Key Personal Strengths
- I am a lateral thinking problem solver and can identify imaginative solutions that do not always seem to occur to others faced with the same issues.
- As well as my service ethos and recommendations , clients choose me based on my experience, qualifications and competitiveness.
- Where a prospective client needs help that is best provided by others I will refer on and step back to allow the most cost effective solution for my clients.
- I am drawn to planning and development work by its variety and relish the intellectual challenges it presents.
- I have built my practice through awareness of and responsiveness to client’s interests. Almost all of my work comes through recommendations, principally from surveyors, architects, planning consultants and other lawyers.
- I keep my operating expenses low and can therefore charge very competitive fees in relation to my experience and qualifications, tiered to cater for domestic and commercial matters.
Career History/Profile
I qualified as a solicitor in 1980 and practised property law and then planning in private practice and industry, setting up my own practice specialising exclusively in planning and related matters in 1993. In 2010, after 30 years unblemished practice, I chose to cease operating as a solicitor and continue to provide the same services as before simply as a planning lawyer. This frees me to focus solely on matters relevant to my specialism.
I am a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute and have written academic articles for publication and lectured, including to RTPI (South East). I maintain a keen interest in the evolution of planning, driven as it is by political forces, which dictate how the development environment unfolds over time. Understanding these are vital to identifying and exploiting development opportunities and overcoming obstacles.