‘Meet the Partner’: Featuring Ben Jenkins, Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution

Q1 – Tell us a bit about yourself

I am the head of the Firm’s Dispute Resolution team across our offices in Cardiff and Newport.

I run regularly to keep fit and I have 2 young children (both wilful boys) to run around after too.

Q2 – What first interested you in a career in law?

I was always more interested in English and History at school. It was between journalism and law for me. My history teacher suggested I do a History degree at university and specialise after that if I still wanted a career in journalism or law, but I was impatient and keen to start my career. I opted for law and have not looked back since.

Q3 – Which area of law do you specialise in?

I have developed specialisms in commercial litigation, construction disputes, injunctive relief, partnership and Director/Shareholders’ disputes, property disputes, breach of contract, defamation and professional negligence.

I also represent clients at court and mediation.

Q4 – What attracted you to this area of law in particular?

At the start of my career I dealt with transactional matters and commercial agreements, but I was always more interested in what happened when it went wrong and relationships broke down (not as a result of my drafting of course!). Also, I have always had a passion for representing my clients at court and mediation, so this area of law is great for that.

I truly enjoy looking after my clients to make sure that their rights and businesses are protected in the face of sometimes unscrupulous litigants. Let’s face it, there are people in every industry sector that try their luck, throw their weight around and are entirely unreasonable.

Q5 – What does your role at Harding Evans involve?

Aside from handling my own caseload, I manage a superb team in the litigation department. My team are specialised, motivated and really care about providing a good service to clients and achieving excellent outcomes. My job is often a pleasure as a result. There is always the need for supervision and the discussion of challenging cases, but those needs are some of my favourite parts of the job

Q6 – What are the most common issues that you come across?

A lack of communication, not having the right documentation in place and ignoring issues that arise, all of which increase the likelihood of litigation. I always stress to clients the need to maintain robust terms and conditions, communicate meaningfully and robustly, and ensure they have shareholders’ agreements in place.

Q7 – What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?

As I have touched on already, I most enjoy watching my team grow in confidence and increase their technical ability to achieve well deserved results.

Q8 – A tip for an individual considering a career as a Dispute Resolution Lawyer…

Have a thick skin, don’t lose your sense of perspective, make sure you know your case inside out, be prepared to be thrown into the deep end and try to enjoy it!