When executives talk about career development, they rarely mean going back to school. But for Kimberlee Duval, CFO of the wellness brand Cymbiotika, returning to school mid-career reshaped how she leads finance in a high-growth environment.
At age 50, Duval enrolled in law school, fulfilling a dream she had shelved decades earlier due to cost and circumstance. “I grew up very poor and was emancipated at 16, so paying for law school when I was younger just wasn’t realistic.” With a knack for numbers, she instead carved out a career in accounting and finance, but the dream of a legal education never quite disappeared.
Decades later, now with a law degree in hand, Duval says the experience has sharpened her capabilities as CFO – enhancing everything from risk management and compliance to her overall leadership approach. The impact is especially pronounced in the fast-paced world of startups, Duval explains, where finance leaders are often expected to wear multiple hats. “I’m a bit of a glutton for punishment,” she laughs. “But in high-growth environments, you’ve got to be able to do more than one thing, right?”
The case for a legal-minded CFO
On the face of it, CFOs and lawyers would seem to occupy different universes. One is fluent in cash flow forecasting, accounting and performance metrics. The other thrives on argument and risk mitigation. But for companies operating in increasingly complex regulatory, geopolitical and technological environments, those two worlds are colliding. Legal fluency is becoming a valuable edge for the finance chief.
Among the most obvious benefits is contract reviews. Deals and vendor relationships routinely involve densely worded agreements and clauses full of legal landmines. The ability to decode those documents and, crucially, to bridge the gap between business priorities and legal constraints has become essential, Duval says. “I can keep the lawyers from over-lawyering and the business from over-promising. It’s an underrated skill that helps save time, reduce legal spend and avoids compliance missteps.”
In high-growth environments, you’ve got to be able to do more than one thing
It’s also improved team communication. “Now, when I explain a compliance rule or risk exposure, I can connect the dots for my team, helping them understand not just what the rule is, but why it matters.”
Not every finance leader needs a law degree. But Duval sees a growing case for more modular legal education tailored to CFOs: short courses in contract law, regulatory compliance or digital governance, for example. She also encourages finance teams to work more closely with in-house counsel or even embed legal expertise directly within finance. “As the regulatory and technological environment grows more complex, the boundaries between CFOs and general counsel will continue to blur.”
Sharper risk thinking in the age of AI
Perhaps the most significant shift has been in how Duval thinks about risk. Legal training emphasises structured reasoning and analytical rigor, tools that are increasingly vital as CFOs confront emerging challenges such as AI governance, ESG compliance, data privacy and cybersecurity.
Take AI implementation. “With generative AI rolling out across finance functions, many people aren’t thinking about auditability, algorithmic bias or system permissions,” Duval says. Her legal background helps her spot risks that others might overlook, such as improperly scoped user access in ERP systems or latent exposure in vendor contracts that fail to reflect updated regulatory expectations. One recent example was when Duval discovered that the customer service team had access to delete item fulfilments, posing a major risk if AI tools acted on those permissions without proper oversight. “The system doesn’t know whether someone should have access, it just knows they do.”
Duval’s legal insights have made her far more attuned to the importance of roles, responsibilities and clearly defined parameters, especially when implementing new technology. It’s also shaped the CFO’s approach to documentation: project briefs now begin with detailed outlines that ensure alignment and accountability from day one. “My team jokingly calls it the lawyer in me now. It means I can approach system permissions, liabilities and data access with the rigour of a compliance officer and the foresight of a business strategist.”
New ways of working
Law school is certainly not for the faint of heart or for time-strapped executives looking for a weekend workshop. With six kids, Duval jokes that time management has always been a strength of hers. That said, during these years, even she was forced to experiment with new ways of working in order to juggle the demands of being a CFO alongside her law studies and personal life.
For example, Duval leaned heavily on AI tools during her time at law school to summarise dense material and manage complex information. These habits have since carried over into her role as CFO, improving both how she works and how she communicates. Today, Duval uses AI to digest lengthy reports, summarise contracts, generate executive-ready financial overviews and rewrite internal emails for clarity and tone.
“The result is faster, sharper communication and, most importantly, a team that sees AI as a tool for empowerment, not replacement.” Because of this, Duval encourages her team to develop their own innovative AI use cases. “If I can use it, anybody can. So that’s my motivation to my team.”
The importance of reinvention
Reinvention can be a challenge, but it can also be an important strategic advantage. Duval’s story underscores how continuous learning can transform executive effectiveness and it challenges the common assumption that finance leadership is a linear path. The demands on today’s CFOs require hybrid skills that cross legal, technological and strategic domains.
By investing in herself at mid-career, Duval has built a leadership edge that’s reshaping her team, her company and her approach to finance. “I’m only as good as my team,” she says. “And now, I’m better equipped to support them.”
When executives talk about career development, they rarely mean going back to school. But for Kimberlee Duval, CFO of the wellness brand Cymbiotika, returning to school mid-career reshaped how she leads finance in a high-growth environment.
At age 50, Duval enrolled in law school, fulfilling a dream she had shelved decades earlier due to cost and circumstance. “I grew up very poor and was emancipated at 16, so paying for law school when I was younger just wasn’t realistic.” With a knack for numbers, she instead carved out a career in accounting and finance, but the dream of a legal education never quite disappeared.
Decades later, now with a law degree in hand, Duval says the experience has sharpened her capabilities as CFO – enhancing everything from risk management and compliance to her overall leadership approach. The impact is especially pronounced in the fast-paced world of startups, Duval explains, where finance leaders are often expected to wear multiple hats. “I’m a bit of a glutton for punishment,” she laughs. “But in high-growth environments, you’ve got to be able to do more than one thing, right?”
