Young Business Lawyer: Chiedozie Ogbu

In today’s edition of Young Business Lawyer, we sit down with Chiedozie Ogbu, a rising legal professional making strides in the finance law space. In this conversation, we explore how young lawyers can manage stress, navigate challenges in the profession, and position themselves for lasting success. Chiedozie also shares advice for aspiring lawyers looking to build not just a career, but a sustainable path in law.

Name: Chiedozie Kelechi Ogbu

Organisation: M-KOPA

Practice area: Finance, Technology, Corporate & Commercial Law

Professional summary: Chiedozie is a corporate commercial attorney with multi-jurisdictional private practice and in-house experience advising businesses and structuring commercial transactions. His core competencies include advising on financings, restructurings, digital technology, and corporate and commercial law. He is currently Legal Counsel at a multinational connected asset financing company—M-KOPA, headquartered in London, where he assists with multi-jurisdictional debt raises and corporate and commercial matters for West Africa.

What inspired you to pursue a legal career?

I grew up surrounded by law books my father, though not a lawyer himself, would randomly buy for his private reading. These texts on contract, business law, and torts sparked my early curiosity and, coupled with an initial dread for numbers, nudged me toward the arts and ultimately law. More importantly, I realized early on that law could be a tool for delivering real impact for ordinary people. I was also drawn to the generalist and discipline-agnostic nature of law, which presented an opportunity for my curious mind to engage meaningfully with diverse issues.

What are the key challenges young lawyers face within the legal profession?

A major challenge is balancing technical excellence with commercial awareness. Law school and university curricula often emphasize substantive legal knowledge, but in practice, clients expect solutions that are not only legally sound but also commercially viable and aligned with their business. This gap can create a real disconnect for young lawyers who have not taught themselves to be agile, adaptable, and more importantly, curious. I am increasingly learning that agility and adaptability are essential skillsets every lawyer, and particularly young business lawyers, must develop in order to thrive. Especially in a rapidly changing world of Artificial Intelligence.

What do you think sets successful young lawyers apart in today’s legal industry?

Like I said, adaptability, commercial intelligence, and unbridled curiosity. The best lawyers I have worked with typically demonstrate these three qualities. In my opinion, when combined with humility, these qualities create a young lawyer who can navigate the rapid changes of the industry. It is also important for us as lawyers to pay close attention to how we think, and to constantly invest in accretive knowledge that sharpens our ability to think better and faster. At the end of the day, our mind is our most important tool of trade.

The legal profession is fast-paced and known for its high-pressure environment, how do you manage stress?

From my experience, pressure is a given when you work in a serious firm or organization, especially if your background is in finance, M&A, technology etc. Although, I believe young lawyers should push toward pressure in the areas that interest us, because it is like building reps in the gym. The more you can take on, the stronger your ability to manage stress becomes. Most of my mentors and senior lawyers I admire thrive under pressure, and I am yet to see a really good lawyer without this ability.

That said, I am fortunate to work with a team that is intentional about managing high-pressure situations. We often find that setting clear service level agreements with clients helps minimize artificial pressure. I also set healthy boundaries. Finally, I lean on small daily rituals like exercises, reading, taking walks, listening to music to reset and stay balanced.

Who is one legal leader do you look up to and why?

This is a tough one. But currently, I’d say my General Counsel, Jesse Zigmund. I continue to learn from him that being a lawyer does not have to be restrictive, that you can be a strategic business leader despite having a legal background to the extent you are agile and adaptable enough, and of course, hardworking.