5 path, the nature of it inherently respects consultants’ free time to a greater degree. I am able to shape work hours more, and therefore engage in more group activities and passions, such as learning new languages, in my downtime.
Find out more:
Lauren’s publishing business, Regency Books.
Irene Wong, Corporate and regulatory lawyer, Hong Kong
Tell us about how you use your time when you’re not working as a legal consultant?
When I'm not engaged in my legal consultancy work, I devote my time to developing my mindfulness coaching practice. I'm a certified coach and mindfulness meditation teacher, offering corporate workshops and introductory courses on mindfulness, with a creative approach to delivery. Recently, I devised a four-week course called ‘Zen Mode’ which facilitated a group of nine students in reconnecting with their inner peace in a light-hearted and engaging manner. I also coach clients in self-compassion and emotional awareness using mindfulness tools.
I am thrilled to be part of the TedxTinHauWomen Committee in Hong Kong this year and eagerly anticipate helping to bring the event to life.
What are you looking to achieve over the next year with your coaching?
I am currently working on a podcast that has been months in the making, focusing on emotional mindfulness and creative genius. Concurrently, I am in the process of creating meditation tracks that I've written and recorded, which will be available on a meditation platform. Finishing my ten-month long assignment, I am also looking forward to travelling in Europe over the summer.
How has legal consulting enabled you to balance your career and passions?
Discovering the legal consulting model was a revelation for me. As a wellness practitioner, I place great importance on mental well-being, balance, and leading an authentic life, one that brings me genuine enjoyment. Legal consulting provides me with the time, space, and resources to care for myself and nurture my passions while offering a structured model for utilising my professional skills – an aspect I greatly value, particularly after experiencing life as a solopreneur.
Find out more:
Irene’s Instagram
Irene’s website (coming soon) www.quintessence.space
David Slade, Senior projects and infrastructure attorney, U.S.
Tell us about how you use your time when you’re not working as a legal consultant?
I have always loved my career as a lawyer but there’s a lot of pressure, and at times the legal side of my brain can get a bit heavy. The only way to keep that in check has been to find time for the other side of my brain to pursue its passion, which in my case is art. For many years that meant setting aside a few hours a week after work or on weekends to paint landscapes (mostly of the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire, or the beaches and mangroves of Florida).
When I recently retired, I found time to become more adventurous with my art. First I started incorporating family members into my landscapes, then I started painting portraits of family pets. I also found a way to create a special bond with my grandkids, by cooking pancakes with them. But not just any pancakes! I stretched my artistic skills to create whatever whimsical pancake they wished to see and had so much fun pursuing that passion that I couldn’t resist writing a book about it!
What are you looking to achieve over the next year with your art?
I hope to gain more publicity for my book, Puppy’s Pancakes, and to promote its underlying theme of how granddads can use pancakes to build special relationships with their grandkids (and take some of the pressure off grandma in the process). My greater goal for the next year, however, is to share my love of nature and find a way to market my oil paintings to a wider audience. Last spring I conducted my first actual art exhibition and discovered that my style of painting is indeed quite popular. More specifically, my goal is to create a website and upload samples of my work so that others can decide if they wish to adorn their walls with them!
How has legal consulting enabled you to balance your career and passions?
While pursuing my passion for the arts has always been vital to relieve the pressures of work, I have learned over the past couple of years that the opposite is also true. A life dedicated solely to the arts can lack some of the buzz and excitement that can only come from the continued pursuit of my legal career.
I am grateful for the opportunity to re-engage as a lawyer on a part-time basis with Peerpoint. At this point in my career I am able to be more selective about the types of projects I take on, so I can optimise the reward obtained from each hour spent on the legal side. In this way I hope, with the help of Peerpoint, finally to achieve a situation where I can move forward in life on an even keel, with both sides of my brain kept in a perfect balance.
Find out more:
Puppy’s Pancakes can be found here.