The CMS Cameron McKenna corporate partner on shoulder pads, baffling client requests and following in Ryan Giggs’ footsteps
Why did you become a lawyer?
When I was a kid I was a big fan of LA Law. I naively assumed that the life of a lawyer in the UK would be a similarly heady mix of power dressing and office intrigue. As I grew up, I was attracted to the combination of the intellectual challenge and the idea of helping clients achieve their commercial objectives. I still wear huge shoulder pads to remember my roots though.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
Sean Watson. I started working for him as a trainee when I first joined the corporate department and he took me under his wing, as he did for so many of the current roster of partners at CMS. He was brilliant at building client loyalty.
What’s your proudest professional moment?
Probably working for National Grid on the sale of four of its gas distribution networks in 2005. It was an incredibly complex deal that involved restructuring the gas distribution sector in the UK and was one of the first deals to involve infrastructure funds in the UK. I worked on the deal for more than two years and it led to me being made a partner at CMS.
