John is a senior Bay St civil litigator with substantial courtroom experience. He practiced as a partner in "Big Law" for 25 years. He withdrew in 2012 to set up his own civil and estates litigation practice that avoids the hourly rate model wherever possible. John offers "referred advocacy" services to lawyers and the public. He is a passionate promoter of law for innovation, and rules of civil procedure that allow litigants to get their matters in front of a judge for determination. He is a mandatory mediation sceptic. He questions the increasingly popular view that a lawyer has failed the client if settlement is not achieved, and they end up at the courtroom door.