Best brains in...

Problem solving, lateral thinking and building relationships – I'm best at finding out what clients want and working out how to make that happen. I also love the technical side of the law – I shocked myself by coming top of class in my masters degree course at London University!

Highlight of your career so far?

I get great satisfaction from building relationships with clients, from the largest such as GlaxoSmithKline, Citigroup and Euroclear to smaller clients who need just as much support and understanding. I enjoy spotting opportunities to build relationships and then developing them.

Most challenging job you've ever done?

All major outsourcing projects are very challenging in their own way. They require the lawyers to immerse themselves in the client's business and the outsourcing contract must "reflect their business as much as possible". I have been working on a series of IT projects for a client in the energy sector for the last 18 months and this has involved detailed undertakings of the regulatory framework the client operates in.

What about outside the UK?

A great deal of our work is for clients outside the UK or involves an international aspect. We have worked for non-UK clients such as Euroclear and have helped clients including a global bank on strategic projects which involve a great deal of co-ordination of advice from across different jurisdictions.

What's your definition of going the extra mile ... And when have you done it?

On every job, whether large or small, I aim to understand what the client wants, how they want it delivered and what is going to make a difference to them. Sometimes that means getting from A to B as quickly as possible. On other jobs it means supporting the client's team with our experience to achieve a good outcome on negotiations. For example, I worked with Anglian Water on negotiating the renewal of a major IT outsourcing contract with CSC. Anglian Water has an excellent in-house legal team so it wasn't looking for external lawyers to come charging in and take over. This client wanted lots of experience and commercial expertise to support its in-house team and that is what we provided.

Or give an example of your great client service?

Great client service is not just down to me – it is down to my whole team, both lawyers and support staff. In fact the most important person for client service is often my PA, Karen! We have a fantastic team which I can always rely on to provide superb client service. They have just exceeded all expectations, working round the clock for a month to complete an important deal for a major IT services company. The client was incredibly grateful for that effort.

Or dedication to client care? Prove it!

We are prepared to invest in our client relationships. I spent a short period on secondment with Citigroup to understand the part of its business we are looking to support. This is pretty unusual for a partner to do but I felt it would really help us deepen our knowledge and our relationship.

Best example of a creative legal solution?

We advised a global bank on its first foray into offshore business process outsourcing in 2003. This involved analysis of the best legal structure for setting up an offshore centre in India including looking at tax, employment, data protection and commercial issues. We set up a contractual structure which has subsequently helped the client to expand those operations as required.

When have you ever given a client a real competitive edge?

We helped Citigroup produce best practice guides to cut down process times and costs for its sales transactions on outsourcing transactions where Citigroup is providing services to other institutions. Each sale is time-consuming and costly. By streamlining these processes, less lawyer and commercial team member time is needed, deals close more quickly and Citigroup will save money.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

Apart from keeping my carbon emissions down by cycling to work, I am lead singer and guitarist with High Performance Culture Club, the in-house partner's band and we will be supporting the firm's charitable causes with a gig this summer.

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

I was 'singled out for particular praise' in Legal 500, but was most pleased by this reference in the same section: 'Clients also endorse the firm's pragmatism, transparency on costs and acute business acumen'.