Age 16-18
Andrew Jones left Havering Sixth Form in 1997 and went on to become a partner in a New York city law firm, specialising in professional liability.
Andrew, who attended Royal Liberty School, studied A Levels in Law, English Language and Geography while at college. He then progressed to King’s College London, where he studied for a degree in Law.
He has fond memories of Havering Sixth Form, saying: “The college was a very positive experience for me because it allowed me to grow and become independent. The transition from GCSEs to being left on your own a bit more like you are at A Level, can be a difficult adjustment for some students.
“You go from having pretty much every second of your day mapped out for you at school, to having lots of independent study periods to work on your own. I coped well with this and feel it equipped me for University study where there is complete independence and very little mentoring from teachers.”
After university, Andrew organised an internship in the USA and at the same time started studying to qualify for the New York Bar – a very tough qualification. This led to him being offered a job as an associate in a law firm, still in New York City.
He said: “I worked with a Partner who did a lot of Lloyd’s of London work. I worked really hard. My efforts resulted in me being invited out with clients on a regular basis and before long, the combination of hard work and hard marketing resulted in the law firm to agree to sponsor my Green Card (permanent work visa for the USA) application. Five years later, my boss started his own law firm and invited me to join him. I accepted and the following year I was made a Partner.”
New York became Andrew’s home and he stayed as a Partner in the same law firm – Furman Kornfeld & Brennan – specialising in professional liability, and giving advice to US and London insurers about insurance products and risk management, nationwide.
