Ikenna Henry Onyebuchi

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Addleshaw Goddard LLP

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I was called to the Roll of Solicitors in England & Wales in 2024. I have primarily focused on building my legal career in commercial law having trained and qualified and Dentons UK and Middle East LLP. I am now a Debt Finance Associate at Addleshaw Goddard LLP, and have been working on mastering my craft and building my expertise.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

Commercial law is a combination of intellectually satisfying, commercial and fast paced. I enjoy working facilitating the completion of commercial transactions, negotiating key documents and managing different stakeholders involved in a deal.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was in the Bracton Law Society touch rugby team, had a leadership position in the African Caribbean Society, and co-founded what was the Exeter BAME Law initiative at the time.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I enjoyed my final year as we primarily designed our course programme and as such it allowed me to pick up courses that were more interesting to me, for example: Law Politics, and Power and Technology and Human Rights.

What did you most enjoy about studying here?

Exeter was a combination of intellectually rigorous and very sporty. I had many philosophical conversations of how society ought to be, while also immersing myself in sports.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

It is a highly respected university with good law school.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

People management, critical thinking, clear communication and time management are the key skills that are most useful to my career. My degree assisted in developing my critical thinking skills and learning to manage my time and meet crucial deadlines.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Resilience and tenacity are important and commercial law is largely a self-reflective career. Remember to check in with yourself at every stage of the building process and ensure you build a support system because it can be an arduous process when seeking to break into the industry. Also, remember to be genuinely curious and read the Financial Times (and other business focused news)!

What are your plans for the future?

To continue to build an expertise as a debt finance lawyer.