Biglaw

Associate Tells Biglaw To Buzz Off So He Can Start New Career As Beekeeper

To bee or not to bee in Biglaw, that was the question for this associate.

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honeybee gavelThe pandemic brought more to Biglaw than just record revenues — it also inspired some associates to find their true calling outside of the law. If you’ve been dreaming about escaping from behind your desk, you’re not alone. Read on to learn more about a highly pedigreed lawyer who left the Biglaw hive to pursue his passion for beekeeping.

Meet Michael Walsh, a Cambridge law graduate who worked in the London offices of Clifford Chance and Covington & Burling. In December 2021, Walsh decided that his career in project finance was no longer the bee’s knees, so he quit. It’s not all about the money, honey, so Walsh opted to start a business that would “both help a species in need and help the environment.”

Walsh now runs The Urban Apiarist, a corporate and residential beekeeping company, and he recently sat down with Legal Cheek to give them the buzz:

How has your background in law helped in what you do now? Were law firms generally supportive of your interest in the environment and sustainability?

Law has helped me with my business. It’s helped me in negotiating contractual terms with clients and organising the tasks I need to complete. The nature of a conditions precedent checklist has come in handy when splitting up the tasks and requirements to get the company going. It’s been like a transaction, where you work through all the tasks to help a client with financing or in the case of the bees work through all the tasks before you can install beehives.

Law firms have been really supportive of bees! A number of firms across the city have hives on their roof. There has been a trend over the last few years of law firms realising the importance of the environment and sustainability. This has been positive for pollinators, whether that’s through working on helping pollinators on-site or using their legal skills in an attempt to prevent the bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides from being reintroduced into the UK.

Walsh reports that he’s got law firm clients and that he’s eager to work with companies that will help this species in need, explaining, “Companies can always help if they have the space, from installing pollinator-friendly flowers or installing beehives if appropriate. I’m keen to work with companies to help them develop their environmental goals and advise on what they can do to achieve these goals.”

Congrats to Michael Walsh on his un-bee-lievable new business. We wish him the best of luck on his goal of “[t]aking over the world, one hive at a time!”

Why I quit the London office of a US law firm to pursue my passion for beekeeping [Legal Cheek]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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