When not enjoying the 'belpaese', she works on her family's 130-acre vineyard near Santa Barbara, California. John Howell established John Howell & Co in Sheffield in 1979 and by 1997 it had become one of the largest and most respected law firms in the north of England, employing over 100 lawyers. On moving to London in 1995, John Howell has gone on to specialize in providing legal advice to clients buying property abroad.