I’m a commercial lawyer, but I’ve never felt that being a lawyer is the most important thing about me, or about anyone else. I don’t cure diseases, build things, or create art. What I do is help people find their way through systems (legal, regulatory, organisational) that are often more complicated than they need to be.

Both understanding that complexity, and being able to interpret and explain it in ways that are useful for others, is a real skill. I’ve built genuine expertise around it: starting from a strong foundation in contract law and drafting (using my love of language), expanding into my nerdy side with technology and e-commerce, and now AI law. I was embracing the world of data protection law long before Facebook ever existed, never mind Netflix shows being made about social networks.

But the expertise is in service of something else. I’m genuinely fascinated by what happens when new technology meets the systems we all rely on, and I care about the people on the other end of those systems.

For 25 years I worked in and around law firms, including senior roles at international firms. That meant the sharp end of complex deals, advising civil servants at the heart of our regulatory landscape, and helping transform legal functions from the inside. Along the way, I became more open about being autistic and having ADHD, partly because hiding it was exhausting, and partly because I think the legal industry, and businesses more generally, would be better if more people felt able to work in ways that actually suit them.

Concatena is my way of putting that into practice. I get to work in a way that’s honest about how I work best, without performing a version of “lawyer” that never really fitted me. And I get to choose the work that matters to me: helping founders and small businesses who are building something they care about, often using data and AI in ways that could genuinely change how their business runs, to do that well, and to do it in a way that doesn’t quietly cause harm to the people on the other end of it.

I also keep one foot in the legal industry itself, which has always fascinated me. It’s full of clever but very busy people who don’t always have time to stop and think.

I don’t think doing the right thing has to be hard. I think it mostly just needs someone to help you think it through. That’s what I’m here for.