Ranjit Dhindsa is the Birmingham Office Leader, Member of Executive Committee, Head of EPIC (Employment Pensions Immigration and Compliance) and Employment Partner at Fieldfisher LLP.
How long have you been in your current job? I have been Fieldfisher Birmingham's office leader since May; a member of the firm's Executive Committee since 2018; head of the Employment, Pensions, Immigration and Compliance group since 2018; and an Employment partner since 2006.
Give a very brief summary of your professional career to date. I trained as an employment lawyer at a large international law firm, before becoming a partner and manager. I was invited to run a boutique law firm in Birmingham, which subsequently merged with Fieldfisher in 2016.
I predominantly act for large and often international corporate clients on contentious employment law matters and have developed a specialism in assisting businesses with their approach to inclusiveness and diversity. Over the course of my career, I have added to my legal skills by becoming a shareholder, director and business owner.
I have had a passion for advising foreign-owned businesses operating in the UK throughout my career. I particularly enjoy the challenges of cultural bridging and explaining English employment law to foreign-owned businesses.
Did further/higher education set you up well for your particular vocation? Education played a critical role in my social mobility and establishing me in the legal profession. But my experiences, particularly in running organisations, and understanding business, were what really helped to make me a better legal advisor.
Has the fallout from the pandemic presented any opportunities? We are still living with the repercussions, whether it is ill health or organisational challenges – for example, with supply chains and embracing technology.
Fundamentally the pandemic crystallised change, which always creates opportunities for lawyers. For me, it has meant continuing to advise clients on hybrid working, tax, immigration and other challenges of employees wanting to work "anywhere in the world" and ensuring businesses confidential information is protected even when employees work from home.
Can online meetings successfully take place as face to face contact? Ironically, online meetings can be very democratic. Protocols have been established to ensure individuals can contribute. The use of "putting your hand up" or indicating that you wish to speak helps.
However, online meetings do tend to be more formal. They can be useful for information sharing, but lack that spark then you get in face to face meetings, which are still the best particularly when brain storming, coming up with creative ideas, or developing new visions and strategy for the business. What is difficult is having hybrid meetings where some people are online and some are face to face. This can be unsatisfactory for all concerned and can create two camps of attendees.
How do you get the best out of your staff? Clear communication of our firm's identity, purpose and strategy, including each person's role and contribution. It's also crucial to reward people fairly for their efforts, and provide clear career structures and have open and transparent discussions about how the organisation will support individuals to reach their potential.
Creating a culture of support and safety so that if things go wrong (which they inevitably will), the individual feels supported and not blamed, is also important.
How many emails do you tend to get in a day and how much time do you have to read them? I have over 200 emails a day. I review them throughout the day and again at the end of the day, to ensure nothing has been missed. Bearing in mind we are a professional service business, being responsive and assisting clients is key whether they are based in the same time zone or a different one. As well as daily reviews, I also review my emails weekly.
How do you hope your colleagues would describe you? Organised, resilient, focused and fair.
Highlights of your career so far? Forming close relationships with clients, many of whom I have advised for over 20 years and who have followed me through various law firms.
Having the opportunity to be involved in organisational change, for example a management buyout, running a boutique law firm, subsequently followed by a merger. I realised how much I enjoy change and new challenges. Meeting countless bright, intelligent people from whom I can learn so much, whether colleagues or clients, and having the experience of being both an executive board and a non-executive director in lots of different organisations.
Any particular faux pas or embarrassing moments in your career you would prefer to forget? There have been two which I still have nightmares about.
The first was going to my solicitor's final exams on accountancy and forgetting my calculator. I remember standing in the queue as we waited for the exam hall doors to open and feeling extremely panicked. Luckily one of my friends had the good sense to carry a spare calculator and shared it with me. I will be forever thankful to him.
The second was as a trainee, when I could not afford a proper leather briefcase. I was commuting on the train, and left some papers on the train in a carrier bag. I am still haunted by the telling off I got from my supervising partner, and promptly purchased a bag that was more secure.
Pet hates? Individuals that raise lots of complaints but do not consider solutions or a way forward, and gadgets that never work or technology when it lets me down.
If you could go back and give your younger self some wise advice, what would it be? Network, network, network and ensure that you make good contacts. Do not get stuck in silo'd thinking. Try and think about issues more holistically. Do not be afraid of business, setting up and running businesses can be stressful but also very satisfying.
How do you relax away from work? Long walks, playing tennis and catching up with my adult children, and long suffering husband.
What do you believe is special about the Birmingham Business Community? My initial impressions are that there are great businesses in Birmingham, selling fantastic services and products, but they are perhaps not shouting about it to the wider country and beyond.
The area is going through exciting transformation, particularly with HS2 which will connect the city to London, which will be a game changer. Already we can see great businesses relocating to Birmingham.This presents a super opportunity to the local business community.
Tell us something about you that most people probably would not know? I am a very bad singer and got thrown out of the school choir!
You can take one book, one film and one record on to a desert island – what would they be? I would like a book of poetry which is not too abstract, but inspiring; I like to watch films when I have time (not often), but would not describe myself as a film expert. Historical dramas are my favourite; music depends on my mood. It could be anything from Nina Simone to Joy Crookes.
Your five dream dinner party guests, dead or alive? Bob Marley, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Billie Jean King, Tina Turner and Boudicca.
What would you choose to eat for your last supper? Starter, my mother's homemade daal; main course, any white fish not in short supply with asparagus, samphire and spinach; and for dessert a rhubarb crumble.
