The Lawyer Inquiry: Andrew Paton

Andrew Paton was born in Birmingham on 15 March 1957. He is the head of the insurance litigation team at Pinsent Curtis in Birmingham.



What was your first job?

Cleaning a metal-rolling factory during the summer shutdown.



What was your first ever salary as a lawyer?

£2,500 as an articled clerk with Cripps Harries Hall, Tunbridge Wells.



What would you have done if you hadn't become a lawyer?

Something in advertising.



Which law could you live without?

Maximum speed limit on motorways.



What was your most embarrassing professional moment?

Trying to explain to my clients that I had forgotten to serve a defence (which I had received from counsel) in a £1m dilapidations case and that judgment had been entered against them.



What car do you drive?

A VW Sharan. My family is expanding to fill the space available.



Which famous person would you like to go out with?

Nicole Kidman.



Where would you go to eat?

In London - Bank (off the Strand), in Birmingham - Primitivo.



What's the best thing on TV?

Men Behaving Badly and Top Gear.



Which movie do you wish you'd appeared in?

Fly Away Home.



What's your most often-worn piece of clothing?

Jeans.



What book(s) are you reading at the moment?

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.



What is your all-time favourite record?

Daydream Believer - The Monkees.



What piece of advice would you give to anyone entering the profession now?

Specialise in tax, banking or VAT.



What do you like about yourself?

I like to think that I treat people with consideration.



What do you hate about yourself?

My not infrequent failure to meet my wife's expectations.



Where would you most like to be right now?

On a yacht in the Mediterranean.