Nathalie joined TLD in the summer of 2025 after a career in commercial law, including years in small, busy legal teams. A little over a year on, she has around nine clients and a working week that suits her. Here, she shares how she got there, and what she’d tell anyone thinking of doing the same.
Taking the leap
I’d reached a point in my life where I wanted more control over the work I do. I wanted to focus on the work I enjoy, and to make time for the other things in my life that bring me joy.
TLD gave me the flexibility to do that without having to go it alone. I’m a people person, and working on my own would have been very lonely. I wanted interaction, with my clients and with a support network around me.
Even so, leaving a permanent, well-paid job was a big step. For anyone coming from a permanent role, it’s the uncertainty of income that will resonate most. There’s no getting away from it: it feels uncomfortable to start with.
I went in with my eyes wide open. I really wanted it to work, but not everything does, so I promised myself I’d give it at least a year. Something like this doesn’t happen overnight because, ultimately, you’re starting your own business.
The first client, two months in
My first piece of work came in August, about two months after I started. It came through another TLD lawyer, who does the corporate work for that client. They needed commercial support on a distributor agreement, so I put my hand up and it came through.
To be honest, I wasn’t trying that hard in those first few months, because I’d planned to take the summer off. So, the timing suited me well.
How the work built up
A little over a year on, I have nine clients. In that time, the central team has put me forward for 10 opportunities, and another four have come through my own business development. Only one didn’t come off. Four are on hold for now, and the rest are up and running.
The work has come from several directions: a colleague’s client, a lawyer who was stepping back, my own network and, above all, the central team.
The central team made a real difference. They took the time to understand how I practise. I’m a general commercial lawyer who has moved across a range of businesses, so I can pick up most industries. That gave them the confidence to put me forward for work that didn’t fit neatly in a box.
They also gave me opportunities to raise my profile, from hosting a webinar to taking part in a Q&A. Those opportunities amplified my own business development, and I grabbed them with both hands.
How my week works
I have what I call my hard lines, although they’re not always that hard. I try not to work for TLD on Fridays, and to do only half a day on Mondays, so I work three and a half days a week. Broadly, it works, and when I need more time, I carve it out. That time matters, because I also run The Nest, the wellness business I co-founded.
It’s been harder lately, because I’ve become a bit of a victim of my own success. I’m also covering a colleague’s maternity leave, so I have more work than usual for now.
I work remotely for all my clients and visit them occasionally. I’m also in regular contact with a core group of TLD lawyers whose practices are similar to mine. Not every day, because thankfully we’re all busy, but often.
The collective in practice
TLD is built on the idea of a collective, and it works both ways. Three or four pieces of work have come to me from colleagues who couldn’t take them on or didn’t have the time. This month, I’ve passed a lot of work to a colleague, because work came in that I never expected and I couldn’t do it all. It becomes a kind of circular economy within TLD.
That only works if you’re prepared to put something in. That means building your internal network, passing work on and supporting the central team. There’s no money in some of it, but that’s how this way of working operates. If you don’t want to do that, you’d be better off on your own.
Three things I'd tell you
- It’s a life change, not just a job. Be prepared for that, and give it time: at least 12 months.
- Be open-minded. Work won’t always come neatly packaged the way it did before. This works best if you’re open to new areas of law and to pushing yourself a bit.
- Set your own expectations, and honour them. Decide how much you want to work. Many of us do this to make room for other things in our lives, and once it takes off, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started.
Above all, this is a business. Some work will be passed to you, but you need to use your own network, spot opportunities and grow the work once you’ve landed it. If you expect to be handed perfect opportunities in your own field, this isn’t the right place. If you’re ready to roll your sleeves up, it’s a brilliant way to work.
Thinking about joining TLD? Email Kirstie Penk on kirstie.penk@thelegaldirector.co.uk.