| What do you like and dislike about your job?
I love the feeling of being part of a dynamic and successful team which has successfully challenged the status quo; and the knowledge that part of that success has been the consequence of the various lateral hires I have helped recruit to the firm. I dislike not always being able to recruit all the people we need to as quickly as we would like.
Have you got a particular high point and low point in your career?
I would have to say joining DLA Piper has been the highlight. Genuinely no real low points that I can think of.
What hours do you generally work?
Generally 9am-7pm, with few breaks!
What are the main qualities that you look for in a person when you are interviewing them for a position at your firm?
Obviously it depends on the role, the group and the kind of opening we are looking to fill. Naturally we look for lawyers with technical ability who are team players, but more than that, we aim to hire people who buy into our vision and values (which can be found in the 'About Us' section on the DLA Piper website), and who we feel will be able to contribute to the team, group, office and firm objectives.
If you weren't a HR Professional, what would you be?
Well, I was a solicitor before being an HR professional and I come from a family of lawyers, but had I the requisite skill I would have loved to be a professional sportsman. Sports-wise, I would have settled for anything, but I suppose golf or cricket for the longevity they offer, or tennis because that is what I am best at and enjoy most.
I limit myself now to tennis and skiing and swimming (for exercise), although my first and enduring love is football.
Is there anything else that you feel would be interesting for us to know about yourself or the firm?
Not really, other than I have a hand (albeit sometimes only a relatively small one) in every partner level hire to the firm, which has over the last five years been consistently more than one a week, a level unrivalled in any other European/Asian law firm.
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