Born sometime last century in the dark reaches of Barnsley Les's legal career began as an office junior in a local law firm. His duties included delivering documents and mail to nearby law offices and clients. He soon showed his creative 'flair' for the job by meeting other office runners in a coffee shop and organising the deliveries in a much more efficient manner! He was rewarded by being promoted to the second floor where he could be 'taken in hand'.
In 1970 Les moved to Clarke Willmott and Clarke in Somerset, and worked his way up from managing clerk to partner in 1981. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, and sat his Law Society exams at Chester School of Law, qualifying as a solicitor 1979.
Les moved to Southampton, and in 1985 became a partner at Hepherd, Winstanley & Pugh dealing with general litigation and having a special interest in transport law. In 1998 he founded Walton Mills with a view to poviding specialist litigation and personal injury servcies. Les is on the panel of Freight Transport solicitors and on the Law Society's Receivership panel with extended receivership powers in dealing with the Court of Protection.
Working in an office full of women, Les takes his leisure time very seriously. Being a Yorkshire man, he has always been a keen sportsman, playing both cricket and football, now however he prefers the somewhat less physical challenge of golf. He claims his handicap is his bag of clubs, and the only time he legally got down in one was on the 19th green!
