Simon Fitzgerald has been a mainstay at Pannone in all its guises since 2002. As a Debt Recovery Executive, Simon has seen the firm grow and develop considerably, joining 22 years ago on the back of a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to be part of Pannone along with a team of four other people.

Simon’s route in law is not too dissimilar to that of an apprenticeship – working on the job while gaining qualifications at night school; Ilex (Legal Executive) was his destination of choice after finishing his A-Levels.

Over more than two decades, Simon has built up a strong bond with the team around him.

“I spend the better part of my life with the people at Pannone and they are all wonderful,” admits Simon. “Our team, in particular, is like a family – dysfunctional – but a family all the same!”

Every day in the Debt Recovery team is the ‘same type of different’, according to Simon, but he loves that no two days are the same. “Even at 52, my ambition is to keep improving on what I already know,” he admits. “It’s true what they say, every day is a school day!”

While Simon jokes that he should’ve been a mechanic rather than going into law, given how much his last car service cost, he’s definitely very much part of the team at Pannone. A philosophy he truly buys into.

“As a profession, we always need to promote the ‘team effort – one goal’ ethic,” he explains. “It’s important to work collaboratively with clients so it doesn’t turn into a    ‘them and us’ relationship.”

The team/family ethos is as important to Simon in work as it is out of work, with his children, grandchildren and family taking up much of his free time – not to mention his love of Manchester City!

“The order of priority changes on a daily basis,” jokes Simon! However, there’s no doubt about his priority at work after more than two decades at Pannone.