Hi I work as a private equity / M&A lawyer in London considering a shift to MBB. My attraction stems from the more commercial / strategic thinking I believe consulting will give me and I can later leverage that to either pivot to (i) industry; or (ii) private equity. Thoughts?

Hi Chris, 

This makes sense. 

My strong reco would be to chat to a few people in the industry. Have an actual phone / zoom call and get a sense of whether this is something you'd want to do. 

I've worked with multiple lawyers transitioning into consulting. I think the transition makes sense but only if you're really keen on the job. There's quite a lot of effort that goes into being successful with the interviews so it makes sense to be certain this is what you want to pursue. 

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Hope this helps!
Best,
Cristian

Hi Chris,

MBB can definitely provide you with broader commercial and strategic exposure, as well as a strong brand that makes later pivots into the industry or private equity easier. The trade-off is starting potentially a step behind peers in terms of consulting toolkit and likely coming in at a lower level than in law, but if your long-term goal is to broaden your career options, it’s a solid path. Networking and clearly framing your legal experience as problem-solving and client leadership will be key.

Best of luck!

Hi,

Definitely makes sense and is possible and I have seen a few lawyers make the transition successfully to MBB. Most of the time however the pivot out would be to industry rather than PE.. PE is quite niche and the market is small. 

What's most important right now is to:

1. Ensure you have a strong application
   1. Work on your CV, CL to ensure it brings out the relevant skills and show cases you as the prime candidate
2. Network to get a referral
   1. See if there are any alumni you can reach out to and make a connection with them
3. Prepare for the case interviews
   1. Key reason why most experienced hires fail the interview - they underestimate the difficulty of the interview

Given you are from a non-traditional background, you may find my article helpful:

Breaking into consulting from a non-traditional background

Hey Chris,

I used to be at Bain London and did a ton of PE-focused work, so I’ve seen this transition up close. A few thoughts:

Yes, lawyers can make the shift — typically via an MBA, or if you're from a magic circle or top US firm, there's sometimes an opening to lateral directly (especially when the market is hot or firms are rebalancing backgrounds). That said, it’s not the default route — so if you're serious, you'll need to invest in case prep and show structured problem-solving from day one.

On the work itself — don’t expect consulting to be any better on work-life balance. If anything, it’s similarly intense, just with different cycles. But you’re right that the work is more commercially diverse — you're closer to strategy, growth, ops, pricing, etc., and not just execution or process.

Re: long-term outcomes — MBB is a solid platform to pivot from. I’ve seen ex-lawyers use it to go into legaltech, in-house strategy, and even PE/portfolio ops. That said, if you make this move, and then pivot again later, you're essentially restarting twice, often at a more junior level and older age — something to keep in mind strategically.

Comp-wise: don’t expect MBB London to outpay top-tier legal roles — law is still very lucrative, especially at US/global firms. So if it's purely financial, consulting may not win. But if you’re optimizing for variety, exposure, and commercial depth, then it’s a totally valid move — and one that can open a lot of doors if played right.

Bottom line: if you're serious about the switch, focus now on crushing the case process and getting in. Everything else flows from that.

Please upvote if you find it helpful and good luck!

Regards,

Kevin

Hi Chris, 

That sounds a reasonable path. Indeed the strategic thinking and structured problem solving can be useful afterwards when you want to pivot. 

One point to mention - if you'd like to do PE afterwards (the investment side), try to land a consulting firm with strong PE practice, and specialize in that track (i.e., make sure you have enough DD experience). 

Best,

Emily

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Hi Chris,

Shifting from PE/M&A law to MBB makes sense if you want broader commercial exposure and stronger strategic thinking. Consulting will let you tackle diverse business challenges, develop transferable problem-solving skills, and open paths to industry or private equity later. Your legal background is valuable, but you’ll need to show business impact beyond legal work and prepare for case interviews. Overall, it’s a feasible move that can strengthen your future career options.

Alessa

Makes sense. You may want to focus on PE / CDD type of projects.