Christian Teese is a Special Counsel in our Wills, Trusts & Estates group.
What excites you right now?
Without a doubt it’s the impending arrival of summer, it’s been a long, long time coming. I love the heat and can’t wait to put this dreadful winter in the rear-view mirror.
How do you unwind?
I can’t even think about winding down until the kids are asleep. For me, unwinding is whatever works to tear my eyes away from the phone. Whether it’s working on the car, watering the garden, cooking, watching some South Park, Inspector Montalbano, any Spaghetti Western, or even catching my wife cheating at cards. On the weekends I’m very easily amused, having a lot of interests means there are many ways to relax and enjoy yourself. Learning how to ‘switch off’ is an important part of bringing energy back for the next day.
Why did you choose law and your practice area?
The law was an early choice, potentially influenced by watching Rumpole of the Old Bailey with mum and dad or Boston Legal later in life and debating always felt pretty natural for me. As for Litigation and Wills & Estates, it picked me early on in my career and I found it very rewarding, the best part is being able to ‘switch on’ and actually care about the cases you work on. You deal with real people, real families and real problems you can actually help fix and that’s not something lawyers can always enjoy.
What has been a career highlight?
I would say the biggest single career highlight was winning a hotly contested conflicts case, resisting an attempt to conflict myself and another solicitor out from acting. It was as close to ‘getting personal’ as I’ve come on any case I’ve worked on and was a very satisfying win. It was also a reported decision. Generally though, any time you can have a lasting relationship with a client and make a positive difference to their lives is a highlight. It reminds you that there’s something more to practising law than collecting a pay cheque.
What do you think sets Rigby Cooke Lawyers apart from other firms?
For me, overwhelmingly it is the feeling of family and working together as a closely-knit team with a focus on our well-being. There is also a great feeling of mutual trust which is a great positive for the firm and highly motivating.
What are you looking forward to?
I’ve loved working from home and feeling so close to my immediate family. I think the lockdown has helped the legal industry get much more efficient and, even when lockdown is over, I think there will be lasting benefits to showing trust to employees and incorporating working from home. With that said, I am also really looking forward to returning to the camaraderie and the hustle and bustle of the office. It’s not just a place of work, but a place of learning and a social hub that is really enjoyable.