Turning challenges into opportunities

Feargus MacDaeid is a blind Solicitor who, alongside his fellow alum, Nnamdi Emelifeonwu (Law, 2009), launched Definely. This web-based application increases the accessibility of legal documents, not only to those with visual impairments, but also anybody working with legal documents. Here, Feargus tells us how he and Nnamdi have used their experiences to remove barriers for others.  

How did you and Nnamdi meet?

'While Nnamdi and I both attended King's around the same time, our paths didn't cross until 2013, when we were working at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, an international law firm. Nnamdi and I were both practicing there in the banking team and were assigned to the same deal.'

How did Definely come about?  

'The genius of Definely is very closely tied to my disability, Nnamdi's desire to help and the friendship we formed. As a practicing blind solicitor, accessing certain information in legal documents was an extremely time-consuming task. Nnamdi was among the first people I knew in practice who fully understood how difficult it was and he kept asking me how my work could be made more efficient.'

Tell us a bit about Definely...

'Definely enables a user to read and review legal documents without the need to constantly go back and forth between various parts of that document. The reviewer is always able to access the relevant information that they need when reading a clause without ever losing the context of that clause.  

For solicitors generally, and especially for those who are visually impaired, have dyslexia or other conditions, we hope this is a tool that makes a career in law more accessible. For our customers, we aim to reduce billing time, reduce risk and make the lives of legal professionals a little bit easier. For our employees, we want to provide them with the opportunity to be part of a special company that is growing from strength to strength.' 

What impact has Definely had?  

'Given that this all started out with just the two of us trying to figure out a way to help a blind person navigate legal contracts in a way that would be efficient, the impact has been heartwarming and humbling. We now call some of the largest law firms in the world customers, employ around 55 people and have recently secured $7 million in Series A Round funding.'

What are you most proud of? 

'On a personal level, I'm most proud of the fact that I had the courage to embark on this journey with Nnamdi. We were both proud when we were placed as the 23rd fastest-growing tech company in the UK by Deloitte at their Fast 50 awards in November 2023. 

Also, our senior management is primarily made up of under-represented communities and we have an equally diverse investor base. It's funny; when I first met Nnamdi at Freshfields, I always knew that he was somebody who'd start his own business. Little did we know that it would turn out like this.'

What lessons can you recall from your time at King's that impacted you, your life and your career?

'From my perspective, I learned a lot about how to ask for help and support in dealing with my disability. I was 32 when I started at King's and I’d never used screen readers or human assistants in any way.  

With the sheer volume of reading material, this would have been impossible without the adjustments and support that I received at King's. While accessibility still has a long way to go for the blind and visually impaired community, King's played a massive role in helping me to understand some of the technology and the ways that I could be supported in the workplace.'