Citywealth Leaders List interview: 60 seconds with Toby Yerburgh, Collyer Bristow
This week’s 60-second piece is dedicated to Toby Yerburgh Head, Family Law team at Collyer Bristow.
Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.
As Head of the excellent Family Law team at Collyer Bristow my role is to coordinate and try to get the best out of my fellow team members. This means getting involved not just with their individual performances, training and personal development but also with their welfare and co-ordination of our business development activities.
What does a typical day look like for you?
On opening the curtains, I check the colour and swell of the sea at the bottom of my garden before deciding that it still doesn’t look warm enough for a swim and then spend 30 minutes or so scanning the news online. After orange juice and coffee, I drive to the station, catch the high speed train and deal with my emails on the 50 minute journey to St Pancras. On arriving at my office next to St Pauls, I find a desk (these days we “hot-desk” in a paperless, open-plan office) and walk around the office to find people I need to speak to. (I also deal with my firm’s risk and insurance and am the firm’s MLRO, so I often need to liaise with people in other teams.) It is not unusual for me to have more or less back-to-back meetings in the morning and afternoon though I do try to space them. Some of these are internal, like my weekly team meeting and are usually in person, but many are with old and new clients, counsel and experts. And, of course, there are court hearings and private FDRs. Many, but not all, of these are on Teams or other video platforms, so I can end up spending much of my day in front of a screen. When not in meetings, I am, among other things, checking and amending draft documents and correspondence prepared by my associates, responding to email correspondence that comes in through-out the day, dealing with administrative tasks such as file reviews and client and matter risk, liaising with business services on matters like HR and marketing and dealing with emergencies for clients. Sometimes I will have time for lunch with a friend, contact or referrer but, otherwise I have a Sainsbury’s “meal deal” (or, if I’m feeling healthy, some sushi) at my desk. Many of the events I attend are in the evening, and these days I tend to go to these early and not stay too late. On the train back to Kent I check my diary for the following day, deal with any end of day emails that can’t wait and listen to an audio book, podcast (I’m keen on “The Rest is History”) or read a book on my Kindle (Currently the “Old Filth” trilogy by Jane Gardam which I can strongly recommend.)
Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.
I received an instruction on an appeal by a client (who had previously instructed 5 different firms of solicitors) two months before a 3 day appeal hearing. We managed to put together an excellent counsel team (Tim Amos KC and Mark Harrop) and pick up and run with the case which revolved around complex off-shore non-disclosure and had been running for 4 years. It was immensely hard work, but the client was very happy with the case presentation on the appeal (the result of which is still awaited.)
What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?
Often clients are lost in a maze of conflicting emotions and advice from family and friends. Our job is to help them pick a clear path through these and to persuade them that there is light at what can often seem an endless and very gloomy tunnel.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Putting together a truly excellent family team at Collyer Bristow.
What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?
Patience!
Who do you most admire and why?
Volodymyr Zelensky – for standing up to bullies.
Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?
The Maldives for some amazing diving with sharks.
If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?
Running guided motorcycle holidays in Morocco.
How do you relax after a long day?
A hot tub listening to the waves, looking up at the stars.
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