PROFILE
P eter Mitchell
The last word with...
In another life, Frank Lefevre would love to have been a Hoagy Carmichael, writing popular songs and ensuring his immortality. As it is, the 75-year-old Peter Pan of the Aberdeen legal fraternity has made a pretty good fist of life in the law. Today, he is still at the helm of his pioneering but controversial no-win, no-fee firm Quantum Claims, founded in 1988 in Aberdeen but now also in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness. “We also maintain our core personal injury business through Lefevre Litigation,” says Frank, who specialises in employment law. Earlier in his career, he made a formidable adversary in court, whether in criminal cases or third-party claims.
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He and his wife, Hazel, have three children, Paul, Tracey and Julie, all of whom are in the family business in various capacities. But that’s not all. Yes, Frank has owned the bar-diner Dizzys for 40 years and the premises in Aberdeen’s Carden Place below his offices have recently reopened after being flooded last November. Keeping a watchful eye on the business is Hazel’s sister, Carol Munro, and her chef husband David. Dizzys? Yes, it is named after a 19th century British prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, nicknamed Dizzy, and, closer to Frank’s heart, American jazzman Dizzy Gillespie. Cue the music. Frank acquired his love of it from his parents.
Hairdresser dad Charles played clarinet and viola while mum, the former Edith Hartley, was a pianist. The duo were the star turn 80 years ago at the St Katherine’s Club in Aberdeen, now the Lemon Tree arts venue. “I have been writing songs for 50 years,” says Frank who finally achieved his ambition of getting his compositions recorded by 12 different singers for a CD entitled Timeless Allsorts. It has raised £18,000 so far for his charity, the Needy Kids Trust Fund. Want one? pop into dizzys with a fiver and it’s yours.