A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: Andrew Greaves, head of Addleshaw Goddard Dubai
Morning
I usually get up at 6 in the morning to go for a walk around Palm Jumeirah, which is where I live. I get back to the house at 6.45am to have breakfast with my three boys - this is normally a manic affair as all are under the age of six and have to be ready for 7.30am. Work commitments permitting, I then drop off my two eldest boys at school in Umm Suqeim (a suburb of Dubai) for 8am.
I normally get to work in the Dubai International Financial Centre for 8.20am and one of the first things I do is make my myself a cup of tea before going through my 'to do' list. Although no day is ever the same, the rest of the morning is usually spent responding to e-mails that have come in overnight, meeting with clients and intermediaries, dealing with management issues and generally being a lawyer. A trip to one of the coffee houses with the team for a mid-morning caffeine shot is not unknown and a sneaky peak at the BBC Sports website to see if there have been any developments or transfer activity at my beloved Liverpool Football Club also happens from time to time!
Lunch
Lunch used to involve a trip to the gym twice a week but sadly this has stopped due to an operation I had in July last year (honest!). I now spend my lunchtimes either working at my desk or lunching with clients and intermediaries.
Afternoon
For some reason I tend to be at my most productive later on in the afternoon. Therefore, the majority of my fee earning activity is undertaken between the hours of 2pm and 7pm. This can involve writing opinions, drafting contracts, meeting with experts and other consultants, advising our clients in conference, conducting site visits and undertaking research - generally in the areas of projects, construction and UAE law.
Evening
During the course of a month, I will usually attend 5-10 networking events. This involves meeting with clients/contacts for drinks after work, attending construction forums and speaking at various seminars and functions. I travel to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman from time to time and invariably host visiting lawyers from Addleshaw Goddard’s offices in the UK and Singapore.
On a normal day, I will leave the office at around 7.30-8pm for the 30 minute journey home.
Addleshaw Goddard is an international law firm with offices in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Oman and with a large international network of preferred firms.
