Our ‘Meet the Team’ series continues with a chat with James from our wonderful Business Development team. These in-depth profiles are intended to shine a spotlight on the individuals that make up OneSearch; for over 30 years, we’ve held the belief that the key to exceptional service lies in the people behind our brand.
It’s February 2024. It’s 3°C. There are 13.1 miles of trail running ahead of him and James Shepherd, OneSearch’s Regional Business Development Manager for the South West, realises he has a problem.
A keen runner who regularly clocks up 20 miles a week, he’s about to tackle the Cardinham Half Marathon – “the most challenging one I’ve ever done.”
“It was unbelievably undulating,” James told us recently when we sat down to find out more about the man with one of the most well-rounded CVs in the legal sector. But what made his run so difficult that day?
“I forgot my gloves, so my hands were freezing. It was tough!”
A sartorial oversight then. The kind of thing that can happen to anyone. But what makes it surprising is that in his professional life James is nothing but meticulous. Particularly when it comes to putting together bespoke communications.
The Savile Row tailor of communicators
Crafting a personalised email or LinkedIn message takes time. In James’s book, it’s time well spent.
“There are a lot of people who do generic communications and mass emails. I’ve never done that. I try to bespoke and curate every call, every email, every method of communication so there’s something about it which might make them think, ‘this is a bit different, I’ll reply’.”
Even with something like an invitation to an event, James won’t just send out a mass email.
“I just don’t think that works anymore. Especially in the legal sector. Lawyers, conveyancers, and legal executives – they’re all busy people. They’re not going to reply to a generic email. There needs to be something that piques their interest. Something unique in the content to attract them. Something that at least demonstrates your email is addressed to them and only them.”
But such tailor-made messaging is a far cry from what James had to do when he started his career.
Cheesed Off of the Chilterns
In 2009, James graduated from the University of the West of England with a degree in English Language and Literature. Sports daft, he harboured aspirations of becoming a sports journalist. The global recession had other ideas. Opportunities were scant. It wasn’t a great time for a graduate to enter the job market.
Undeterred, James landed an interview and then bagged a job as a Correspondence Officer at the Department for Transport.
The HS2 project was still very much in its infancy. The Department would receive thousands of letters of complaint. James had the task of responding.
“You’d get a tonne of correspondence from people in the Chiltern Valley saying, ‘you’re going to destroy our beautiful landscapes’. There would be thousands of those coming in as well as random campaigns on various transport issues.”
The sheer volume meant template responses were the only way to go. Ditto for the replies to the replies.
After a few months, however, James had the opportunity to transfer to another department and take his first step into the legal sector.
From the MOJ to the RCJ
Who judges the judges? Not James. But for a year he had the task of reviewing and drafting business cases on whether to allow judges to sit on a particular circuit beyond their natural retirement age. His reports and recommendations would be sent to the Lord Chancellor.
“It was a weird job but a really good experience”, says James.
It was also an interesting time to be working for the Government. Labour left office. A coalition was formed. And Jack Straw was succeeded by the “unique operator” that was Ken Clarke.
But hot on his heels, departmental cuts began sweeping across Government. James sensed it might be a case of ‘last one in, first one out’ and that he might be ‘the one’ in that equation. So when an opportunity to join the Law Society cropped up, he decided not to wait around to find out.
With the nonchalance of a gamekeeper turned poacher, he made the leap from the lobbied to the lobbyer. From briefings in Westminster to committee meetings at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Representing the representative body
It was a good move. From managing applications to the flagship Conveyancing Quality Scheme and writing articles “From the President” to overseeing international conferences and managing key accounts of the top 100 law firms, James would rise through the Law Society’s ranks, clocking up nearly 10 years’ service.
At times, though, it was a tough gig. As James explains, with such a segmented profession to represent, it can be hard for the Law Society to have a holistic position as a lobbying force.
“Sometimes, it was a case of ‘who shouts loudest’ and in other areas of the profession, other disciplines, there would be people saying, ‘you’re not really best representing my interests.’ You’d go into a full-service law firm and get an earful about what we were not doing effectively.”
Adversity, however, shapes character. For James, it helped sculpt an ability to listen empathetically to concerns and pain points. A skill that proved invaluable when James moved into private practice, managing and growing VWV Approach’s referral network across the Midlands, Watford and the South West.
“A no-brainer”
By now, James had moved from London to Bristol. But having grown up in Bude – a stone’s throw from the beach – his feet itched to head back down the M5. He soon got his chance.
“I was blessed to grow up in North Cornwall. We had sun, sand and surf in the summer. I always knew eventually I’d come back down to the South West and I’m glad I’m back.”
But why OneSearch?
“It played into my strengths in terms of the skill set I’d curated for myself over the previous 12 years or so. And I’d cultivated a lot of relationships across law firms of all shapes and sizes: small, medium, Magic Circle, Silver Circle, in-house. So for me, it felt like a bit of a no-brainer. It ticked a lot of boxes.”
Not only was he coming home – fulfilling a long-held ambition to bring up his daughter in the South West – but James had found his tribe. Which, it turns out, is something he’s pretty good at. Just ask Richard Osman.
How many of the following statements do you agree with?
- “I wish I could time travel.”
- “I believe in love at first sight.”
- “I eat my dinner in front of the TV.”
- “I’m a dog lover.”
If you answered ‘yes’ to three out of those four, then you could be in the same tribe as James. Because back in 2015, James appeared as a contestant on BBC Two game show Two Tribes.
He did well. He even made it to the final head-to-head and came oh so close to winning. So close, in fact, that he got to have another go at the final question.
Why was that? Had he managed to turn back time?
If only. When James gave the wrong answer, his immediate reaction was, let’s just say, a little too natural. Cue someone whispering in host Richard Osman’s ear that they would need to film that segment again.
It still grates on James. “Not only did I get knocked out, but I had to relive getting knocked out again, this time being a bit calmer about it. It really rubbed salt into what was already a gaping wound.”
So, more of a nibble than another bite at the cherry. But there was a time when James was given a second chance. It was a pivotal moment and, like a goalkeeper claiming a cross for his beloved Exeter City, he made sure to grab it with both hands.
Turning a weakness into a strength
Both James’s parents had careers in people-facing roles. His mum ran a B&B and his dad worked as an HR director for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. So you might think interacting with customers would come easily to James.
Far from it. Quiet as a child, he didn’t start talking until he was 3 years old. “I’d just suck on my two fingers and not say boo to a goose.”
He remained shy as a teenager until one day, aged 14, he was nearly fired from his uncle’s music shop.
This was the first job where James had to engage with customers. He found chatting with them over the counter a struggle. “I was so bad at talking to customers, I was so incredibly shy, that my uncle thought he was going to have to fire me.”
Luckily for James, his uncle gave him another chance. It was a key moment and it helped him come out of his shell.
“It wasn’t comfortable, but I forced myself to start being a bit more open and relaxed. Since then, I haven’t really looked back and what was probably a weakness of mine at a young age is probably now one of my stronger points.”
Judging by the wishes of congratulations he recently received after sharing photos of his and wife Emma’s wedding day on LinkedIn, there’s no shortage of people who would agree.
Ready to streamline your conveyancing orders with OneSearch? Take the first step today – connect with James and start ordering hassle-free in the South West by visiting our registration page.
