From humble start to Bentleys and jets

Stephen Curtis was the envy of his fellow lawyers for his formidable array of contacts and the booming legal practice he built up in Curtis & Co at 94 Park Lane.

What was even more remarkable for someone who counted Russian oligarchs, Arab billionaires and major corporations, including Ikea, among his clients, was his humble background. The solicitor who moved in a world of fast cars (Ferraris, Porsches and Bentleys were favourites), private jets and helicopters, and tax havens (Gibraltar, Monaco and the Cayman Islands were regular destinations), was born in August 1959, in Sunderland.

After grammar school in Sunderland he went to Newcastle University to study Law. He moved to London to train at Freshfields in the City before setting up on his own. One of Curtis' peers at another London firm of lawyers who has worked him for several international clients said: "It was astonishing. These were people who had trust and respect for Stephen Curtis. He was the main man at the firm, with a prominent list of international businessmen."

He married Sarah, an opera singer, and they had one daughter, Louise. "He was a colourful character, a James Bond type figure - he was very keen on James Bond," said a close friend. Each year, Curtis took his mother to Monaco to play at the Casino. "He enjoyed risks, the adrenalin rush, he had an insatiable appetite for big deals, for making money, and for spending money," added the friend. He remembered Curtis having a credit card with £1million of credit on it in the late Nineties.

Despite his success, Curtis was down to earth, and never acquired airs and graces. He was entirely driven by work.

He used to predict that one day he would come to a sticky end. Last night, his sense of foreboding proved all too correct.