By Business & Finance 
James Sherwin is a co-founder and Partner at Sherwin O’Riordan Solicitors.
What was your first job?
As a kid I used to clean windows with a mate of mine, Denis O’Reilly, who now runs Wild Wicklow Tours, and when I left college my first job was as a sports presenter on Rock104 (now FM104).
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Having four amazingly healthy, balanced children, but in terms of work it’s taking SOR, together with my co-founder David O’Riordan, from a one home computer start up, with no employees to an office of 30 with 15 solicitors advising growing SMEs and large multinationals.
In three words or less, how do you define success?
Satisfied returning clients.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t ever send the first version.
How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
By appreciating the fact that people are trusting us to help them solve their problems and that they are willing to pay us to do that.
That’s a huge motivator for us and once we don’t lose sight of that fact we’ll strive to match the expertise with the best possible service.
How do you relax?
Mountain biking, watching my children playing sport (as long as it’s not tennis!) and lunch with friends.
What’s your motto?
When you’re under pressure, do the exact opposite of what you feel like doing.
What are your aspirations for the future of the business?
We want to continue to serve the growing SME sector in Ireland as well as we possibly can while also remembering where we came from. We believe that by increasing the number of solicitors in our practice to 25 but not getting any bigger than that, we’ll be able to provide good solid advice together with a personal touch where our clients don’t become just another number.
www.sor-solicitors.ie
