Best brains in .......

Clients consistently say that my key strength lies in being able to cut to the chase and help them to navigate their way to their objective without being blown off course by side issues along the way.  I've applied that to our own tribunal methodology, which has been so successful that clients have reported both incredible cost reductions and soaring success rates - and which the FT Innovative Lawyers Survey rated outstanding in its 'Value for Money' category - and to our approach to advising on topics such as absence management. One City client deemed it 'revolutionary'.

What's the highlight of your career so far...

Winning a major bank as a new client within days of becoming a partner.

What's the most challenging job you've done so far?

Undertaking a 'small' internal investigation for a client which ultimately turned out to be a mammoth task. By the end it had involved a dozen lawyers, 33 witness interviews plus follow-up written questions, the review of approximately 200 bankers boxes of documents (including employee hard drives and the organisation's email archive), the provision of written evidence at six disciplinary hearings and oral evidence at four more. Our final report was published in the public domain to the interest of the local and national press and, on the basis of our report, the Serious Fraud Office launched its own investigation into the matter.

What's your definition of going the extra mile and when have you done it?

Our clients demand, and have the absolute right to outstanding service. On one occasion I was sipping a 'Sling' in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore on the second day of a month-long 'round-the-world' trip when the chief executive of a long-term foreign-based client called my mobile. He wanted advice on a restructure that he felt he could not share with the UK management team at that stage. I spent an hour working out the best way forward with him on my mobile before spending the night in the hotel's business suite putting together both the paperwork and a practical guide for him to implement my recommendations.

On another occasion, when a client wasn't in a position to deal with an internal matter, he sent me an email asking if I could do so as the only other person who knew enough about it. I organised receipt of a 500-page document at the hotel in New York where I was staying on holiday, re-arranged my trip so that I could be back in time to deal with the matter and spent the overnight flight reading the papers I had been sent so that I could undertake the presentation on his behalf.

When have you given a client a competitive edge?

One very paternalistic multi-national client which had worked very hard to accommodate injured and disabled employees found that, as a result and over a period of time, productivity had reduced almost to breaking point. I worked with them to turn the situation around so that they could retain the mantle of having one of the most efficient and effective workforces in the world.

How do you get 'under the skin' of a client?

There can be never be a 'one size fits all' approach. We work very hard to ensure that we are part of the client's team. For me, this has meant a range of things from undertaking the internal training required of all new employees at one international retail and leisure client to donning work boots and undertaking a 'day at work' training with a multi-national manufacturer. The key always is that we really understand our clients' workplaces and cultures so that we aren't simply offering legal advice in a vacuum.

What's your contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

As a long-time performing and recording musician, it was a real pleasure for me to organise and perform at Oxjam @ The Birmingham Jam House for long-term client Oxfam. It was even better to find out that, having raised £3519.54 for the event, I had been party to one of the most successful events in the country!