Chat With Chebseys - Interviews
As featured in our monthly newsletters, learn more about the team here at Chebsey & Co by reading our latest lawyer interview.
To be one of the first to read the next interview, sign up for our monthly newsletters here and get it straight to your mailbox.
Newsletter Edition #8 - Diego Rubio
Head of the Spanish Department.
Born in Spain , Diego has lived in Extremadura ( Badajoz ) and various other cities throughout the country, having travelled a number of times through Spain and South America ( Ecuador ).
Whilst living in Spain Diego studied Law at Caceres University and continued to finish his degree in Madrid, before relocating to England. Diego moved to London, where he has lived ever since with his wife and three children.
Diego is a member of the Law Society of Alicante ( Spain ) and a registered European Lawyer at the Law Society of England and Wales . His first four years in England were spent working within the Notarial profession in central London, specialising in Spanish conveyancing, before going on to work in a number of different law practices, gaining additional experience in Wills and Probate and Powers of Attorney. In July 2005 Diego joined Chebsey & Co as the head of the Spanish Department.
Diego advises on various areas of Spanish law, including property law and family, conveyances and all related taxes, as well as the preparation and translation of legal documents such as private and public Deeds, Powers of Attorney, conveyances and wills.
Diego's main interests include walking, cycling and table-tennis. He has formerly competed in both Cycling and Table Tennis. Diego enjoys classical music, opera and Latin American literature. Diego, a native Spanish speaker, is fluent in English.
Q. Why did you become a Abogado (Spanish Lawyer)?
A, I studied Physics and Maths at AA level but decided that I didn’t want to continue with either of those subjects so decided to take up Law.
Q. What is your favourite lawyer joke?
A. Question - What is the difference between a tick and a lawyer?
Answer - A tick falls off of you when you die.
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A. The alarm clock
Q. What is your passion?
A. Reading and classical music
Q. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
A Gandhi
Q. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A. I did not listen to pop music for 20 years.
Diego is based at our Beaconsfield office and can be contacted on 01494 670440 or drm@chebsey.com
Newsletter Edition #7 - Julie Tompkins
Julie studied law at Bristol University and then Guildford Law School. She served her articles with a firm in the City and after qualifying in 1985, she remained with the firm for a further year in their private client department.
She then moved to a firm in Hertfordshire where she became a salaried partner. Julie took a career break to have her son and returned to the profession in 1997 and since then has lived and worked in the Thames Valley area.
She moved to Chebsey & Co in September 2009. Julie specialises in Wills, Probate, Tax Planning, Lasting Powers of Attorneys and Trust matters and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). In her spare time Julie enjoys gardening and has a share in an allotment where she enjoys growing her own vegetables. She also enjoys pilates and going to the gym. Julie’s favourite book is ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier.
Q. Why did you become a Solicitor?
A, At the age of thirteen years I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer. It came as quite a surprise to my parents as there were no other lawyers in the family.
After completing my law degree and solicitors final exams I went to a firm on London Wall where I was let loose on the general public.
The firm had a private client department and it was there that I first dealt with wills and probate matters and trusts. I enjoyed meeting with clients and assisting them either to draw up a will which would give to them peace of mind or helping them to sort out legal matters after the loss of a loved one when often they found it difficult to cope.
In all my years of practising in this area the most difficult cases that I have had to deal with have always been where someone has died without making a will. It never ceases to amaze me that over two thirds of the population of this country have not made a will.
Julie is based at our Beaconsfield office and can be contacted on 01494 670440 or jat@chebsey.com
Newsletter Edition #6 - Jeff Thomas
Head of the Family Department
After qualifying as a Solicitor in 1987, Jeff joined a highly regarded firm in High Wycombe where he remained, as both an assistant Solicitor and
then as a partner, until January 2003 when he joined Chebsey and Co. Until a few years ago, Jeff’s social life centred almost exclusively around
Beaconsfield Rugby Club. His playing days now though are long behind him and his interests are confined now to reading, the cinema and theatre,
trying to understand his sons’ obsession with PS3 video games (when they could be reading a good book!), and waiting patiently for Wales to win
the Rugby World Cup.
If Jeff were marooned on a desert island, his chosen book would be either The Code of the Woosters (P G Wodehouse) or David
Copperfield (Charles Dickens). His luxury item would be an Espresso coffee machine, whilst musical choices would include:
• Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
• Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones)
• Alternative Ulster (Stiff Little Fingers)
• Teenage Kicks (The Undertones)
• Walk on By (The Stranglers)
• Rough Boys (Pete Townshend)
• My Sacrifice (Creed)
• Anything by Katherine Jenkins
Q. Why did you become a Solicitor?
A. There were no vacancies at Asda
Q. What is your favourite lawyer joke?
A. Client to lawyer - Is it true I can ask you three questions for £500?
Lawyer to client - Yes, it's true. What's your second question?
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A. Errr, the shrill beep, beep, beep of a digital alarm clock followed very closely by my 7 year old son wanting to talk
about football!
Q. What is your passion?
A. Apart from my family (I have to say that in case they ever read this!), reading crime/thriller novels, collecting signed first
edition books and watching Wales play rugby.
Q. Other than Keith Chebsey, which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
A. It would come down to a choice between Julius Caesar, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill or Stephen Fry. I just can't decide
who would have the edge!
Q. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A. "Jeff Thomas' Macduff was particularly impressive when told of his wife and son's slaughter" - from a Bucks Free Press
review of a Royal Grammar School production of Macbeth in or about 1978. Another interesting fact is that I cannot play a
single musical instrument (there's always someone, when asked this same question, who says I play the piano or the
French horn!)
Newsletter Edition #5 - Sue Bean
Head of the Civil Litigation Department.
Hailing from Nottinghamshire, Sue originally qualified as a Marine Biologist and has a Masters degree in Plant Physiology from De Montfort University.
In a former life, she ran several successful businesses including a travel company and a riding school. She believes this has given her a valuable insight from a practical standpoint of many of the issues that concern small and medium sized companies. Sue deals with every type of dispute, including neighbour disputes, actions for civil harassment, debt recovery, actions for breach of contract, building/contractor disputes, and director and shareholder disputes, both in the County Court and in the High Court. She also deals with employment matters and personal injury claims.
Sue has substantial High Court litigation experience, dealing with claims of up to £10 million. She has also been successful in negotiating a number of personal injury settlements in excess of £500,000.
Sue has four children who together make up the band “Bound by Time”. She devotes a good deal of her spare time to promoting their music, managing the band and being their roadie. www.myspace.com/boundbytime When she does have a moment to herself, Sue enjoys horse riding and reading, but not at the same time.
Q. Why did you become a Solicitor?
A, I am not a Solicitor I am a Barrister! I followed a similar training path and do essentially the same work. I entered the law as a mature student after a career in the sciences and running various businesses. I chose to study law because I had been taken advantage of in business by a professional and wanted to get some redress.
Q. What is your favourite lawyer joke?
A. I have two;
1. Lawyer: “Now that you have been acquitted, will you tell me the truth? Did you steal the car?”
Client: “After hearing your amazing argument in court this morning, I really don't think I did !.”
OR
2. Lawyer: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
Defendant: Gucci suit and Reeboks.
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A. My alarm clock or my 12 year old who seems only to need 6 hours sleep.
Q. What is your passion?
A. Giving clear, timely and accurate advice to my clients and trying to steer them away from the courts, towards negotiated settlement!
Q. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
A. Queen Elizabeth I - I've been revising a lot of history with my daughter lately and I've found her degree of power and control fascinating - I could learn a lot!
Q. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A. I once won a North Wales grass track car racing trophy and I competed against Mark Phillips at a one day event and beat him!
Newsletter Edition #4 - Jo Dix
In the last edition of Chat with Chebseys we thought we had interviewed the last director of the firm. Little did we know that this month we would be interviewing yet another one! This month sees an interview with Jo Dix who has just been appointed our 4th Director.
Q. Why did you become a legal cashier?
A. At 17 I was given an opportunity to work as an Assistant Legal Cashier for a
medium size firm based in Birmingham. I enjoyed the work and then went onto
study for my Diploma & Associate qualifications with the ILCA
Q. What is your favourite lawyer joke?
A. A doctor and a lawyer got into a car accident, on a small country road. The lawyer had figured that nobody else would be on the road, and had raced through a stop sign. The doctor, on a cross street, had no time to react and couldn't have missed the lawyer if he had tried. Fortunately, neither driver was hurt.
The lawyer, seeing that the doctor was a little shaken up, helped him from his battered car and offered him a drink from a hip flask. The doctor accepted, took a deep drink, and handed the flask back to the lawyer. The lawyer held the flask for a minute or two, and gave it to the doctor again. The doctor took another swig. He again returned the flask to the lawyer, who closed it and put it away.
"Aren't you going to have a drink yourself?" asked the doctor.
"Not now," answered the lawyer. "I'll have something after the police leave."
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A. My kids demanding breakfast!
Q. What is your passion?
A. Shopping, shopping and more shopping.
Q. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
A. George Michael, he has been my idol since the days of WHAM!
Q. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A. I came 3rd in a 12 man Formula One race around Silverstone….Who said women couldn't drive!!!!!
Newsletter Edition #3 - Alistair Bertrand
Only recently been appointed as a Director and also as head of the Property
Department, Alistair is the third Director to be interviewed for Chat with
Chebseys.
Alistair was born and lived in France until he was 18. He moved to the UK to
study Law with European Legal Studies at Reading University, spending a year
at the Universitat de Barcelona as part of the course.
Alistair qualified as a solicitor in September 2003. He trained and worked post
qualification at a large firm in Reading before working in house for two years
with one of the top 10 national housebuilders.
He started working as a locum for Chebsey & Co in December 2008 and took a full time position with the Firm in October 2009.
Alistair specialises in Commercial and Residential property as well as Land Development. Alistair was the chairman of the
Reading Chamber of Commerce Property Group for over two years.
In his spare time he enjoys reading, going to the cinema and theatre and travelling. His favourite book is Bear v Shark by Chris
Bachelder. Alistair volunteers with the Prince’s Trust and is a member of the Prince’s Trust Thames Valley Local Area
Volunteer Co-Ordination Forum.
Why did you become a lawyer?
I heard someone give a talk on being a lawyer and I was inspired by him.
What is your favourite lawyer joke?
Lawyer – “What happened then?”
Defendant – “He told me that he would have to kill me because I could identify him."
Lawyer. - “Did he kill you?”
What gets you up in the morning?
The alarm clock and the cat demanding food.
What is your passion?
Volunteering with the Prince's Trust. It is great to see young people succeed in life with a little help and encouragement.
Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
Eric Rhomer
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I was a novice Buddhist monk in Thailand.
Newsletter Edition #2 - Caroline Dunne
Bio
Having obtained a degree in business law, Caroline changed direction during her training and, since qualifying as a Solicitor in 1992, has specialised exclusively in criminal litigation and road traffic law.
Following qualification, Caroline worked with Keith Chebsey at another firm in Burnham for 8 years before joining Chebsey & Co in March 2006. She is Head of the Crime and Regulatory Department and a member of the local Police Station Duty Solicitor Schemes that provide 24 hour police station advice.
Caroline is also a Magistrates’ Court duty Solicitor and undertakes both prosecution and defence work in relation to breaches of regulatory provisions. In 2006, she obtained her Higher Rights of Audience in Criminal Proceedings.
Caroline and her assistant, Pat Hayman, have worked together since 1993.
Q. Why did you become a lawyer?
A. I can not really remember why I decided to become a solicitor but I chose to specialise in criminal law because I strongly believe that everyone is entitled to experienced independent and professional representation. It may not be the glamorous side of being a solicitor but dealing on a daily basis with peoples liberty it is arguably the most important.
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A.
I have recently acquired a chicken so I now get up even earlier in the mornings to feed her!
Q. What is your passion?
A. I love travelling and I love to read, I am never without my current book stuffed into my handbag.
Q. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
Stan Laurel
Newsletter Edition #1 - Keith Chebsey
Bio
Keith was born in Preston. After Hutton Grammar School, he went to Bangor University where he studied Accountancy and Financial Administration before entering full time employment in the field of accountancy, first in private practice and then in the Magisterial Service. It was the Magisterial accountancy role where he was encouraged to retrain and qualify as a Solicitor.
Keith has practised as a Solicitor in Beaconsfield for more than 21 years. His specialist areas are Crime, Regulatory, Road Traffic, Data Protection and Entertainment Licensing.
Q. Why did you become a lawyer?
A. Even though time has gone past quickly it is such a long time ago that I have forgotten!
Q. What is your favourite lawyer joke?
A. The Ministry of Injustice
Q. What gets you up in the morning?
A. My wife
Q. What is your passion?
A. Sport (Tennis, Football (particularly Preston North End Football Club), Rugby and Cricket) and holidays
Q. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to spend a day with?
A. As Chairman am I allowed two? In that case I will choose one dead and one alive. Winston Churchill and Roger Federer
Q. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
A. I have never read a book from cover to cover yet somehow managed to pass my exams.
