About Me

I moved to the Isle of Wight in 1987 when my parents retired here. Our first act was to all join the local golf club, which I re-joined in 2018 and where I am now Chair of Directors. After going to University in the 1990’s I returned here to start working for a law firm in Ryde, and I qualified in January 1999. Dealing with legal aid work, I then moved to a larger firm in Newport in 2001 in order to also do criminal work. An opportunity then arose to head my own department in Family law, and so in 2005 I changed firms and very much enjoyed my time there, but Legal Aid reforms were on the horizon come 2010. I took that opportunity, having then been qualified for 11 years, to become a Sole Practitioner in my own firm, in Newport. 

I ran James Thorn & Co from 2010-2014 and it was successful and enjoyable. Having qualified as a Family Law Mediator in 2010, I received a lot of mediation referrals from many local sources, plus I was in Court at least twice a week for my own cases plus agency work. By 2013 my overall practice had become very busy, and I was going to have to consider expansion. However, some discussions with other firms took place, and I then agreed to merge in 2014 with a local firm, where I eventually became an Associate Director in 2021 and remained until 2025. 

My decision to go Freelance in 2025 was a difficult one to make, but with almost 30 years of law firm experience under my belt, I genuinely believed I was ready for a fresh challenge and the ability to work flexibly and have a better work/life balance. I also wanted to free myself from the overheads and constraints involved with a traditional law firm, and be able to offer advice to clients at more reasonable rates than they would find anywhere else for a Solicitor with 25 years of post-qualification experience. Finally, I am a very strong believer in mediation and all non-Court dispute resolution, and really want to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help resolve cases which might otherwise become very costly in terms of money, time, stress and relationships.

Away from work, I live with my wife and our 19 year old cat, just outside Ryde. I am a keen golfer and am trying to get my handicap as low as possible – currently it is 6.  I have played cricket for Shanklin & Godshill CC since 1997 and have managed to score nearly 15,000 runs for them. I regularly play for the Isle of Wight Over 50’s county cricket team. Finally, I am a keen jazz pianist and jazz lover in general.