What was your first ever job?
Backroom boy at NatWest.
What was your worst experience as a trainee?
The telling-off I got for thinking that an articled clerk could wear brown suede shoes just because his supervising partner did.
Where’s the best place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the office?
Wherever my general office are drinking that day.
What time do you usually leave the office?
I’m an ‘owl’ not a ‘lark’, so I’m late in and out – about 8pm or 9pm.
What do you do at weekends?
Weekends are for family, so we try to do things together – even if it’s only walking the dog. I also like to eat well (fortunately my wife is an excellent cook), and I have a weakness for antiquarian bookshops.
What’s your favourite restaurant?
Riva at home; the Gaucho Grill at work.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you have been?
A politician.
Who was your mentor or role model?
The late Nick Richardson, a lovely man who made sure I always remember that even the brightest ideas depend on meticulous analysis.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Working in a dynamic, but truly collegiate, firm.
What’s the toughest thing about your job?
Having to tell people unwelcome truths sometimes.
What’s your biggest work/career mistake and what did you learn from it?
Acting for a good friend who had a bad case: it’s fine to make friends from clients, but not vice-versa.
What car(s) do you drive?
The workhorse is a Land Rover Explorer, and what my wife calls my ‘toy’ is a Bentley Turbo.
What book are you currently reading?
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene – it’s taking a long time.
What’s on your CD player at the moment?
Wagner’s Die Meistersinger.
What’s your favourite children’s book?
Equal favourites (I’d be in terrible trouble on Desert Island Discs): The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
