BIG INTERVIEW

Andrew sets Direction Law on route to success

When Brian Sharratt set up his own law firm as a sole practitioner in Whitstable in 1976, he’s unlikely to have imagined how successful the firm would become. Fast forward 45 years to 2021 and the firm is now called Direction Law and has eight partners, 170 staff and offices in Canterbury, London, Wells and Birmingham.

Today the firm is headed up by managing partner Andrew Theoff, who has had an interesting career journey of his own. He joined the Canterbury office of the original firm just three years after qualifying as a solicitor and swiftly rose up the ranks, becoming a partner in 1999. In his early days there, Andrew acted for housing associations in the purchase of individual properties and land for development and later ran the plot sales team.

In 2004 Andrew joined another company in

Ramsgate where he dealt with more local clients as well as building an affordable housing team from scratch. After just 2 years, he left to set up his own business along with Wayne Moore-Read, who is now Direction Law’s senior partner and who he met initially in 1997 when they both worked in Canterbury.

As fate would have it, they went full circle by merging their firm with the firm they had both started out with, to form what is now Direction Law.

At the new, larger company, Andrew established Direction Law’s new build department, initially acting for private individuals buying shared ownership homes from housing associations, then expanding the department to encompass purchasers buying from private developers, finally splitting it into two distinct teams and handing over the reigns to others when he became managing partner.

Since the merger, Direction Law have experienced a period of unprecedented growth, with staff numbers increasing almost five-fold from 35 in 2010 to 170 today. ❛❛We had our best ever start to a year in 2020 but then COVID-19 hit the country. For a few months work dropped considerably but, when the housing market re-opened at the end of the first lockdown, instructions quickly picked up and we ended the year in an even stronger position than we started it.❜❜

❛❛We want to build more relationships with housing providers and developers in Kent; we feel that there’s a lot of potential in the local market. We are also planning to increase our local presence by expanding our traditional residential conveyancing team, building on our growing relationships with local estate agents and mortgage brokers.❜❜

Last year this growth was checked slightly by the coronavirus crisis but, with the vaccination roll-out programme in full swing, preparations to kick-start the next phase of the firm’s expansion are well underway.

Andrew says: “We had our best ever start to a year in 2020 but then COVID-19 hit the country. For a few months work dropped considerably but, when the housing market re-opened at the end of the first lockdown, instructions quickly picked up and we ended the year in an even stronger position than we started it.

“There is pent-up demand in the housing market, fuelled by the stamp duty holiday, which has now been extended following the Chancellor’s recent budget. This is good for us, as we’ve built a solid reputation in this market, both locally and in our niche areas of affordable housing and new build.

“For many years we’ve carved a niche within the affordable housing sector, acting for housing providers and those who are buying from them, completing over 3,000 shared ownership purchases in 2019/20. In addition to our rapidly expanding resales department we have a team that specialises in new build shared ownership and another one that acts for individuals who buy new-build properties from private developers; the latter has particular expertise in dealing with cases involving the government’s Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme, which has helped to stimulate the market.”

“We want to build more relationships with housing providers and developers in Kent; we feel that there’s a lot of potential in the local market. We are also planning to increase our local presence by expanding our traditional residential conveyancing team, building on our growing relationships with local estate agents and mortgage brokers. The local market is buoyant in Kent as a lot of people are choosing to relocate to the county from London.”

Despite being predominantly a conveyancing firm, with several core specialisms within that field, Direction Law also has a private client team that deals with wills and probate, trusts and powers of attorney.

“As a company, you don’t last for 45 years if you’re not doing a lot of things right,” says Andrew. “I’m feeling genuinely optimistic about the future. Our strong local client base, reputation in the market and our core specialisms in affordable housing and new build will stand us in good stead as we move forward.”

The Inside Story

Andrew Theoff

• Favourite food?

Curry (or anything spicy).

• Favourite tipple?

Depends on my mood! I like a beer but am also partial to a gin and tonic – I have a collection of nearly 20 gins at home.

• Favourite holiday?

Right now, any holiday would be good!

Last year was my 50th year and to celebrate I had several different holidays planned, all of which were cancelled.

I do, however, particularly enjoy a city break; over the last few years a friend and I have been working our way around various cities in Eastern Europe.

• Describe your family life?

I currently live on my own but have two grown-up children (a son and a daughter) and two granddaughters.

They all live locally, as do my parents, but I don’t see enough of them, especially over the last year!

• How do you spend your downtime?

My passion has always been radio.

For the last ten years I’ve been a presenter on a local radio station (Academy FM in Thanet) where I present two shows a week, sometimes more.

I present the breakfast show every

Wednesday and a show on a Saturday where (when we are not restricted by

COVID) local bands and singers can play live sessions in the studio.

• What are your key strengths as a manager?

Recognising that I can’t do everything and don’t know everything, but employing people who are better at those things than I am!

• And your limitations?

Too numerous to mention…

• Famous person you’d most like to spend dinner with?

I really can’t think of any! The closest

I ever got to having lunch with a famous person was sitting in a restaurant in

Soho next to Steve Coogan (quite apt really as he plays radio presenter Alan

Partridge) but I didn’t even notice. My lack of observational skills is legendary!

• Most interesting fact about yourself?

I once owned more cars than pairs of shoes! For many years this was on my page on our website and often caused comment.