Jamie Barr, WS 1971-78

Jamie joined Warwick School from Coten End in 1971 having won a bursary at 11+ in the golden days when the local authority funded 45 places in every year-group.

"I benefited from the classically rounded education at which Warwick excels. When not doing academic stuff, I was a regular in the 3rd XV, represented the school in athletics (sprinting, hurdles, long and triple jump) and did a bit of acting. Chairing the Community Service Unit was one of my more formative experiences. I am not sure how well I did the job, but it was a great early experience.

Despite not having joined the CCF, after 7th term Oxbridge I was accepted for the Army’s Short Service Limited Commission scheme. This gave me six months’ service with the Regular Army in Germany and Cyprus, which went some way to making up for three miserable weeks at Sandhurst and to curing the frostbite I contracted in freezing rain and snow on Barossa Heath (yes, we had thick frosts and snow in those days). Not only did this experience give me a profound respect for those who endure the full Sandhurst experience and continue into service, but it also led to my joining the Territorial Army, in which I served for 15 years, ultimately as squadron leader of the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry squadron of the Royal Yeomanry. Another of those formative experiences and one of the best of my life.

I read Jurisprudence at Oxford – Merton College – and became a corporate lawyer focused on mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets. I had a six-year flirtation with investment banking which, while entertaining, convinced me that law was my real vocation.

I moved to Hong Kong in 2000 and ultimately ran Hogan Lovells’ Asia corporate practice for ten years. During this time, we grew the practice from four partners and five associates in two offices to 17 partners and 100 lawyers in eight offices, including one in Mongolia. The triple listing in London, Hong Kong and Ulaanbaatar of one of Mongolia’s very largest resources companies would have been transformational – had it closed. Building and running the Asia practice was another fabulous experience, although I found herding cats much more challenging than telling soldiers what to do.

I retired from private practice in 2015 when it became time for my family to move back to the UK. While running the Asia practice, training was always a major focus and on retiring from legal practice I set up a business to train lawyers. I am also an honorary professor at Queen Mary University of London where I have been developing an online training programme in M&A.

I am an enthusiastic explorer, hiker, cyclist and scuba diver, and a lover of opera, theatre, music and fine arts. I wish I were good at tennis, but I am not and never will be. I rebuilt a collapsed house in Italy (equal first with squadron leading in satisfaction, while infinitely more frustrating than herding cats).

I have been married to my wonderful, long-suffering wife, Alex, for over 30 years. My daughter Jemima is currently studying in the USA. We live in South West London, forever talk about moving and probably never will.

Education is a real passion, and I hope to support the School’s ambition to grow its bursary programme during my term as OWA President. I would love to see more Jamie Barrs leverage the exceptional opportunities that an education at Warwick School offers. I am also keen to foster greater interaction and engagement among the OW community, and plan to support a number of initiatives that will be rolled out over the year".