Introducing Luscinia
Luscinia is an experienced, senior commercial lawyer having held several General Counsel and Legal Director roles in leading organisations across the catering and hospitality, retail and manufacturing sectors.
Can you describe your experience of working through Obelisk?
Working through Obelisk has been straightforward, from onboarding to interview, to starting in role. The website is easily navigable and recording your time is simple. It’s been a great introduction to flexible consultancy work and a super opportunity to work with great and varied clients.
What makes your expertise unique?
We all have unique experience from the varying paths we take over the life of our careers. I think that my degree in Anthropology, followed by legal training and private practice corporate lawyer 18 years ago, to in house commercial lawyer through various sectors, together with undertaking a coaching qualification in 2018, gives me a different perspective and has prepared me well for life as a a flexible consultant with a varied commercial experience.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of flexible working as a lawyer?
I enjoy being able to dip into different businesses, meet new people, hitting the ground running and supporting from the off, whilst being able to manage things I need, and want, to do outside work such as spending more time with my children, exercise, flower arranging and reading.
What’s the most challenging?
Starting somewhere new, but without always having the time to build relationships and truly get to know a business, as you would in a permanent role, and staying connected with my network.
What are your proudest professional and personal achievements so far?
Professionally, it was starting off as sole in house counsel for a business and working up to a super team of 8 as the business grew, with the opportunity of influencing in areas, beyond simply “legal” (such as ESG), and helping our paralegal undertake her training contact in house.
Personally it’s a combination of charity fundraising for causes close to my heart and having managed to raise my 3 children to (almost) double digits!
How do you find the right work/life balance?
This is always a tricky one due to lawyers often going above and beyond for clients which can impact on the life bit of the balance, but it has been more manageable since consulting due to the requirements of the role, and some tighter time management!
What are your words of advice to other legal consultants?
Expectation management is key. Build good relationships, be commercial and always have a ready smile. It’s also really useful to connect with other consultants, otherwise there is a risk it can be a little lonely.
How do you start and end your day?
By waking up my children who seem to have become teenagers already and are reluctant to get out of bed! Then a short walk and coffee. I try to end the working day by making a list of priorities for the next working day and my day itself by reading a few pages of my book if I am not too tired!
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Being in two (or three!) places at once!
