Stephen Puri

Bio

Experience 

Stephen Puri is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Aston Bond, having established the firm in 2004 with a clear vision to challenge the traditional model of legal services.

Stephen is no ordinary lawyer and, by his own admission, does not think of himself simply as one. Although he began his career as a highly able and practical Litigation Lawyer, specialising in complex commercial and contentious matters, his interests have always extended far beyond the law itself. Stephen has a strong commercial and entrepreneurial mindset and believes that professional services firms should operate with the same ambition, creativity and forward-thinking approach as the businesses they advise.

With over 30 years’ experience, Stephen has acted in complex and high-profile matters for major institutions, including banks and the Serious Fraud Office, as well as high-net-worth individuals. Throughout his legal career, he has developed a reputation for taking a different approach to difficult problems, understanding the bigger picture and finding practical, creative solutions when conventional approaches are no longer working.

Co-founding Aston Bond in 2004, Stephen set out to blend traditional legal expertise with innovative thinking to create a distinctive and modern law firm. That vision continues to shape Aston Bond today.

As CEO, Stephen is responsible for the firm’s overall strategy, development and continued growth. He works closely with Aston Bond’s Partners, lawyers and professional management teams across Sales, Marketing, IT and Finance, continually looking for new opportunities to develop the business and challenge the traditional way of doing things.

Stephen is a firm believer in building long-term, on-call relationships with clients. He encourages clients to view Aston Bond as an extension of their own business, providing access to high-level legal advice whenever it is needed rather than simply being a firm they turn to when a problem arises. He believes this approach allows clients to benefit from a breadth of expertise that would be difficult and often unsustainable to maintain entirely in-house.

Achievements

Over the course of his career, Stephen has played a central role in building Aston Bond from its beginnings in 2004 into a leading regional commercial law firm, overseeing its growth, culture and commercial direction.

His achievements have been recognised through a number of business awards, including Start-Up Business of the Year in 2004, Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005, 2007 and 2008, and SME Business of the Year in 2010.

In 2012, Stephen also wrote and published *How to Build a Business with Attitude*, drawing on his experience of building and developing a successful professional services business.

Stephen has always believed that the success of a professional services firm depends on more than the quality of its technical work. He has championed the importance of sales, marketing, innovation and continued development, areas he believes are fundamental to building a modern and successful law firm.

Today, Stephen continues to drive the firm’s development while remaining closely involved in its strategic direction.

Although he has stepped back from the day-to-day running of individual legal matters from inception to conclusion, Stephen remains the person to turn to when things become particularly challenging. He has a natural ability to look at problems differently, challenge conventional thinking and find solutions where others may have reached a dead end. He is not one to accept “no” easily and thrives on finding a way forward.

Outside the Office

Stephen is a strong advocate of “work-life integration” and is rarely one to sit still. Away from Aston Bond, he continues to pursue a variety of entrepreneurial and creative projects, particularly those involving planning, design and bringing ideas from concept through to reality.

He enjoys a challenge and has a natural tendency to push boundaries, particularly when faced with something others believe cannot be done.

Stephen also has a particular passion for supporting the younger generation. He dedicates time to mentoring young people, helping them build confidence, challenge their own limitations and pursue opportunities they may not otherwise believe are possible. For Stephen, encouraging others to realise their potential is one of the most rewarding aspects of his work beyond Aston Bond.

 ‘The Aston Bond team work collaboratively with each other so there will always be more than one person who knows the case inside out. They are very responsive to clients, quick to move, and work seamlessly’