Meet The Team: Julian Wintle
27 May 2020
- Tell us a bit about yourself Julian
I am a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Team and am based in Redkite’s Stroud office.
Disputes can take a variety of forms but I take a keen interest in disagreements over property and contracts, and act for both private individuals and businesses.
I’m fortunate to have two aspects to my role; one is being a lawyer, and the other is leading and developing our offices in Dursley, Ledbury, Stonehouse and Stroud.
I’ve been working in the legal profession for over 20 years and have been qualified as a Solicitor for 16 years.
I joined Redkite in March 2020 and it has certainly been an interesting time to start a new role! In situations like this you tend to see the true values of a business; so I’ve been impressed to see how hard everyone has worked together to support clients and one another during lockdown.
- Was working in the legal profession always your goal?
I actually fell into the law!
I started my career in engineering but when it was in decline I decided to work in a bank instead. One thing led to another and I ended up working in the bank’s legal department. As I enjoyed the work I found myself taking exams while working before qualifying as a solicitor, which wasn’t easy to balance.
In some ways being an engineer and a lawyer are not dissimilar – they are both problem solving roles.
- What is it about your job that makes you excited to get up in the morning and what does your typical day involve?
Wearing two hats (lawyer and office lead) at Redkite gives me two reasons to get out of bed in the morning! I really enjoy finding solutions for clients; after all, clients don’t want reminding they have a problem – they want to know someone is on their side to help them resolve it.
I also like working as part of a team and my role gives me the opportunity to support colleagues’ development in both themselves and their roles.
My typical day involves a combination of working on clients’ cases and managing the offices, including checking team members are able to do what they need to do in order to support clients in an efficient and effective way.
- Do you have any Top Tips you can offer to someone looking to find the right solicitor for them?
In my opinion, the first question a good lawyer (particularly a dispute resolution lawyer) should always ask a client is “What do you want to achieve?”. The lawyer should never lose sight of the answer to this question and everything they do should be working towards that objective.
Clients should expect solutions from their lawyer so a “can do” attitude helps. I’ve worked in a number of businesses’ legal departments and have a real appreciation of what it feels like to be the client.
- What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given to you that you would pass on to someone else?
In my mind it’s simple – I’m a great believer in the idea that if you work hard you will get your reward.
For Julian’s contact details visit his website profile here
The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.