What was your route into the profession / your current career?
I had family involved in the profession and I joined another firm in 1990, where I stayed until 1997 when I formed Finders International.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
There have been many! Managing change is a constant as research techniques were initially focused on visiting archives and performing manual searches. Nowadays online research skills are as important, but we still need to be aware of the older archives as they can come in very handy.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
I have met many inspirational characters over the years and it’s hard to name names. I’m a very loyal person and I know that other people value their privacy; suffice to say there are some very personable lawyers out there who are kind and thoughtful and have assisted me in many ways.
If you weren’t in your current role, what would you choose as an alternate career?
I have no idea, but I would be working hard at something! I would have formed my own company at some point in whatever field I was passionate about.
Who is your favourite fictional lawyer…or heir hunter?
Heir hunting is too recent to have been fictionalised commonly, but I was a (credited) consultant on a wonderful novel released recently by Macmillan called ‘The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing’ by Mary Poulson-Ellis, which featured a fictional heir hunter.
What change would you make to the profession?
I would like heir hunting to be regulated which is why I formed the International Association for Professional Probate Researchers, with some important international companies, a few years ago (www.iappr.org). This is the first self-regulatory body formed in the industry and the only one of its kind. We have a code of conduct and complaints procedure and it certainly provides some reassurance to the lawyers we deal with and the public at large.
How do you relax?
Friends and family mainly. Simply meeting up (if possible!) for drinks and dinner. My company is the main sponsor of a new primary school we helped to open a few years ago (www.daniaschool.com) and is another achievement that gives me pleasure to be involved with.
