#17: Lessons From A Leading Legal Tech Founder - with Mary Bonsor
Mary Bonsor was a property litigator in a top city firm before starting Flex Legal in August 2016. Flex is an online platform which connects pre-vetted lawyers and law students to law firms and general counsel for a flexible, on demand service. Flex has over 5,000 candidates on its platform and over 250 clients including magic circle firms, FTSE 250 companies and SMEs. In 2020 Mary was recognised as one of Management Today's 35 Women under 35. Mary is passionate about the future education of the profession and how tomorrow's lawyers will qualify. She sees the SQE offering a huge opportunity to law students to get relevant work experience during their studies and is also very interested in how law firms can retain and attract the future generation. We talked about: Being a new mum whilst running your own business Flex Legal and the rise of legal consultancy How platforms like Flex can help someone transition into a completely new area of law How to help lawyers have more autonomy and control over their workloads Starting a tech platform without any tech expertise The importance of trying to solve problems by yourself first Some of the lowest moments of starting a company The importance of looking after employee mental health How the pandemic has shaped Flex’s attitude to wellbeing Reforming how we train solicitors And don’t miss the moment Mary offered to mentor me (and I OBVIOUSLY said yes)! If you’re keen to keep up with Mary and Flex legal you can find out everything you need via their website.