The Lawyer Inquiry: Ben Daniels

Ben Daniels was born in 1971 in Lincoln. He is a solicitor at Bevan Ashford in Bristol.



What was your first job?

Delivery driver.



What was your first-ever salary as a lawyer?

Less than that earned as a delivery driver.



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

Lincoln City FC mascot - dressing up as the Lincoln imp and dancing on the touchline every time Lincoln got a corner.



What was your most satisfying professional moment?

Qualification.



What was your most embarrassing professional moment?

Reading my supervising partner's (Tom Ellis) entry in The Lawyer's Inquiry column.



What do you least like about being a lawyer?

Friends asking if you can do their conveyancing/draft their will/help them avoid paying a parking fine.



And the best thing about being a lawyer?

The fact that you can't coast - you feel challenged every day.



Who do you most admire and why?

Richard Branson - for not being afraid of his money: he uses it to test himself and to enjoy himself.



Which famous person or historical figure would be your ideal client, and why?

The Sultan of Brunei - he wouldn't ask for a bill narrative.



What character do you most resemble in Ally McBeal and why?

I'm more of a Fish than a Biscuit.



What is your most annoying habit?

Pulling off my toenails.



How do you relax?

Hang around Clifton on a Saturday - massive lunch, too much wine - fall asleep until Final Score on Grandstand.



What is your most precious possession?

My Puma (car - not animal).



Where would you like to be right now?

The Nou Camp, Barcelona.



In ten years' time, where do you see yourself?

Being even more of a Fish than a Biscuit.



What subject(s) did you fail at school?

Metalwork, and some connected subject that seemed to involve making plastic key-rings.



What annoys you most about clients?

They all call at once - they must be in league.



What is your biggest fear?

Public flogging.