Best brains in ...

Stepping into our clients' shoes to understand the problems and challenges they are facing. This ensures I can work with them to achieve a resolution that meets their objectives and allows them to get on with their day jobs. Disputes can swallow up a huge amount of management time which can be better spent in productive work for the business.

Highlight of your career so far?

There are so many - getting high quality work from great clients really does it for me. But riding in the tunnel boring machine which was mining the tunnel for the new Heathrow airport link to Terminal 5 was pretty cool.

Most challenging job you've ever done?

Leading the team which comprised up to six solicitors and three counsel on a major arbitration over a period of three and a half years. It included a disclosure exercise with well in excess of one million documents, the preparation of a 400+ lever arch file trial bundle and a three-month arbitration hearing with 22 factual and five expert witnesses!

What's your definition of going the extra mile ....... And when have you done it?

Living away from home, sometimes for months at a time and based in my clients' various offices, which are usually site cabins. Getting totally involved in the issues, both technical and commercial, understanding and working with the site team and getting immersed in the documents in order to learn all about the project, including what the site team have forgotten so that I can prepare the case properly. Another example is persuading a reluctant witness to provide a witness statement the day before the service date and getting in my car and driving 180 miles to draft his statement at his kitchen table ready to serve the following morning. He was the star witness at trial, which our client won! In short, giving it my all to fight for the right result for the client.

Best example of a creative legal solution?

Suggesting to my opponent that we use senior counsel to give a non-binding indication on a particular issue. This has obviated the need for formal proceedings on more than one occasion.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

Being a passionate re-cycler, both at work and at home. No draft of mine is ever printed single-side - but double-sided two pages to a page! And my kids don't get clean paper to scribble on...

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

"Sue is a first rate litigator, who has demonstrated exceptional commitment and commercial awareness in the work she has carried out for the business. She is a great team player" - Kevin Smith, legal director, AMEC.