Looking back with Joss Dare
Partner and Global Co-Head of Projects Joss Dare celebrates 22 years with the firm this year. Joss joined us a fresh faced Associate in August 1999. He became Partner in London in 2007 before moving to Dubai later that year; eventually returning to London in May 2019.
Who or what inspired you to become a lawyer?
I think my main motivation for signing up to law school was really a desire to spend a couple of extra years as a student after feeling that university went by far too quickly. Within a few days of starting (on 30 September 1993 in fact), I met the woman to whom I have now been married for 22 years. The first time I really became "inspired" as a lawyer was in 1995 when I did a trainee seat in projects (alongside my fellow Global Co-Head of Projects, Lee McDonald – although we were at a different firm at the time). It was here that, for the first time, I got excited by working on a tangible "project" – a real piece of infrastructure that would serve a function for generations once created. I have always loved that about projects work and still do. My first project as a qualified lawyer was the project financing of the London Eye!
What is the biggest change you have seen during your time with the firm?
The scale and reach of our firm is almost unrecognisable from 1999. In those days we had a small European offering and bits and bobs in Asia and not much else outside of London. In the past 20 years, the firm has developed a much more truly global footprint. It pleases me greatly that our Projects practice has been at the forefront of that.
What did you enjoy most about your time in Dubai?
Dubai is a great place to live and I thoroughly enjoyed raising my young children there for a dozen years; it was a brilliant experience for the whole family. In addition to this personal aspect, it was also a particularly fulfilling professional experience because I was given the freedom (and responsibility) to create our projects practice in the region from a standing start (and then later the job of running the Dubai office and then, later still, the whole region). At times this was daunting and very often involved back-breaking work with little obvious progress. But, over time, we built one of the best projects practices in the region, regularly taking on the most high profile jobs for the best clients across the full range of industry sectors. At first it was just me, then we added partner after partner as we grew the team from only about half a dozen in total when I first arrived to the powerhouse it is today. I found the sense of family and camaraderie that you get from being part of a team of that compact size that you built with your own hands truly satisfying and I am still very fond of the many alumni who were part of the team from those early days.
Who has inspired you during your career?
Lots of great Ashurst partners have inspired me over the years: Philip Vernon (my first Ashurst roomie!) who is still one of the best "pure" lawyers I have ever met; Geoffrey Picton-Turbervill (aka "GPT") for showing me how it's done in the Middle East (and India before that); Mark Elsey for his vision – and his ability to manipulate deal timetables around his holiday schedule (something he elevated to a genuine art form); Lee McDonald for his dress sense.
What's the most unusual request you've ever had from a client?
My first ever client meeting did not start well and went downhill from there. I was unable to work the coffee dispenser until I panicked and pushed far too hard causing piping hot coffee to eject onto my brand new suit, striking me in a highly sensitive, not to say inappropriate area. I recall that the client was a woman whose legal problem concerned a shipment of vegetables that had been left on the quayside and gone bad. Straight out of law school, I was delighted to be able to jump to the assistance of my supervisor with a detailed account of various shipping terms learned only weeks before (I recall the term "free on board" now and not much else, so I sympathise with my more "mature" former supervisor). As the meeting drew to a close, I was pleased to have redeemed myself from the coffee debacle at the start. Then, at the last minute, the client announced that there was one other thing I must help her with. "Oh yes of course", says I, hoping for more vegetable questions. Leaning in and lowering her voice to a whisper she said, "My husband is trying to kill me. Can you help me hire a hitman to get him first?". I have to say "Know Your Client" checks have come on a long way since then…
What has been your greatest achievement at Ashurst?
The creation and growth of the firm's Middle East business: from one office with half a dozen people in Dubai that, in 2007, nobody had ever heard of we now have four offices staffed by eight partners and over 50 staff with a premium reputation and which has often delivered greater profitability than some of our largest offices. As part of this, the transformation of our fortunes in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi have been particular highlights. All achieved, of course, in partnership with many other talented people – many of whom became, over the years, as much friends as colleagues including, from the current team, such notable luminaries as David Charlier and Faisal Baasssiri.
Is there anything you would do differently?
No, I don't think so. There have, of course, been numerous mistakes, bumps and wrong turnings over the years, but these are all part of the journey.
On reflection, possibly the Nebuchadnezzar of champagne at 3 am in a nightclub after at the 2009 Dubai office Christmas party was ill thought through.
What are you most looking forward to?
My second sabbatical – only eight years to go!

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