PARTNERS at Berwins, one of Harrogate's biggest law firms, all have the same assessment of the company's founder.

Paul Berwin, they say, is "driven, ambitious and above all, a man of vision." And they all want him to be the Business Personality Of The Year in The Press Business Awards 2007.

The firm, based in North Park Road, Harrogate, and with a turnover of £2.3 million, is also pitching to win the title, Large Business Of The Year.

It was in 1994, sitting on a beach in Fuerteventura, that Paul wrote what amounts to the Berwins manifesto, the "Culture Of Exceptional Care."

He says: "If you are not a good communicator, then you are not a good lawyer. If a client has to phone to find out what is going on, then that solicitor is guilty of leaving communication too late."

Mr Berwin, 50, is a man who knows how to set goals and keep to them. He is both figuratively and literally a long-distance runner, having raised more than £30,000 for local charities over the last four years, largely by doing triathlons.

His expertise extends beyond commercial law to IT law, where specialism is rare, and usually limited to "city" law firms.

He began as a sole practitioner and developed with strategic mergers, notably with well established local firm Myers & Co in 2002.

Today, more than 50 people - and rising - work for the company whose turnover increased by almost 20 per cent in the last year. It has an impressive profile in its commercial work, IT, property and litigation and employment services, aided by 21st century technology.

This is on top of rock-solid traditional areas of private client work, such as conveyancing, wills, probate and family law.

It has often set the pace for other law firms. In 1998, it was only the fifth firm in the country to be accredited with the Law Society's Lexcel management quality mark. A year later, it became the first North Yorkshire law firm to earn Investors in People accreditation.

He said: "I think I have shaken up the legal community. Firms of long standing have either had to run to keep up or fallen back.

"I believe I have raised the quality of legal services in the town, and legal work that once went to Leeds is now done here in Harrogate.

"I can say Berwins has significantly contributed to Harrogate becoming a better town with a thriving business community."