My decision to become a lawyer was based on a number of factors that made it seem a natural career choice for me.

When I was considering my options, careers were confined to three main professions – medicine, accountancy and the law. Since I did not have the stomach for blood and gore or a particular passion for numbers, a natural tendency towards the law emerged.

My father's early legal career as a solicitor was an encouraging factor, even though I had seen the long hours he put in to his work. He subsequently left the law to pursue another career in the wider business arena, which indicated to me that a legal career might be a useful stepping stone to other things in the future.