Clifford Chance

John believes the insurance industry is full of interesting issues, colourful people – and thorny legal problems for lawyers like him to solve!

Where were you brought up?
I was born and brought up in Bath, Somerset. I do not have an accent.

What was your childhood ambition?
Get to 6 foot tall. I didn't make it.

What is your favourite film?
It's one of three: Swingers, Lantana and Tess

What was your first job? Sainsbury’s bakery - putting jam in doughnuts.

What was the first album you ever bought?
The Blue Album by the Beatles.

What do you find hardest about your job?
Trying to keep up with changes in the law. Insurance and reinsurance disputes often involve more money than normal contractual disputes which means they are worth fighting about. This means more of them get to court and, in particular, the appeal courts. The amount of new law relating to insurance and reinsurance created by these cases in the last ten or 15 years is staggering.

What is your favourite part of your job?
The fact that every problem I'm presented with is different. Of course experience matters a lot, but when new issues are being thrown up all the time experience only takes you so far.

Do you keep any pets?
We had a cat when I was a child, but I used to dab English mustard on its nose. It didn't like it. So I stay away from cats.

What is the best advice you have been given?
Read it again (and, from a safety perspective: don't get off a bus while it's moving).

What would your ideal job be?
I think I'm doing it, but if it didn't work out I'd like a management role at Queens Park Rangers.

What’s your favourite food? Curry.

What advice would you offer someone starting out in the industry?
Insurance is a lot more interesting than it sounds. It's full of interesting issues, colourful people and thorny legal problems - so use a lawyer.

What was the last book you read?
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. I didn't realise just how nasty cuckoos were until I read this book.

If money were no object, where would you most like to live?
I'd split my time between London, New Zealand and Australia.

How do you relax?
Cycling and sleeping (alternately).

How stressful is your journey to work?
If I don't get up early enough to avoid the crowds - very.

Dress-down Fridays – yes or no?
Don't care.

What would you like to be doing in ten years’ time?
I like what I do now. I want to carry on doing it although I'd like to be even better at it. And some of my colleagues assure me that there is room for improvement. Which is nice.