Join me in this conversation with Alex McPherson, founder of Ignition Law and corporate lawyer. We chat about Alex’s journey to founding and growing Ignition Law which began life as a declaration at a New Year’s Eve party (possibly fuelled by vino) but it was nevertheless a resolution that Alex was passionate about and determine to keep….
Alex shares his path into law and early career, his transition from a senior employee at an international law firm to starting his entrepreneurial journey through to where Ignition is today as a successful leading law firm for start ups, scale ups and the entrepreneurially spirited. This is such a diverse conversation touching on many interesting angles including; challenges in the entrepreneurial journey (personal & professional), the importance of values & culture, mental health in law and agile/remote working.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” sums up the essence of this conversation and is something you will hear Alex say part way through when we discuss Ignition’s values and what it’s like to be part of the team.
Ignition Law is ‘legally different’ in so many ways, but one way that stands out to me is how it has always been ahead of curve with remote working as ‘agile consultants’ (that’s me) have been an integral part of its model right from the start. This is a conversation which is dear to my heart as Ignition Law has been a key part of my own personal ‘legally different’ journey.
I admire Alex’s leadership style and would sincerely describe him as a human centred and values driven lawyer and leader. I’m sure you will sense that too…….
What you can expect:-
Alex’s journey into law
- Young ambitions of being a pilot grind to a halt as aspirations to become a lawyer take off;
- Early work experience opportunities and being drawn to the tangibility of law;
- A Magic Circle training contract and the early professional years including experience abroad and in-house.
Transition period
- New Years Eve – a resolution declared in front of friends which kick started Alex’s year of research and planning towards making a change;
- Alex’s reflections on how he navigated that time and what advice he’d give to someone making a similar transition; and
- Taking the leap!
Ignition Law – the early days and beyond
- Transparency about the bumps in the road: personal and professional, money on the line, personal bereavements, working long hours and mental health pressures in the start-up phase;
- Keys to success including the importance of professional networks and the support of other law firms;
- “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” sums up the rest of this section quite well which is something Alex says part way through as we get into:-
- Attracting aligned clients and white labelling vs being authentic and transparent;
- The importance of values & integrity;
- Mental health in law;
- Ignition’s diverse hub of agile consultants;
- The important of supporting diverse talent and Ignition’s work experience programme; and
- Personal shares from Lauren about working as an agile consultant for Ignition Law and why Alex & Ignition Law are Legally Different.
Finishing up
- Why Alex is Legally Different; and
- What Advice Alex would give to his younger self.
HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS
Finally, thank you to our partner for this episode, Franc & Iris blue light protective glasses. Light hygiene is so important in the digital age, thank you for protecting my eyes (in stylish way!) during screen time. You can get 15% off of your own pair (with free delivery) using the code LEGALLYDIFFERENT15 HERE.
Thank you for tuning in!
