As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Either a vicar or a commercial advocate (yes, really!)

What was your first job?
First paid employment was night manager for a busy Shell UK petrol station near the M40, in High Wycombe.

What is the best decision you have made in business?
Moving to a smaller partnership, where I have much greater autonomy and control over what is on my desk, who we hire to work with us, and who we target to do more business with.

And what was the worst?
I’m sure that decision probably lies ahead of me, but I have no real regrets except perhaps on occasion having been too trusting of clients’ and colleagues’ promises that work done for them will be paid for.

Who has most influence you in business?
I have tended to draw my inspiration from senior professionals with successful careers, whose opinions I respect, and the occasional business coach / true worth specialist. However, the people who have most shaped my attitude to business generally are my trusted clients and referrers, chiefly insolvency practitioner accountants.

Sandwich at your desk or out to lunch?
Out to lunch, normally working lunches in a restaurant.

What is the biggest change in your business/industry that you have seen in the course of your working life?
The transition of law from a profession shrouded in awe and mystery, to a commodified service where - thanks to the internet - everyone is a self-made ‘expert’. The wider insolvency industry - comprising mainly IP accountants and insolvency lawyers - is largely heading the same way. This has led to a increased ‘dumbing down’ and accessibility but rarely improves efficiency as clients are now less ready to accept and follow advice without additional persuasion.

Tie or open neck shirt?
Depends if I am seeing new clients, but out of preference, open neck shirt (but with waistcoat).

What’s the ‘next big thing’ in your industry?
Online courts and fixed pricing. Those of us who are ready for this should thrive, whilst traditional High Street solicitors will struggle.

Where do you see you and your business in five years?
I will have a greater stake in my business and in the insolvency industry generally. As quality service will ultimately win through, even in challenging times, and as we are committed to this as a firm and at every level of employee, I fully expect Paris Smith to be amongst the most successful legal service providers in the South in every area of practice in which we choose to specialise.