In 1984 I joined a firm called Broomheads that eventually became part of DLA Piper. Historically, we have always been a well managed and meritocratic organisation. People won't stand in the way of someone's career just because they haven’t served their time yet. If you perform well here then you’ll get rewarded for it.

We were one of the first regional firms to really attack the London market and demonstrate that regional lawyers were perfectly...

Why did you join DLA Piper? Several reasons. It has an excellent reputation for offering a well rounded training contract, with trainees being given a great deal of responsibility, and as an international firm, it offers the opportunity to work with other offices around the world. At regional, national and international levels the client base is significant. For me, the Sheffield office offered a great location, and whilst the firm genuinely offers full service international...

There is a real human interest element to this area of the law that attracted me to it. It is an area of the law that you can talk to your friends and family about without them getting bored and switching off.

I tend to find that most people are interested in the law surrounding what employers and employees can and can't do in the workplace as it affects everyone in one form or another. Also, employment law is very dynamic and fast moving so its a constant challenge...

I did not think I would end up in commercial law when I started my degree (I studied Law with Criminology), but it proved to be the most interesting area to study.

Having decided what I wanted to do I needed to decide where I wanted to do it. I am from Sheffield and I wanted to go back there after university and get involved in the best work possible. I have always been a passionate advocate of regional work and I knew I would not have to give anything up by not going to London.