‘My boss knew I’d leave Freshfields from my first week in’: Nnamdi Emelifeonwu on setting up legal tech firm Definely

Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, CEO and co-founder of legal tech firm Definely, takes us through his career from Freshfields lawyer to entrepreneur in Square Mile and Me

CV

Name: Nnamdi Emelifeonwu Job title: CEO and co-founder, Definely Previous roles: Lawyer at Freshfields Age: 38 Born: Nigeria Lives: East London Studied: Law at Queen Mary University; LPC at BPP; Master of Laws (LLM) at King’s College London Talents: Not a bad poker player Motto: Do one thing every day that scares you Biggest perk of the job? Working with brilliant people who believe in the mission Coffee order: I don’t really drink coffee but I believe Coca-Cola contains caffeine Cocktail order: Old fashioned Favourite book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

What was your first job?

I was a sales assistant at a BP petrol station in Clapham when I was 16. I worked there over the summer holidays, mostly behind the till, helping customers fill up, grab snacks or ask for directions. It taught me the basics of customer service – and gave me some fun stories, too.

What was your first role in the City?

I joined Freshfields as a trainee solicitor. The hours were long and it taught me, among other things, how to operate at a high level on very little sleep. It was an intense but invaluable experience that instilled a deep sense of commercial rigour and attention to detail.

I was also lucky to be surrounded by incredibly smart and accomplished people – colleagues who, in their “spare time”, had........

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