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Home Key PeopleJohn Crabtree
John Crabtree
Chairman
T: +44 (0) 845 201 3148
M: +44 (0) 7721 780 229
What are your main areas of focus at White & Black?
As Chairman, my main focus is on ensuring that the firm maximises its potential and continues to deliver legal services of the highest quality.
How did your career in law develop?
I joined Wragge & Co in 1971 and became a partner in 1976 at the age of 26. I was Head of Corporate between 1983 and 1991 and elected to run the firm as Managing Partner during the 1990/1991 recession. I continued at the firm as Senior Partner between 1993 and 2004.
Tell us about your business knowledge and experience
I am currently Chairman of a number of companies, including Staffline Group plc, Real Estate Investors plc, SLR Holdings Limited, TruckEast Limited and Glenn Howells Associates. I have also acted as Chairman of Claimar Care Group plc (2006-2009) and Metalrax Group plc (2003-2010).
What is your most significant achievement?
I was voted by Legal Business as the UK Lawyer of the Year in 2003 in recognition for my role over a ten year period in transforming Wragge & Co from ‘a provincial Birmingham firm into a top national practice with an enviable FTSE 100 client base’.
What are your interests and hobbies?
I am actively involved in a number of charities in a variety of roles, including as Patron to the Kemp Hospice and as Chairman of Sense, the national charity for the deaf and blind. I am also Chairman of the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust (the most popular theatre in the United Kingdom). My main hobby is spending time with my six children!
