Ken Baird, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's global head of restructuring Ken Baird has acted on a raft of high-profile mandates in recent months and is now leading for longstanding Freshfields client Debenhams on its administration process. Here, he recounts rogue pigeons featuring in video calls, and his dessert-making skills.

Describe your home workspace in three words:

AirPods, iPad and iPhone.

What's the best part of working from home?

The best part of working from home is getting to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with my wife, who is a lawyer too and who is also very busy. If we're both working long hours then we don't always get to see as much of each other as we'd like.

What time do you tend to start your day, take lunch and finish up?

My wife and I have tried to keep to a pretty regular schedule in order to create those boundaries between work life and home life and try to protect meal times together too. I start the day at 7am, take lunch at 1pm and finish up whenever the emails stop.

Do you prefer phone calls or video calls?

Despite the fact that my hair has gone rogue, video and phone calls both work well for me, depending on the situation. I'm currently finding that all meetings that I would have previously done face-to-face are best done by video. They're invaluable in terms of providing a more personal experience. But there are certainly times when phone calls work better and are more efficient.

Do you get dressed properly every day?

I always get dressed properly every day, but in a two-piece suit, not three!

What's the first thing you'll do when the lockdown is lifted?

The first thing I'll do is see my kids. My younger kids live in Glasgow and my eldest lives down here in London.

What's the biggest challenge about working from home? 

Previously, if I've needed to work on the weekends I've gone into the office. I've always very much respected that barrier between work and home, so the biggest challenge for me is now re-creating that division when working from home.

How many times a day are you interrupted by pets/ spouses/ children? 

It's just my wife and I at home, and we try to create a routine that allows us to spend time with one another during the day. While we don't have time for any pets, we do have a toy dog called Sheldon, who is very tolerant!

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you on a video call?

A pigeon flying really low over my head during a call (but hey, it could have been worse).

What do you miss most about the office?

I miss the business companionship of my colleagues. We all get on really well with one another.

How are you spending your weekends?

I've been trying not to treat the weekends as working days, which has been assisted by a lot of decluttering.

Is there a Netflix recommendation you'd share? 

I really recommend 'Unorthodox', which is an amazing tearjerker.

How productive are you working from home compared with being in the office?

I found working from home hard at first but now find it no different from working in the office.

Background music or silence?

A lot of people find listening to certain music really helps them to work but I find background music too difficult, so I prefer working in silence.

What are the best and worst remote working experiences you have had?

The best experience has been seeing young lawyers in the team, without a bead of sweat on their digital brows, doing brilliant work under extreme pressure and in extraordinary circumstances. That's been a real 'hats off' moment.

The worst experience I've had was on a conference call with 120 people on it, where we couldn't turn off the joining and exit beeps. People were joining and leaving the call throughout, so the beeps were constant!

How do you think your clients feel about you advising them remotely?

I think that people are used to remote working now and, given that we've been able to make remote-working function as well as we have, I think the big question now is what are the lessons and positive working practices that we can take forwards with us when lockdown comes to an end.

How do you like to stay in touch with your colleagues?

My team set up a social WhatsApp group right at the beginning for keeping in touch, which is working well and which I think we will probably keep going after lockdown ends. We're currently running a 'post a photo of dish you cooked' challenge. I make a really good white chocolate mousse!

What would be your three top tips for others working from home?

My three tips would be to:

  • Try to impose structure on your days;
  • Take a quick power walk outside every day to clear the mind, even if you're multitasking and doing a phone call at the same time;
  • There's no longer any excuse to miss breakfast!

Read more

Legal Life During Lockdown: Ashar Qureshi Chats Client Cauliflower Demands and Possible Video Slip Ups

Legal Life in Lockdown: Paul Hastings' Roger Barron On Golf Competitions and Becoming an IT Guru