THIS LIFE:HOME MADE
GRAHAME Stowe was raised in a Jewish family in north Leeds and attended Allerton Grange High School, leaving with just one O-Level to his name. Now 59, he’s senior partner of one of the most high-profile and respected practices in Leeds, the 27-year-old Grahame Stowe Bateson, specialising in criminal and mental health law. But he didn’t have an easy start in life.He was just 19 when his father died at the age of 80 leaving young Grahame as the man of the house.As a result he took on numerous part time jobs while studying to retake his qualifications and get himself through a law degree at Leeds University. He met his wife Marilyn, also a highly successful lawyer, while they were both offering their legal advice to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau in Chapeltown – and five weeks later they were engaged. They have a 19-year-old son called Ben and the family still lives in north Leeds.Mr Stowe deals with cases ranging from fraud, representing both the Department of Trade and Industry and HM Revenue & Excise, up to ‘unwitting crimes’ where people breach legislation enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities and he also handles around six murder cases every year.
My childhood wasn’t actually that happy. I had very loving parents but I was also a rather short, fat kid and that led to me being bullied quite a bit at school. In turn that led to me having a nervous stammer for years – all of which is rather strange when you consider I’m rather taller and leaner these days and you’d never know listening to me that I once had an impediment.
The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that I’ve got to where I am today without having a silver spoon in my mouth.
I never had money or privilege or any of the perks that so many of my peers had when they were young so I’ve had to work for everything I have – and work hard.
I had lots of jobs when I started out, one was selling sandwiches from a basket door-to-door around Leeds offices – an idea unheard of years ago.
One of my favorite jobs was working as fur guard in the old Schofield’s department store.
My job was to stand around and basically make sure that if anyone tried steal one of the coats I had to drag them back.
But perhaps the strangest job was when I got work stoking the furnaces in a huge New Jersey department store.
My philosophy in life is one not being deterred, no matter what the odds or what people say.
When I left school with hardly any qualifications I was washed up in the mind of my contemporaries.
I went to the careers advice people and they laughed at me and said I could perhaps be a nursery school teacher, certainly not a lawyer.
The last time I cried was at the funeral of my mother Evelyn and that was 28 years ago. I haven’t cried since because, well, what do I have to cry about? I live a great life now. I’m truly blessed.
The best piece of advice I ever received was from my bank manager who suggested that, rather than work for other people, I should just set up my own practice and reap all the rewards that come with that – and that’s just what I did. Thank goodness I did as well.
To relax I go to the gym - as often as I possibly can. If I leave the gym completely shattered I leave happy. It’s just the best way to shake off all the stresses and strains of the day, and of course, it’s just great to feel healthy and strong.
The person I’d most like to meet is my father. I never really got to know him because by the time I was starting to grow up he was already an old man, he was always more of a grandfather than a father figure to me and although he was very loving and supportive I never got to know the person behind that figure.
If I could I think I’d like to meet him at a different stage in his life to try and get a better idea of what made him the man he was.
Sadly my last memories of my father were as a rather tired, elderly bloke and I think there might have been more to him than that.
The thing that might surprise people the most about me is the fact that I haven’t always been the man that I am.
I think a lot of people see this rather tall chap, smooth voice and capable but I haven’t always been this confident or had much reason to be. But that’s a bonus in my mind because it’s given me the ability to talk to anyone and empathise with anyone.We run free weekly advice surgeries at the practice and sometimes I deal with people with no money who live in a skip but I’ll treat them in exactly the same way as I would a high court judge. I cannot abide snobbery.My first crush was on a girl I met when I travelled to America.To me she was like the vision of Cindy Crawford and I fell head over heels with her – so much so that I actually made her a written proposal of marriage after a matter of days, sadly I had to come back to the UK though.Favorite things…..Food: Bread and cheeseTV Show: Fawlty Towers and One Foot in the GraveActor: Sean ConneryMovie: Sleepless in SeattleAuthor: Bernice Reubens (author of Brothers)Star sign: GeminiFINE EXAMPLE - EDITORS COMMENTSIN his own words Grahame Stowe was ‘a short, fat kid’ who was bullied mercilessly and developed a stammer. He left school with barely a qualification to his name and sold sandwiches door-to-door around Leeds. Now he’s a top Lawyer who heads up one of the city’s most successful legal practices.
Its a remarkable story and one that should be taught to every child in the land.
Grahame’s living proof that anything is possible ….. just as long as you’re willing to work for it.
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