I grew up outside London and left school at 16 to start a mechanical engineering apprenticeship.
I didn’t have A-levels so the options were limited. I went to the Polytechnic of Central London. There was a mixed group from different backgrounds. We were all there because we wanted to be.
I was attracted to law because it is all about people – negotiations and situations – rather than technical content.
The training contract was at Walker Martineau. They were an Inns of Court firm known as the nicest club in London. Private client but never transitioned into the City. What’s left went to Penningtons many years later.
I knew before I started I was going to be a litigator. Didn’t have any interest in property or transactional.
I specialised in fraud straight away. That was on the back of the property crash and the economic issues in the late 80s. I worked for one bank doing the factoring and invoice discounting and I moved with that bank from Walker Martineau to Alsop Wilkinson. I worked on that for quite a few years.
It is easier to get passionate about fraud because there is always a victim. Always. I found that easy to get into rather than a pure commercial dispute. I have acted on the defence side of fraud cases and I find that difficult.
I am not naturally competitive but I am in litigation. Particularly fraud. There is a clear objective, a motive to do it and you get on with it. I find it easy to get engaged in a case. Always have.
I moved to Lawrence Graham in 2001. Liked the culture. A good strong partnership. Did what it did well and didn’t dabble in things it didn’t do. And it had international ambition.
A turning point in my career was in 2005 when we got instructed out of Brazil on this long-running case against the former mayor of São Paulo. In the end we had a mandate from the Federal Republic of Brazil and the city of São Paulo. It was the first time a private law firm had been instructed outside of Brazil in order to co-ordinate the asset recovery work on the case.
On the back of the crash in 2008/09 we managed to secure roles on the Allen Stanford fraud, the Bernie Madoff fraud – we have had roles on those bigger cases which still continue. They are like an onion, loads of layers and it takes time to unravel.
The senior partner election at Lawrence Graham was contested [in 2010]. Hugh Maule was managing partner. Penny Francis was senior partner but was coming to the end of her term and I knew she wasn’t standing. Over a bottle of wine Hugh persuaded me to put my hat in the ring. I don’t regret that at all.
I wouldn’t have contemplated standing for managing partner. Hugh was a strong managing partner. Equally because of the closeness of the relationship, there wasn’t a clear demarcation. We were joined at the hip.
It is easier to get passionate about fraud because there is always a victim. Always.
At Lawrence Graham we came to the decision that we wanted a merger. We had ambition and we felt we needed a bigger platform. We started looking for a merger partner in 2011. We had a number of conversations.
We had always admired Wragge & Co as a business. There is no doubt that the commitment that Quentin [Poole, senior partner of Wragge & Co] had around the merger and the relationship we developed very quickly was important in getting that across the line. The partnerships were behind it but in any merger situation you have to work through issues. We went live in May 2014. I feel a sense of achievement with others in getting that done and making the most of what we created.
What was pleasing about the Gowling combination was that we opened up to both partnerships some months before we voted. It was common knowledge. To keep that private and yet engage across the partnership was gratifying on a number of levels.
My influences? From the Bar Sir Colin Rimer was someone I worked with closely before he went to the bench. He showed me what proper preparation was for a trial and his cross-examination was absolutely incredible. I have also worked closely with Charles Dougherty QC. To see him now leading for us on the Privy Council has been great.
I do put work first. But equally I hope I have a good work life balance and a good family life.
Andrew Witts is chair of Gowling WLG