Monday
I am office-based all day: planning diary and budgetary and supervisory monitoring for the day. I hate admin days. The day is made worse when my husband calls to explain my five-year-old daughter refused to go to school. The headteacher offered to come and pick her up in her pyjamas to avoid an absence fine. Thank goodness I am at the office out of the warzone.
Tuesday
Three huge court bundles for a new case instruction are delivered – hours and hours of reading. I must get my new glasses picked up so I can do the job. I have been called as an expert witness on an interesting case that goes to the very heart of the recent FCA thematic review on suitability of portfolios. There is lots and lots of prep to do. I have a case conference with a leading QC, so I need to be sharp on my opinion.
Hurrah – I have a new enquiry – a referral from a legal firm. The client requires specialist advice on personal injury trusts and how to deal with his £1m settlement.
Wednesday
I am 12 hours on the road today. How I love the M6 and M25. I have joint venture meetings. I love strategic alliances with other like-minded people. It is a shame there are not enough hours in the day to meet more. I really must make more time to develop strategic acquisitions and book integration.
I co-ordinate a national marketing campaign for specialist negligence lawyers while en route at a series of pit stops on the motorway network. What would I do without back-office support?
Thursday
Why do clients do it? I advise clients throughout the year to make provision for tax liabilities and encourage them to set aside cash for bills due on 31 January. Why, oh why, do so many of them not listen? Third call this week from an investor asking for their portfolio to be partially crystallised as they have “spent the money” put to one side and need to raise cash to stay out of jail and pay our HMRC friends. This must be the worst week to cash in portfolios, yet some investors just do not listen.
I spend the rest of the day wading through the court bundle I got this week.
Friday
I have a review meeting for an adult who suffered delayed diagnosis of a treatable condition at birth and now has no mental capacity and requires 24-hour care. The court settled damages a few years ago, but little recompense for the suffering of a family unit that will affect the next three generations.
A white-knuckle ride of a week is over. Markets and media have calmed down and the world now realises shares do go down as well as up.
Louise Claro is managing director of London-based Circle Financial Planning
