He explains, "Early in the 1990's I made the emotive decision to change my career path from my position as senior partner of my law practice in Belfast, Northern Ireland to mediation.
Needless to say this was a somewhat brave move for me as mediation was virtually unheard of, and certainly not in active practice in Northern Ireland. I researched extensively and decided the most prestigious training, and arguably the best, would be found at Harvard University in the USA.