'It's the male menopause,' was the instant diagnosis of a professional colleague when he heard that I was leaving my present firm to set up as a sole practitioner.

Its almost as if I am doing something irrational but I am only following in the footsteps of people like last year's master of the City of London Solicitors Company, Harvey Crush, who have made the decision that small is beautiful, left large firms and set up on their own.

In fact, it was a conversation with Harvey which set me thinking about a problem that many of my contemporaries have faced and are facing.

There comes an age and a stage when one wants to do less but the pressures of practice are such that there is no escape -- at least not in a partnership environment.There were several other factors: -- I served articles with my firm and since then I have put in 35 years' service with it.

That is quite long enough for the good of any person and any firm.

Besides, I was blocking promotion up the partnership ladder.-- I wanted less pressure.

Serving the profession as a Law Society Council member while keeping up billings in the firm is hard work which runs into evenings and weekends.

My partners had never once reproached me for the amount of time that being on the Council takes but I was always conscious that they were carrying the burden of the firm's administration while I was away.-- I wanted to concentrate on one type of work: personal injury (PI).

It was not until several months after I had talked to Harvey about setting up a sole practice that the seed which had been planted started to stir.

I disregarded it at first because it is quite a step for a person in his 50s to take.

However, in the end it seemed both sensible and reasonable.

So I am setting up on my own only a few doors away from my present office in what I must call a 'niche' practice, though I hate that description.

All my present PI clients are coming with me (with, I hasten to add, the consent and approval of my partners).

If people ask me to write a will or do a conveyance they will be politely sent down the road to what will then be my former firm.

I will have more time to acquire expertise, more time to see clients, more time to carry out my work as a coroner.I will not have to check other people's mail, write memos about administration or deal with staff problems which, despite having had an efficient office manager, people have insisted on bringing to me.I will have more opportunity to attend refresher courses and conferences and I should be able to cope more easily with the additional workload that being treasurer of the Law Society involves.

I think that I am making a shrewd career move.

And, despite the fact that I am also changing my car at the end of this month for something smaller and sportier, it has nothing to do with the male menopause.