I kind of just fell into law. I’m not one of these people who always had a burning desire to be a lawyer – I’m suspicious of those people! I did double maths, physics and economics at A Level, which is enough to put anyone off. I wanted to do something completely different so I decided to read law at university. Then one thing led to another.
I left Northern Ireland and came over here. My dad had done a post grad at the University of Oxford and really enjoyed it. He was keen for me, my brother and sister to go away for the ‘full experience’. So I went to Oxford, did my degree, and it felt like such a natural progression to go to London.
I decided not to stay in Northern Ireland – not that there’s anything wrong with Northern Ireland! It’s just a very small place. It’s wonderful when you go back, because it’s small and you fit back in. But there’s a big wide world out there.
We lived in a place called Bangor, it’s about 40,000 people. It’s a half an hour commute to Belfast, and my dad got the train there and back every day. I now live in Tonbridge in Kent, it has about 40,000 people and is about a half hour train ride from London. I’m one of three kids, I now have three kids. So I haven’t really broken the mould!
England is just much more multicultural. Northern Ireland is a great place to be and there’s lots of good things there, from the quality of life to how friendly people are. But you arrive in England and it’s different, there’s people from a much wider mix of backgrounds, nationally and internationally. That was an eye-opener when I first moved but also lots of fun.
Back then on a Friday afternoon it was completely acceptable as a trainee to go across the road to the pub. If they needed you, they picked up the phone and you’d go back.
The great thing about London is that everyone is welcome. It’s almost the definition of a meritocracy – maybe that’s my rose-tinted glasses as it’s been fortunate for me. But if you want to come here and work hard, there’s a place for you. No matter your background. There is still a network though – if you’re Irish or a Celt for example, you can still find your common souls in the mixing pot.
I finished university in 1997 and did my law school in Nottingham the following year. Then my mate and I went travelling for six months – we went through the US, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – so a tour of the English-speaking world! It wasn’t billed that way but that’s how it worked out.
In March 1999 I joined Gouldens and it was a great place to be. Lots of fun. Unusual place in the sense we all had our own offices, didn’t do seats and took work from all over the building. It was a relatively small intake, around 12 people. I made very good friends there.
It was hard work, but I’m not sure it was as hard as it is now. We were catching the end of the dotcom boom so it was a pretty crazy time, loads of work to do. But also lots of fun was had. Lots of things have changed for the better in terms of diversity and inclusion, some of the culture back then was pretty toxic. But equally there was a lot of opportunity to enjoy yourself – back then on a Friday afternoon it was completely acceptable as a trainee to go across the road to the pub. If they needed you, they picked up the phone and you’d go back. Not sure if that happens anymore, and maybe it shouldn’t!
I was always interested in IP and tech. I spent a lot of my early years doing corporate work, a lot of which was IP and tech influenced. A lot of IPO work out of the dotcom boom. But I discovered I enjoyed the disputes side more, so I actually qualified as a litigator with a focus on IP and tech. You get to work with brilliant people in the IP and tech space. It’s just interesting in itself.
At Gouldens it could feel sink or swim. I don’t think it was, I think the safety net was always there, you just didn’t necessarily see it. But I think that was great, and I got even more responsibility when a lot of the senior people left before the Jones Day merger in 2003. As a junior lawyer I was getting a huge amount of responsibility. Helping to run serious issues at a junior level was thrilling. Terrifying at times, but thrilling.
When you’re a junior partner you might only own a small bit of the firm, but you still walk slightly taller when you walk in the front door.
I thought I was quite happy at Jones Day. You got an insight into big US law which is a very particular part of the market. But it probably didn’t quite fit me. It certainly was demanding – 2,000 chargeable hours was the target. But there was still a good cohort of original Gouldens people. Friends.
Sometimes you just get a call at the perfect time. I’d just come back from paternity leave for my second child and I got a cold call. I wouldn’t have taken it normally, but I was a little bit dislocated with the sleepless nights. I came along to meet Jeremy Drew, who was leading RPC’s TMT group. I was just blown away by the enthusiasm and ambition for the team. It made my current role feel a bit flat in comparison to what Jeremy wanted to do.
Jeremy did something really interesting. He was very conscious it would be my first ‘proper’ move so he wanted to make sure I was moving for the right reasons: to join RPC, not just to leave Jones Day. He asked me to go and look elsewhere and to come back to him if I was still interested. And that’s exactly what I did – I went round and looked at other firms, but there was an itch I needed to scratch which was RPC. I met the managing partner, Jonathan Watmough, who sold the dream, and I bought the dream.
There was a better work/life balance and culture on offer, but in my cocky Gouldens way I said: ‘No, I’m here to be a partner. I want to come in and show you what I can do.’ I joined in January 2008 as a senior associate, and became a partner the following year. It wasn’t a bad time to be a disputes lawyer, right after the global economy blew up. So much of this job is right place, right time.
Post-2008 the firm went out and said it was going to build out the commercial side. TMT was a core part of that. There are a lot of us who are laterals who came in from Magic Circle and US firms, all looking for something a bit different. And yet despite the influx of laterals there’s something very RPC culture about it all.
We’re on a huge growth curve in TMT. Just in the IP and tech team, we’re 30% bigger than we were 12 months ago. That’s a combination of both internal promotions and laterals. But, culturally, I suspect you wouldn’t be able to pick out who was RPC and who was a lateral.
People are looking for great work and a great culture but I’m not sure it’s easy to find both. I do look at parts of the market and wonder how sustainable it is. But I have to say, when looking at the Magic Circle and some of the US firms, they continue to prove that their model is incredibly successful and resilient. We’ve just come out of an unbelievable period. I’ve always thought London is a bubble, and that was exacerbated by the pandemic. It allowed law firms to have a boom period while others were struggling, and there’s something artificial about that.
We always used to work hard, but we used to have camaraderie and face-to-face interaction. But the answer to that cultural necessity from some has been just to throw money at the problem. I’m really surprised that’s the reaction. Personally, I don’t think you have to do it that way. We get seriously talented people from other firms who want something a bit different. You can have a really good culture and seriously good work without associates having to pay that sort of price on their personal life.
There is something very special about becoming a partner. When you’re a junior partner you might only own a small bit of the firm, but you still walk slightly taller when you walk in the front door. You look around and think: ‘I own a little bit of this!’ As much as I think of myself as a Gouldens trainee, I think of myself as an RPC partner.
You hear horror stories from other firms, where they’re very successful but the partners don’t like each other. Partnership is quite an old-fashioned business model but it does work. And it works best when we actually like each other, and I think RPC has that in spades.
I recently took over leading the IP and tech team. Seeing how that has developed, bringing new people into the team and seeing people get promoted through the ranks, that’s really satisfying. There’s nothing like the thrill of the chase, winning a new substantial instruction from a key client. You can’t do that without a team.
One year we did four trials within about nine months. We did one trial, start to finish, in two weeks. And you did things you didn’t think were possible. But it was fun, it was an amazing bit of work, and the team stepped up.
The most challenging issues are always people issues. If someone is having a really tough time, those are the bits that are the most challenging. That’s not what you’ve trained for, and it takes emotional investment. As you get more senior you get better at the job, but you graduate onto a different set of problems. The hardest bit is keeping a successful client practice going while keeping time for everyone else. People rightly need a lot of your time.
What makes a good TMT lawyer? It helps to be an all-rounder. I’ve done corporate work, disputes, advisory, regulatory. TMT is a sector, not just a discipline, so you need variety. We talk about convergence in tech, but the same applies to the legal issues. As a good TMT lawyer you don’t need to be an expert in everything but you need to know how one discipline affects another. And then you need experts around you.
I’m a keen sportsman – emphasis on ‘keen’. I still like to see myself as a cultured centre-back, but in practice, as I was told after the recent Partners v Rest of the Firm match, I have a more agricultural approach. But I love playing football. Lockdown certainly wasn’t kind to the partner team, but we put in a credible performance in a 3-1 defeat.
Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1980s you had to choose between Manchester United and Liverpool. I chose the right way, and supported Man United. But the last few years have been tough, watching Manchester City and Liverpool slugging it out.
Now I’ve moved to Kent I’ve had to become a bitter drinker. Country pubs in Kent are a nice weekend pastime now, but obviously back in the good old days I would be partial to a Guinness. It is absolutely true that the closer you are to the source, the better the Guinness. And everyone in Ireland will maintain that, whether it’s actually true or not.
What makes a good pub? It’s all about the atmosphere. There’s something you do get in the Republic of Ireland in particular, where they’re a bit cramped and busy. It has to be cramped enough that you’ll be rubbing shoulders with someone you don’t know and it might well start a conversation, and you don’t know where the evening will take you. But if it means meeting up with friends, that’s all you need.
The most challenging issues are always people issues. If someone is having a really tough time, those are the bits that are the most challenging.
I’m a kid of the 1990s with music. I’ve never really grown up from that. I don’t go as far as to say that music stopped in the 90s like some of my mates, but I am an indie kid at heart. Also love a bit of Blur. I saw their gig in 2012 in Hyde Park. Amazing.
Ideal holiday? Skiing with the family. It’s just brilliant, combination of relaxation with a bit of exercise. Friends, good food and drink help too. The kids love it. We have, and it sounds very grand, been to Whistler. That’s incredible. It makes me sound very privileged! Which you do feel when you’re skiing there.
I really liked Life on Mars. Line of Duty too, obviously. A Northern Irishman in a lead role, what more can you ask for!
Marmite? Never. Absolutely not. Divides our family down the middle. My wife and two of the kids in favour, me and my eldest, no chance.
Do I have a mantra? Nah. Just take life as it comes and make sure you enjoy it.
David Cran is head of IP and tech at RPC