Quarterly Star Award Legal winner Mark Quinn - April 2019

Meet our latest Legal Star Award Winner Mark Quinn. Mark is a consultant solicitor and has been with the firm for just eight months. He specialises in all aspects of civil litigation and dispute resolution for individuals and businesses and he’s attached to the Dispute Resolution Department in Peterborough. He works remotely from Manchester.

Mark says: “I received an email from the Managing Director, Adrian Jaggard asking me to give him a call (I didn’t know what he wanted to speak to me about) so it was with a mixture of relief, surprise and joy (in that order) when he told me I’d won the award.

“I’ve only worked at Taylor Rose TTKW for a short time, but what I love most about my role here is the autonomy and freedom I have to source my own work. Adrian and Antony have created a really slick brand with a focus on efficient client care, which is right up my street.

“I also really enjoy the interactions I have with colleagues. Whether it’s IT, Marketing, the consultant liaison team, or my fellow consultants, I think there is a strong workforce in place and it feels like the firm is making real strides in the market.

“Being a consultant has pushed me in many ways, alien to any of my previous roles. I’ve had to physically set up my office at home and I’ve had to go out and get clients. There is also a real need to take a creative approach, which I love. It’s great to have the firm behind me in terms of back office and support and I really see no limit to where I can go with the firm.

“Starting from scratch in the early days was a challenge, where I didn’t have perhaps as many files. However, it was important to keep motivated. Whether that was through blogging or marketing (or just tidying my office space at home), it was crucial for me to use any ‘free time’ I had productively.

“I think the key to success so far is that I like to look at everything I do in terms of whether I am being as efficient as possible and where I can improve. Plus it’s difficult to beat a positive attitude and a focus on client care.

“If I could pass on any advice to someone starting out, I would say organisation is the lawyer’s best friend and saying ‘I’m not an organised person’ is complete nonsense. Take some time every day to get on top of things before starting whatever you need to do.”

Behind the scenes

Mark was born in Belfast and grew up in Armagh. He’s lived in Manchester since 2002 when he came over to England to go to University. He lives with his wife Shelley and has two children, Anna and Dylan.

Outside work Mark is passionate about music and likes to run when he can. “I sing and play guitar most weekends in a band. I’ve been gigging since I was 16 and music is my passion. I also like to run marathons. I’ve run three, although I can go through some periods of drought.

“Picking a guilty pleasure is a hard one (because there are a few); however I’ll settle for good old beer.

“I absolutely love music, but my favourite artist - when the chips are down - can only be Bob Dylan. When it comes to film I like comedies, and if I were to pick one it would be Kingpin. I also love watching the Great British Menu - I’m a sucker for cookery shows. I don’t read nearly enough, so unfortunately that would have to be the Civil Procedure Rules.

My favourite travel destination is France. I spent a year there at university and I love the culture and lifestyle of the place. In fact we’re off there tomorrow on a family holiday and I cannot wait. It’s been years!

One thing no-one knows about me (until now) is that I cried in the cinema at the end of Big Hero 6. I will say, in my defence, I think I had a pretty emotional hangover at the time.

To read more about Mark, click here.