As a kid, I was obsessed with crime: -The criminal mind -The actual commission of crime -The investigation of crime -The prosecution of criminal offences. There wasn’t a serial killer in the world I hadn’t read about, chapter and verse. The more gruesome and macabre the crime, the more interest I had. I still have the same fascination now. I can sit for hours watching real-life crime documentaries on Netflix.I’ve always been a bit too squeamish to get close to the blood and gore that comes with crime, so I decided that a legal career in crime would suit me better. As a staunch socialist, my goal has always been to help the needy, so I thought I would become a defence lawyer for those without access to expensive suits. Unfortunately, my view changed after a bad experience with a bad criminal in a bad police station during my first summer job at a firm of solicitors as a 17 year old.The experience put me off crime as a legal pathway, so when I left Manchester University, I headed to London to join Wilde Sapte as a trainee solicitor. There, I gained a wealth of litigation experience, but it didn’t scratch the itch I had to help people, so I decided to move on.The final straw was when I attended a mortgage repossession on behalf of an internationally renowned bank. The defaulting mortgagees threatened not to leave without a fight. The mother of the family had chained herself to a bed, and the rest of the family was in tears. When the eviction drama ended I decided to help the family secure social housing. This made me feel really good for the first time in a while, much better than representing the Bank, so I decided a career change was in order.I moved into parochial law and took on every case I could at Lennon & Co in Chesham. I had to do lots of research to fill any knowledge gaps and I quickly gained an exceptionally broad range of experience. By the beginning of 2005, I decided to set up CWD as a bespoke litigation practice, and while we started in a small office with four employees, we’re still going strong 18 years later. In that time, we’ve represented a large number of high profile clients including Heather Mills in her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney, and a large number of professional sports personalities.If you’re interested to learn more about CWD or want to know what I think about dispute resolution or litigation, you’re welcome to connect with me.
