“I miss the adrenalin rush of a corporate deal”

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?

Although I’m showing my age, it has to be the many hours spent at the fax machine! That apart, I really enjoyed my articles (showing my age again!) and it was a difficult decision to leave when I relocated back from London to the Midlands on qualification.

It’s also a timely question because I had the pleasure of meeting up with my training principal at DAC, John Smith, last year for the first time in over 30 years and this inevitably came up as we reminisced over lunch. It was amazing how the memories came flooding back after so many years and great to be able to thank him again for helping kick off my career in law.

Tell us about a sliding doors moment when your career could have gone in an entirely different direction?

It was a long time ago but a number of things had conspired to cause me to consider my future, as a result of which I was presented with other options, including a move to one of the bigger national firms at a time when Freeths was still predominantly an East Midlands firm. On the face of it this would have been a step up for me but I can honestly say that I have never regretted my decision to stay, as the firm has gone from strength to strength and I have taken on more responsibility at various stages of my career culminating in my current role.

Importantly, one of my key learnings from that experience was that the firm’s senior management had assumed, wrongly, that I had a clear understanding of my likely career progression at the firm. It’s something that I have always been conscious of as a leader and manager, and it’s a key element of our emphasis on check-in conversations between our people and their managers to ensure that there are regular, timely and meaningful conversations about career development and progression.

What’s the hardest question you’ve ever been asked at interview, and how did you answer?

It’s been a very long time since I attended an interview as a candidate! When I was relocating back to the Midlands on qualification back in 1990 and I was interviewed for the NQ role at Freeths, it wasn’t so much the questions I was asked, but more the question I had to ask myself when I had the option of joining the fledgling corporate team (basically one partner) at Freeths or joining a much larger and more established Birmingham firm.

I can vividly recall the discussion with my girlfriend (now wife) in one of the local pubs. Ultimately, the passion and ambition of Ian Payne (our long-serving senior partner and in many ways the original architect of our success as we have grown from a Nottingham firm to a national firm), and the exciting challenge of building something from a small base, made it an easy decision.

The question I am often asked when interviewing potential partner candidates is what’s different about Freeths that makes us special. In some ways, that’s a particularly difficult one for me to answer as I am a “one firm man” since qualification so I can’t make direct comparisons from personal experience at other firms. Of course, I love to talk about what we have achieved and how, and indeed a significant part of our growth has been through successful lateral hires, but I’m often told by people who joined us as partners from other firms that I undersold how special a culture we in fact have!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?

Be careful what you wish for!!

But more seriously, make sure you understand what the role entails and you are clear on what you can bring to the role. It’s a huge honour and privilege to be elected by your fellow partners to lead the business, but it’s a very different role.

Prior to moving into my role as the firm’s managing partner, I had been national head of corporate for a number of years and I was ready for a new challenge, as well as it being the right time for someone else to bring a fresh perspective to the corporate role.  I’m often asked whether I miss being a corporate lawyer, and I can honestly say that I don’t pine for an SPA but I do miss the adrenalin rush of a corporate deal. When I took on the managing partner role, it was important to me that I retained some of my key client relationships, even if I wasn’t going to be “on the tools”, because that’s something I really enjoy and it’s an important way of keeping in touch with what’s happening at the coalface.

So it’s important to recognise your key strengths and make sure that the roles you take on as your career progresses really do play to your strengths, as well as broadening your experience and skill set, and ultimately help you to deliver your best to the business, its people and clients.

Tell us about ONE former colleague who you miss, and why? (It doesn’t have to be a lawyer)

One of the strengths of our business is retention of people, so I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a number of great colleagues who I have worked with for a large part of the 30+ years that I have been with the firm. Very sadly, we lost a much loved and respected member of our senior team last year when Mukesh Patel passed away. It’s often the case that you only fully appreciate someone when they are longer around. Mukesh was a long-standing member of our board and managing partner of our Leicester office. As well as being a great litigator, he had many endearing qualities and was a real gentleman. He is fondly remembered but sadly missed by many colleagues and clients.