The yachting lawyer discusses his life on the ocean wave
Former Royal-Navy officer Jonathan Hadley-Piggin has recently joined Keystone.
What was your route into the profession?
Interesting to say the least. I was set on a career at sea. I started at 17 as a Deck Cadet with BP Shipping where I had a great time seeing the world. During that time I was on a 300,000 ton supertanker which picked up the “survivors” of a VLCC (the Salem) that has sank off Namibia. Unbeknown to me, at the time, it was to become one of the more celebrated maritime frauds cases in a generation. After six years with BP I swapped flags so to speak and applied for a commission in the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy in their wisdom sent me to university where I read Maritime Law and Economics. Whilst at university I studied the Salem case. It was fascinating as I was able to observe both the practical and legal side of the case which may have engendered an interest in maritime law. Having spent a considerable time at sea on nuclear submarines especially during the Gulf War, I decided that a new career beckoned and following a cheeky suggestion to a number of “City” firms that they may like to take me on I was offered a number of training contracts. I chose Stephenson Harwood as my interview consisted of discussing my submarine days with a partner who had also been in the Naval Reserves. Two years later I was at law school and two years after that I was practising Admiralty law in London.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
Adapting to life as a trainee solicitor at first, having been in the military, it was not that easy—having navigated nuclear submarines I had to learn how to do a “by hand” delivery of a letter—not easy! Then considering a whole new focus on my career by leaving the shipping side of law and focusing on the yachting sector alone.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
Only Lord Denning as I still recall his interesting turn of phrase from my law school days.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?
See above
What change would you make to the profession?
Stop diluting it at every chance one gets. You don’t see this in the barristers' side of the profession, so why with solicitors? That’s why I made the move to Keystone. The firm’s all-partner, no nonsense approach is one of the things that most appealed to me.
How do you relax?
Mucking out six horses then playing polo, writing novels and trying to get to grips with a PhD.
