Consulting is a popular path for law students and lawyers. Legal education and practice can help hone the analytical and communication skills required of consultants. Both lawyers and consultants solve problems — often complex, intractable problems — and are rewarded handsomely for their efforts.
Are you interested in pursuing consulting as a possible career path? Today we introduce you to a lawyer turned consultant who reminds us of Olivia Pope of Scandal — a high-powered troubleshooter who is confident, eloquent, and attractive….
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Meet Nicole Valentine. The UVA Law graduate worked for eight years as a transactional lawyer, at Debevoise & Plimpton and Cantor Fitzgerald, before starting her own consulting company, Synergy Business Development.
Why did Valentine decide to leave a lucrative and secure legal job to launch her own business? How did she come up with the idea for Synergy? She recently revealed how she made the move from Biglaw to business in an interview with Spencer Mazyck of Bloomberg Law:
As Valentine tells Mazyck, she went to law school because she wanted to change the world. And now she’s doing just that, helping to launch and grow new businesses as a consultant for fellow entrepreneurs and start-up companies.
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Congratulations to Nicole Valentine on her success thus far, and best of luck to her in the future. If you’re looking for a consultant to take your business to the next level, call up Valentine and ask her, “Will you be mine?”
Stealth Lawyer: Nicole Valentine, Consultant [Bloomberg Law via YouTube]
Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of career alternatives for attorneys