Femi’s Story – Life at Nexa with Femi Ogunshakin

Femi’s Story – Life at Nexa with Femi Ogunshakin

Continuing our ‘Consultants’ Stories’ series where our lawyers share their journey to becoming a consultant solicitor and joining Nexa, we caught up with Femi Ogunshakin.

Meet the consultant…

Femi is a tax lawyer who also practices in employment, litigation and insolvency. Here’s what he had to say:

“I joined Nexa in August 2018, I was one of the early intake of lawyers as they were just getting going. It’s amazing how far the firm has come in the last four years!

My career until joining Nexa as a consultant solicitor was mainly in the accountancy world. Over the years I’ve worked at Barclays Bank, Grant Thornton, Deloittes, KMPG and HMRC. For the last 11 years I’ve had my own tax advisory firm – Loftus Stowe and my initial reason for coming to Nexa, as a SRA regulated firm, was to help my tax clients who had legal instructions such as statutory demands, bankruptcy petitions, winding up petitions and time to pay arrangements with HMRC.

However, my practice  evolved into taking on employment and commercial litigation work and Nexa’s platform has enabled me to expand in these new directions. 

For me, when I was deciding which firm to join, Nexa stood out in terms of its culture, approach to the market and generous fee share –it’s still one of the most competitive, in a now crowded space!

Make no mistake: being your own boss is hard work and as with any self-employed person will tell you, there are good and bad days. However, the rewards are great if you are prepared to put the work in. It’s not just the financials in terms of fee income, but also the flexibility and the peace of mind that comes with being in charge of your own destiny. My one piece of advice for anyone thinking of becoming a consultant solicitor is : “be prepared”.  

Over the years I’ve had a few offers to go back to paid employment and I’ve never had any hesitation in turning them down. I really enjoy the collaboration I’m able to have with my fellow lawyers here at Nexa, it’s a friendly, supportive environment. The culture and leadership is first class and I think the direction of the firm, as I’ve witnessed first-hand from its growth, is absolutely right.”

–Femi Ogunshakin, Commercial Litigation & Tax Disputes Partner