When I was leaving a magic circle City firm two years after qualifying in the late 1980s, my department head took me to one side for a quiet chat. He was quite concerned that I might be having some kind of breakdown, particularly as I was leaving for “the provinces”. He kindly offered me my job back as long as I “came to my senses” within the following 12 months – as he was confident I would.
While I enjoyed my City training enormously, not a day has gone by during which I have regretted making a move to the regions. The inexorable march of commercial regional law firms is one of the most significant structural shifts in private practice during recent decades. While some work will always remain the preserve of a handful of City firms, regional lawyers are no longer considered ‘second best’. The law is a service business and clients are voting with their feet.
