I am a litigation solicitor by profession will have been qualified for 50 years in November 2008. I have represented thousands of people in my time but I have as the years have gone by thought that there must be a better way of solving disputes than the court process.

Among my more memorable clients were Norman Scott who I represented for about a year before he made the announcement in court which led to what had been a carefully controlled scandal being made public largely bringing Jeremy Thorpe’s political career to an abrupt end. I knew I was on their fringe of something really important but I didn’t realize that I was placing myself and my family at risk by representing Scott. I had my phone bugged, was threatened with having my house burnt down and I was also watched which was pretty scary. I was defending Scott in Barnstaple Court when he made his announcement and by the time I got home my wife had heard my plea in mitigation on the one o’clock news!

I also represented the owner of Corky the Cockerell a magnificent bird who annoyed the next door neighbor and which got some press coverage at the time and is apparently re-told in a book of legal oddities!