My legal life: Guy Longhurst, Ellisons

I wanted to be a lawyer because my father was my hero. Back when we lived in Wisbech, being a solicitor was very different. He worked 9.15am to 5.15pm and he came home every lunchtime, eating with us in the school holidays. It was quality family time. I saw what he did and always wanted to do it, and when he set up his business in Bury St Edmunds even more so.

My route to legal training was not exactly as planned. I was going to go to Cambridge and needed three As at A-level but I made a mess of them and ended up with a C and 2 Ds. It was a bit of a shock but you learn from your disappointments. I decided to go a different route, which was the best thing to happen to me. I got an application together and two weeks later I was in a bedsit in Edinburgh doing a town planning degree.

I chose a town planning degree because one of my best friends had decided to go to Dundee to study planning. The course undoubtedly sparked an interest in real estate that lasts to this day and led me to Ellisons. After that I took a law conversion course at Wolverhampton and then got a job at Ellisons, where I joined as a trainee solicitor in 1995.

My interest in property, like my interest in law, came from my father. Watching and listening to him guided me early on and it was all I ever wanted to do. For me, real estate, and indeed all my work, is enjoyable because of the relationships.

'Ellisons can trace its roots back to 1764… There is always a partner in the firm who can remember a partner from the generation before who told them stories from the partner from the generation before'

I am often asked if I have a favourite case or part of real estate law and I don’t because they are all different. Whichever client you work with, you become part of their team. In many cases, clients have been with me for 25 years and with Ellisons even longer. We value those close ties and history. You really feel as though you are riding the ups and downs with them.

Ellisons can trace its roots back to 1764. What makes us a little different is that those strong ties to the past keep us grounded. It feels like we are a family business. There is always a partner in the firm who can remember a partner from the generation before who told them stories from the partner from the generation before.  

After 25 years with the firm, the work, the variety every day brings and the people I work with make me feel privileged to be managing partner. My journey to qualifying as a solicitor has had a huge impact on how I lead and manage Ellisons. I have always pushed to recognise candidates with the right attitude rather than the right results.

We were really keen to make it easier for alternative routes into the legal profession. We launched Ellisons Academy 18 months ago. Since then it has become award-winning, recognised for encouraging our team to grow both personally and professionally. It was a big aspiration of mine and seeing it come to fruition is such a personal thrill.

My advice to anyone worrying about not getting the grades they need at A-level is never give up. Attitude is the one skill you cannot be taught, so displaying determination and a strong work ethic will always stand you in good stead. If I had found myself in the same situation now as I did back then, there are more routes into the profession and I suspect I would have considered trying to secure an apprenticeship or CILEX trainee role. There are many options open to you.