Never wanted to be a lawyer. I was persuaded to read law at Oxford by my school. I wanted to do history. Hated law at university. Wasted my time. I was lectured by the great and good but didn’t find it interesting. The one interesting course was on international trade, which was given by a guy called Francis Reynolds. Also a guy that tutored me at college, Peter Gross, who later became a Lord Justice of Appeal, they kindled that interest for me.
When I joined Holman Fenwick & Willan, as it was then known, my intention was to get my two years’ articles and do something else.
The guy that helped me was a partner, Danny Wiseman. A brilliant guy. Patient. He sadly died in his late forties. He’d be surprised I’m senior partner. The kind of guy that would read the latest law report and then question his associates about what we thought.
History? I was a medievalist. It was simpler back then to understand. I was interested in the Tudor period, and some of the Renaissance, I later travelled to Italy to see that art. My daughter did read history at uni. I don’t read as much as I should for leisure. You spend a lot of your working life reading. Heavy history books will come later.
As a business we met some fantastic characters. Some, very volatile and emotional and some, even in major crises, cool, calm and collected. I did a lot of work in the early years of my career in Greece. They have extraordinary commercial acumen.
I have done some of the significant marine casualties. They’re dramatic, sometimes with some sad elements such as the loss of life. Very complicated, you’re working as a team and with experts. Not just pure law, there’s practical application.
On the management side, it’s been great having a say in the way we’ve developed as a firm. Diversifying the business, bringing in teams in aerospace and construction. I’ve turned from a litigator into an acquisition person. Been a lot of fun.
I had an opportunity to leave the firm 25 years ago for Herbert Smith, a fantastic firm. There was a bit of turmoil in the firm then. There were questions over how the firm was going to develop. Two or three were interested in going to Herbert Smith, and I was part of it. I met some impressive partners, but I ultimately decided no. I sat next to [HSF chief executive] Mark Rigotti at a dinner. I was full of admiration.
The number of mariners that die at sea is not widely reported. A lot of people have been killed during my career.
My most interesting jobs would be one of the container fire and explosion cases. It combined everything, sadly with loss of life. The technical side got into arguments about how the fire had started. It’s very interesting talking to experts who can pinpoint the origin of a fire.
Some of the work is harrowing. One of the cases I’m talking about, the boson was very badly burned. The crew put him in a cold shower on the ship for a long time but he died. Interviewing the crew was emotional. I still find it emotional.
The number of mariners that die at sea is not widely reported. It’s not seen as newsworthy as something that happens onshore. But a lot of people have been killed during my career. These fire and explosion cases led to change in the regulations of how goods are carried. We made stuff safer.
I haven’t had any piracy cases. We had a partner who recently retired, James Gosling, who got an OBE for it. We did a lot pro bono. There were a couple of ships left at the end, usually the insurers pay to release these ships but for whatever reason they weren’t paying out. That partner went round crowdfunding from the industry to get those guys out. We’re not always doing good in the world but every now and then there have been things we’re very proud of.
We once had a partner barricade himself in his room, because he was a key person to release this cargo. It was a jurisdiction where he had concerns for his personal safety. It’s a different kind of law.
The law doesn’t feature as much you’d think, a lot of it is evidence gathering. When I started we dealt with tens of files. We used to go down to the Queen’s Bench Masters and do our own advocacy in arbitration. I could be running 120-130 files. Now a lot of those disputes aren’t worth litigating. That presents a challenge in training new people – I was often running down to court with barristers who are now on the bench or famous QCs on a regular basis. That’s much less common now.
All the perks of this job involve international travel. In my younger days that was exciting. The benefits are exaggerated… but working in our Hong Kong office in 1983 was great.
I’ve moved my family to Singapore. I’m an overnight flight to Sydney and an overnight flight to London. In developing the firm and interacting with partners in that region, it’s more convenient than London. Our youngest daughter did her A-Levels there. Internationalising the children and the family has been great.
The market is tough now. Very challenged. During my own career I was fortunate enough to be in a period where charge-out rates were less under pressure. We see a lot of good competition so distinguishing yourself is a challenge.
A lot of law firms are adaptable and listening to clients about how they want services delivered. The firms that will be successful are the ones that will a) do that, and b) map their talent market.
When I was the equivalent of a senior associate, I would look up at senior partners and think: ‘One day I want to be like you.’ A lot of them look at us now and think: ‘I don’t want to be like you!’ That change in aspiration for work/life balance and career structure is a challenge for us as well as an opportunity.
Our ambitions for the next five years are to continue to grow in London and internationally in our core sectors. Probably to raise our profile, we’ve hidden our light under a bushel. We’re very well-known as a shipping firm and it’s great, but it’s only 25% of what we do.
My team won the FA cup on Saturday! Fantastic penalty but dull game in truth. I was a season ticket holder at Chelsea, I miss live football. I sat in the West Upper Stand. I lost the tickets by accident! They sent me the renewal forms and I was just moving to Singapore. Two weeks after the deadline I found the form but they had gone. Brutal. We have some Manchester United fans, so there was banter. The managing partner is one. I enjoyed that [laughs]. Been a tough season though.
Never wanted to be a lawyer. Hated law at Oxford. Wasted my time.
I’ve got three copies of The Division Bell on vinyl [the 1994 Pink Floyd album]. Still love vinyl – it’s making a big comeback.
I’m traditional. My tipple is beer, wine and gin. For gin, traditionally Gordon’s, but now there are so many, Monkey 47 would be my pick. Red wine, I’m a claret person. Beer, has to be Tanglefoot. Love that brewery. Can’t get good bitter in Singapore.
Cars are my biggest passion outside law. When I became a partner I bought an old Aston Martin. I wish I’d bought three. Some decrepit old thing and I spent a lot of money making it nice. I still go to a lot of classic car meetings. Football and cars are my thing – typical bloke!
No plans to retire! I’ve still got a lot of energy. I will go back to history, I don’t know whether I’ve got the discipline to do a full postgrad but will definitely do something. They do amazing online courses these days. Eighteenth or nineteenth century maybe. Something I don’t know so well.
I’ve been fortunate. It sounds cheesy but I was very lucky with whom I worked for initially, it helped me. I can look associates in the eye and say I’ve had an enjoyable career.
Career wisdom? Be focused. A very good QC told me: ‘A lot is about legal inspiration, but a lot is about hard work and knowing the papers.’ You can be presented with 50 client opportunities, but focus on ten and make them work rather than doing 50 inadequate jobs.
Done anything differently? No. Genuinely. I could say: gone to Herbert Smith. But no. I joke saying ‘If you stay anywhere long enough you’ll get to the top regardless of ability’ but I’ve enjoyed it. Last them out! [laughs]
Richard Crump is senior partner of HFW