Lea-Ann Nkansah
London
Summary
Aspiring solicitor seeking a training contract, bringing a strong foundation in commercial awareness, legal analysis and drafting, and a proven record of delivering technology-enabled improvements to legal service delivery. Experienced in collaborating with partners, associates and Business Services across leading City firms to onboard and adopt advanced legal technologies, including generative AI tools (Harvey, CoCounsel and Legora), document automation and legal process design. I combine rigorous legal training (LLB; LLM Legal Practice Course) with hands-on experience across corporate, disputes, real estate and regulatory environments, translating complex requirements into pragmatic, client-focused solutions. Recognised for stakeholder management, meticulous execution and measurable outcomes that enhance quality, efficiency and risk control. Committed to professional development, ethical practice and delivering value to clients as I progress to qualification.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead to Law Volunteer
Slaughter and May
- Supported outreach and mentoring for the Lead to Law programme, engaging with prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds; contributed to workshops and skills sessions alongside fee earners and HR.
- Facilitated insight activities highlighting routes into the profession and life at a City firm; reinforced the firm’s commitment to inclusion and social mobility.
Virtual Insight Programme (Attendee)
Slaughter and May
- Completed the firm’s Virtual Insight Programme, gaining exposure to case studies across Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Financing and Competition; developed understanding of the firm’s multidisciplinary approach and client service standards.
- Produced reflective outputs and practical tasks on commercial awareness, legal analysis and collaboration, receiving feedback from programme facilitators.
Innovation Manager
Slaughter and May
- Current
- Partnered with practice groups across Corporate, Financing, Dispute Resolution, Competition, IP/IT and Real Estate to diagnose pain points and design technology-enabled solutions that improve matter delivery, quality and client outcomes.
- Lead onboarding, governance and adoption of AI and legal tech, including piloting and evaluating Harvey, CoCounsel and Legora; define success metrics, usage policies and risk controls; develop training curricula and communications for firmwide rollout.
- Maintain and promote the firm’s legal tech toolkit: conduct market scans, manage vendor relationships and due diligence, coordinate onboarding and user support, and communicate updates to partners and fee earners.
- Design and run legal tech pilots and proofs of concept with partners and associates; translate findings into scalable implementations embedded in practice group workflows and playbooks.
- Develop and deliver flagship innovation programmes, including the Collaborate legal tech incubator and the Client Innovation Network, to co-create solutions with clients.
- Manage a portfolio of cross-functional projects, tracking milestones, budgets and benefits; provide structured reporting to partners and Business Services leadership (Innovation, Pricing & Analytics, Legal Project Management, L&D).
- Promote a culture of innovation by coordinating the internal innovation network and establishing “innovation champions” across practice groups to drive adoption and feedback loops.
- Deliver tailored training to work experience students, new joiners, trainees, NQs and associates on AI, legal tech, design thinking and legal process design; facilitate client-facing workshops to map processes and co-devise improvements.
- Key achievements
- Led firmwide pilots of generative AI tools (Harvey, CoCounsel, Legora), creating evaluation criteria, adoption plans and risk guidance aligned to practice group needs; accelerated safe usage by lawyers and professional support teams.
- Embedded standardised review workflows and clause/playbook assets with practice teams, reducing cycle times and improving consistency in contract review and knowledge reuse.
Product Specialist, Legal Document Solutions
Eversheds Sutherland
05.2023 - 05.2025
- Implemented and communicated the firm’s knowledge strategy, aligning outputs with practice and sector priorities through horizon scanning and stakeholder engagement.
- Coordinated client-facing knowledge projects across practice and industry groups, and promoted the adoption of legal technology solutions to enhance client delivery.
- Managed knowledge databases and internal sites; drafted mandatory usage policies and governance to ensure data integrity and compliance.
- Built collaboration with external clients and internal pitch teams to support business development across practice groups.
- Delivered continuous improvement projects, optimizing on- and off-boarding of legal tools, training content, and usage analytics to drive adoption and value.
- Identified opportunities to convert know-how into value-added client services and revenue-generating offerings, balancing immediate client needs with longer-term strategy.
- Established governance artifacts, drafting mandatory usage policies.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance product launch strategies and improve market positioning.
Private Client Operations Specialist
Farewell
03.2022 - 02.2023
- Handled high-volume client communications regarding wills and probate, building trust with vulnerable clients and resolving complex queries efficiently.
- Managed internal queries via Zendesk for payment operations, ensuring timely resolution and accurate tracking.
- Streamlined processes for wills and probate teams using legal project management tools (Asana, Trello), improving throughput and accuracy.
- Coordinated with multiple stakeholders and charities to support growth initiatives and service enhancements.
- Supported the organisation and Data Controller on data protection compliance, applying GDPR standards and safeguarding data integrity.
- Impact
- Improved response times and first-contact resolution through workflow refinements and template optimisation; strengthened compliance through better documentation and controls.
Data Protection Energy Specialist
Bulb Energy
08.2021 - 01.2022
- Conducted horizon scanning and analysis of energy pricing and procurement trends using internal and OFGEM data to inform compliance and customer initiatives.
- Reviewed call quality and implemented controls aligned to the Data Protection Act and GDPR, enhancing customer protections.
- Supported execution of customer-focused change programmes, embedding relevant legislative requirements into processes.
Housing Paralegal
CEL Solicitors
03.2020 - 07.2020
- Managed new instructions in housing disrepair, Plevin and data breach matters; liaised with local authorities and defendants.
- Assessed claim quantum and succession; drafted letters of claim and progressed files using Proclaim case management.
- Supported vulnerable clients with clear, empathetic communication and accurate procedural guidance.
Education
LLM Legal Practice Course -
BPP Law School
ManchesterLLB Law - undefined
University of Birmingham
A-levels - Law, Government and Politics, Sociology
Loreto Sixth form College
Skills
- Legal and analytical: legal research using Westlaw, Practical Law, Lexis Nexis, drafting, contract review, matter scoping, risk identification, stakeholder briefing; familiarity with corporate/commercial, disputes, and data protection contexts
- Legal technology and AI: onboarding and governance for Harvey, CoCounsel, Legora; Contract Express; HighQ (including AI Hub); Della; Luminance; Orbital Witness; document automation; workflow and matter management
- Project and change management: portfolio management, pilot design and evaluation, metrics and benefits tracking, process mapping, playbook and clause bank development, adoption and change communications
- Training and facilitation: design and delivery of training for lawyers and business teams; client and internal workshops on design thinking and legal process design
- Data and reporting: Power BI dashboards, KPI definition, ROI measurement; policy and governance documentation
- Communication and collaboration: cross-practice coordination with partners, associates and Business Services; vendor management; client engagement through innovation programmes
- Compliance and governance: GDPR and data protection awareness; drafting usage policies; risk and control frameworks for technology adoption
- Tools: MS Office; Proclaim; Zendesk; Asana; Trello; collaboration platforms; strong IT literacy
Accomplishments
- Spearheaded pilots and structured adoption of generative AI tools (Harvey, CoCounsel, Legora) across multiple practice groups, creating success metrics, usage guidance and training that enabled safe, measurable gains in quality and efficiency.
- Developed standardised clause banks, playbooks and workflows with practice teams, reducing review times and improving consistency across recurring contract types.
- Delivered a successful HighQ AI Hub PoC and roadmap, identifying high-value use cases and governance requirements to support scale.
- Measurably improved utilisation of document automation and collaboration tools through targeted training and refined onboarding, increasing throughput and reducing rework.
Additional Information
- Right to work: UK
- Availability: Training contracts commencing September 2027
- Interests: Pro bono and access to justice; legal innovation communities; mentoring and skills development for aspiring lawyers
- References: Available on request
Timeline
Product Specialist, Legal Document Solutions
Eversheds Sutherland
05.2023 - 05.2025
Private Client Operations Specialist
Farewell
03.2022 - 02.2023
Data Protection Energy Specialist
Bulb Energy
08.2021 - 01.2022
Housing Paralegal
CEL Solicitors
03.2020 - 07.2020
Lead to Law Volunteer
Slaughter and May
Virtual Insight Programme (Attendee)
Slaughter and May
Innovation Manager
Slaughter and May
- Current
LLB Law - undefined
University of Birmingham
A-levels - Law, Government and Politics, Sociology
Loreto Sixth form College
LLM Legal Practice Course -
BPP Law School