Background
- Over 35 years’ commercial and legal experience
- Employment, partnership, shareholder and contracts specialist
- Commercial Litigator at Allen & Overy
- Partner and Group Head of Employment in London at Mayer Brown
- Currently Principal of his own Consultancy Business
Qualifications
- Mediator accredited with ADR Chambers (2003)
- Business Coach accredited with Meyler Campbell (2009)
- Solicitor
Other
Married with grown-up children, Julian enjoys the arts, walking around with a camera, travelling to countries not previously visited and enjoying the company of others. He is also Chair of the Charity, Escaping Victimhood, and an Independent Governor of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama.
Julian’s Approach
Julian has been facilitating throughout his career, working with organisations and individuals, helping them to change, develop and find solutions to differences of opinion. His experience enables him to see both sides to situations and bring a broad perspective.
He is able to offer three things: reassurance (which he can give through his legal background), clarity (which comes from the type of questions he asks) and an objective viewpoint.
He has a reputation as a pragmatist and guides people to practical “win-win” outcomes. He ensures that the projects that he works on are both worthwhile and successful by taking the time to do the job properly, enjoying the work and making a difference.
He is naturally curious and looks for what is important to people. He loves to learn what makes people behave in the way they do and say the things they say. He keeps an open mind and creates space for reflective thinking. He likes to find the path that others might not be seeing – taking considered steps and keeping an eye on the details. This perspective has served him and his clients well and has achieved outcomes above what even the most optimistic of us would have expected.
He regards himself as a good listener who hears what people are really saying. He finds that, if you encourage them to think out loud without being judged, a solution often presents itself. He is often told: “You have made me think” and he loves those moments of quiet just before people say to him “I know what to do now”.
Examples of Experience
- Facilitating and mediating solutions to knotty problems in the workplace, in the boardroom and between partners and shareholders, and assisting in a commercial mediation.
- Mentoring and coaching individuals on their own careers and roles.
- Coaching individuals, helping them to focus on what they are good at, to develop new skills and ways of working, and to overcome personal challenges at work.
Examples of Feedback
Coaching
- “Julian’s combination of insight into the individual with judgement on business issues is very helpful.” Founder, Board Advisory Partnership
- “Being coached by Julian made me realise that I was not going about what I needed to do with my career in the most useful way. He helped me identify options that I would not otherwise have considered. As well as testing my assumptions, he brought valuable insights based on his own experience. His style is open, relaxed and encouraging, so it was easy to build up trust in him.” In-house lawyer, International Fashion Company
- “Julian enabled me to prioritise the important aspects of my career and gave me confidence to deal with difficult situations. Through being open, supportive and challenging me when needed, he was easy to work with. He was quickly able to understand my work and business sector, while drawing on his own experiences.” General Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff
- “Julian got me to the heart of what I was really thinking and helped me search for ways to move forward. Each session with him made me reflect and always gave me a clearer perspective. He was ‘on my side’, encouraging and enabling me to shine. I was always able to do something practical as a result of our conversations and the skills I have learnt from him.” Head of Alumni Relations, Cambridge University
- “Julian has an uncanny skill of understanding my thought processes and how I respond in any given situation. He is a great listener and absorbs what I tell him. He can play back our discussions to me several sessions later, rather than approaching each one in isolation. After each discussion with him I take away fresh thoughts and ideas. Julian conveys such a positive approach to our discussions and a genuine desire to make a difference – and he has.” General Counsel at International Law Firm
Mediation
- “We engaged Julian to facilitate discussions on some difficult partnership issues. His involvement was invaluable, as he patiently but effectively moved us through the issues towards a resolution. During the process we called on his impressive range of skills as a coach, facilitator and mediator, and his experience as a law firm partner, to keep us on track and focus on the essential objectives. All of this, he handled with the utmost diplomacy and discretion.” Managing Partner, London Law Firm
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“We asked Julian to help us with a problem in the working relationship between two members of staff in the aftermath of a formal complaint and investigation. He adopted an informal mediation approach and facilitated constructive meetings with both parties, as well as helping management sign off on the process. He provided a framework for individuals and management to normalise working relationships, while remaining alert to the need to address future problems. I was very grateful for his professional support.” Chief Executive, Educational Charity
