How have you found working in a Covid world ? Are you embracing the Work-from- Home movement or are you looking forward to getting back to the office ? Covid had a bit of an effect on home life , as I , my wife ( who is a lawyer too ) and our two youngest children ( a trainee barrister and trainee accountant ) were all working from home on video calls . We had to upgrade the internet connection . But there were hidden positives ; business efficiency increased as we had meetings three times a week to progress work , and that has remained . It was frustrating how the House of Lords was operating - it was not as dynamic as it was before Covid . It is usually less noisy than the House of Commons , but debating and questions involves lots of interchange and adaption during the debate . With virtual or hybrid debates , there is a lot of preparation ahead of time and it is difficult to be dynamic . We are back now , but some who are unable
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to attend can contribute virtually . It is good to be back and see friends . There is an ancient custom in three of the restaurants in the House of Lords called ' long table ' whereby the latest peer to arrive sits next to the last entrant and it is a good way to meet people . The dynamism is back , and we are working smarter due to Covid .
How long do you plan on supporting SRP as its Patron ? As long as I am useful ! I fully expect SRP to say ' you have done long enough ' and get someone else . You have to be thick-skinned as a lawyer , so I won ' t take it personally .
And what do you do outside of work and supporting SRP ? I am a supporter of Burnley Football Club , which is a rollercoaster of emotion at times . I also enjoy the theatre , both classic Shakespeare and modern theatre . I have a sister who is 10 years older than me , so I got into rock and roll very young when she was a teenager ; this inspired me and I also enjoy classical music .
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