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A day in the life… of Neil Harpham

23 October 2024

5.00am: My mind is usually ready to start the day although my body may take longer to catch up. I only have one speed in the morning, but value the ability to get going at my own pace. Having spent five of my formative years at a Church of England boarding school run along military lines, the first few hours of the day are a matter of ritual and routine.

I am a self-confessed radio-head. Bathroom ablutions take place to the accompaniment of the BBC shipping forecast which I find strangely reassuring, safe in the knowledge that I will be spending the forthcoming day warm and dry in Central England.

Next the essential first mug of tea and a return upstairs for five to ten minutes of bending and stretching exercises as recommended by my doctor to stop my joints from ceasing up. What started as a chore has become an enjoyable part of my daily regime.

Having dressed, I take our over-energetic yellow labrador out whatever the weather. We are fortunate to live next to a farm in Northamptonshire’s highest village. Half an hour immersed in the sights and sounds of nature is a great way to clear the mind ahead of a busy working day.

7.00am: I am unable to function without some form of breakfast. This is usually cereal and fruit. Having got ready for work, my 45-minute commute is usually in the company of Radio 4’s Today programme. However, during lockdown I discovered the delights of the news detox offered by Radio 3 where I can go in times of need or just self-indulgence.

8.30am: On arrival at our lovely riverside Central England office, my initial coffee provides the impetus to scroll through yesterday’s inbox in order to set the priorities for today. I have an extremely varied practice which combines mainstream corporate transactional work with more sector-specific work for healthcare professionals, with some banking and finance work in addition. I count myself lucky to be part of a fantastic well-established corporate team, some of whom I have worked with for almost half a lifetime.

9.00am: Having dispensed with a few pieces of routine admin, I aim to start fee-earning work by around 9am. This might involve firing off a few essential emails. At 9.30 I join the daily Teams catch-up call with our wonderful Worcester-based Dental team. We check up on progress of the phenomenal number of deals which comprise the team’s work-in-progress whilst exchanging market intelligence and general banter.

10.00am to 1.00pm: No two working days are ever the same. My plan for the morning will depend entirely where I am with various transactions. My time can be taken up with reviewing and amending a lengthy sale agreement. Alternatively, there could be a client call on Teams to go through disclosures against warranties.

However, a random phone call or an email could just as easily take me in a totally different direction. There are always problems to solve. No two deals are ever the same. A mid-morning coffee keeps me going until lunchtime creeps up on me unexpectedly. Lunch is usually a sandwich at my desk, but I try to resist the temptation to continue working. Weather-permitting I try to get out for a short walk along the river or just around the University of Northampton campus.

2.00pm to 7.00pm: Although I am a Partner in the Corporate team I also fulfil a role within the Banking and Finance team. This includes carrying out legal due diligence for financial institutions on the corporate transactions they are funding. It usually involves going through and commenting on the transaction documentation prepared by another law firm. I rather enjoy this poacher-turned-gamekeeper process. I might aim to spend the afternoon on such a review or else supervising a junior member of my team who is working on documents for a bank on whose legal panel we sit.

As before, however, the scope for interruptions is immense requiring tangential changes of direction from the best laid plans in the cause of client care or support for colleagues.

7.00 pm onwards: Client commitments permitting, I will aim to leave the office by 7pm and will mentally unwind on the homeward journey with Radio 3’s Classical Mixtape. Monday evenings are taken up with rehearsals for the Northampton Bach Choir with whom I have sung for 27 years.

Then there are the monthly meetings of the parish council on which I sit or of my village playing field association which I chair. Alternatively, I might be attending an after-work networking event in Northampton or Milton Keynes.

If my diary is clear, it will be back home for an evening meal prepared by my wife who, amongst many other talents, is an excellent cook. After dinner I will normally log back on either to tie up loose ends from the day or carry out tasks which have been reserved for this quiet time. If I am lucky, I might catch the end of the evening concert on the radio.

Finally, as a former student of English Literature I would like to say that I drift off to sleep after enjoying a chapter of Jane Austen or George Eliot. Alas, we live in an imperfect world, and I am mindful of tomorrow’s 5am alarm, so it’s straight to bed.

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