THE SPICE OF LIFEBy Lord NathanThe Memoir Club, 17.50Ronnie Fox

This is the autobiography of a remarkable solicitor, Lord Nathan of Churt.

With characteristic modesty, the author says the book was written for his children and their children.

It contains much to educate and entertain the reader, particularly if the reader is a solicitor.

After a distinguished military career during the Second World War (twice wounded and mentioned in dispatches), Lord Nathan joined Herbert Oppenheimer, Nathan & Vandyk on 1 January 1948, articled to his father - who at the time was Minister of Civil Aviation.

By the end of 1950, he had passed the solicitors finals, qualified, married and become a partner in the firm.

Lord Nathan's career as a successful solicitor lasted for almost 40 years.

His book is filled with stories and anecdotes about his career as a lawyer and his contribution to public life.

In today's world of computerised time recording and annual targets for partner billing, it is hard to imagine a busy practising solicitor leading (at various times) a livery company, the Royal Society of Arts, the Cancer Research Campaign, the UK Environmental Law Association, the Sussex Downs conservation board, the international standing conference on philanthropy, and a House of Lords select committee on murder and life imprisonment.

Lord Nathan's achievement is that he exercised a powerful influence on these and many other organisations while winning the admiration of an enormous circle of clients, including well-known individuals, international corporations and national governments.

One of his clients recently commented on Lord Nathan's knack of going straight to the heart of a problem, analysing the issues and producing a solution of complete clarity.

This particular client persuaded him to accept a non-executive directorship for his ability to assess any proposed action from a commercial, financial and social point of view.

He would question strategies, trends and their impact on people - and then come up with practical action plans (often devised in his bath).

Lord Nathan writes well.

His sentences are short and clear.

The reader will be fascinated and amused by descriptions of a 1938 flight to Le Bourget, Paris from Croydon Airport ('One was weighed before getting on board to ensure the plane was trimmed'), his expert tank driver ('who drove with great force and never let me down, but never changed his socks') and the expensive hand-made pair of brown best calf shoes given to him by his father ('I wore them with great pride, and terrible consequences and great pain for my feet').

The title of the book reflects Lord Nathan's enthusiasm and sense of fun.

It seems that almost every aspect of his life has brought Lord Nathan pleasure and fulfilment.

He writes with great affection about colleagues at Oppenheimers.

Only when Lord Nathan touches on events less than two years after his retirement as senior partner (and when he was no longer a partner) is there disapproval and disappointment: the firm split up by dissolution of the partnership, which seemed to me a mad thing to do.

Some former members of Oppenheimers - and clients - might agree.

Lord Nathan's friends often became his professional clients and the firm's clients turned into his friends.

For Lord Nathan, there were no hard divisions between legal study, family life, professional practice and public service.

Perhaps that is the secret of Lord Nathan's success as a solicitor and his present contentment in retirement.

Ronnie Fox is the senior partner of Fox Williams.

He joined Herbert Oppenheimer, Nathan & Vandyk as an articled clerk in March 1969 and was a partner in that firm between 1974 and 1988.