'How I helped to save small traders from an out-of-town centre'

NAME, AGE AND POSITION: John Bosworth, age 44. Partner with Ashfords Solicitors and head of its planning and environment department. I am also a director of Devon Environmental Business Initiative.

FIRST JOB (AND PAY-PACKET): My first paid job was doing a morning paper round in Saltash for the princely sum of £2.10 per week. My first legal job was in 1986 as a trainee solicitor with Portsmouth City Council, earning about £6,000 a year.

WHAT I'VE DONE IN MY CAREER AND HOW I GOT WHERE I AM TODAY: Like many planning lawyers, I cut my teeth working in local government. After qualifying as a solicitor, I spent two years working for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, defending the London green belt from encroachment and trying to stop illegal raves.

I then moved into private practice with a City law firm, where I worked for five years. Much of my work was focussed on regenerating London Docklands — what is now Canary Wharf and ExCel.

My first move westwards was made when I decided that I wanted to bring our family up outside London.

In 1995 I joined Bevan Ashford in Bristol and was made a partner in 1997. During this time, I dealt with the redevelopment of a large part of the redundant NHS estate in southern England — including the former Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter, now known as Gras Lawn.

On Bevan Ashford's demerger in 2004, I opted to join the Ashfords half of the practice and moved to work in our Exeter head office, where most of the planning and environmental team are based.

We work for developers and public sector clients throughout the South West, as well as working for clients in London and the East Midlands in particular.

CAREER HIGH POINT: One of my high points was representing local businesses and the town council in Cirencester in opposing a large out-of-town retail development. We fought a three-week public inquiry on a shoestring budget, against both the developer and the local authority, which was convinced they had no power to stop the development.

The proposals would have hit the independent traders in the town hard. At the time it was a test case for new government policy, and both the Inspector and the Secretary of State agreed with our case and refused to allow the development.

CAREER LOW POINT: Winning the planning arguments but losing the economic case to get five miles of overhead powerlines put underground in East London.

Such visual monstrosities would never have been allowed in the first place in affluent West London, but the costs of the works was just too expensive.

WHEN I'M NOT WORKING I LIKE TO: Spend as much time as I can with the family, visit art galleries throughout the South West, painting (I've just started evening classes) and baking cakes.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED THAT I WISH I'D KNOWN WHEN I STARTED: It doesn't matter that you don't know everything so long as you know where to start looking. Never be afraid to ask colleagues for their advice — someone else is likely to have been there too.

MY ADVICE TO SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN BUSINESS NOW: Too many young lawyers feel the need to be aggressive with the opposition. My advice is to be nice to everyone when starting out, regardless of the client's position. You don't know who may be able to help you out in the future.

MY AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE: To continue to build Ashfords' planning and environmental practice. And to buy a future masterpiece from an up and coming artist. Or even to paint one myself!