Top lawyer's 40 years in business

Well known Colchester lawyer Philip George has reached a professional milestone – 40 years working for Essex law firm Birkett Long.

The 63-year-old was Managing Partner of the firm for eight years until 2010, before stepping down from the role filled by Adrian Livesley, but he has always remained working there on a consultancy basis.

Back in 1975, when he joined as a 23-year-old newly qualified solicitor in the Halstead office, there were 20 staff, and the firm went by the name of Smith, Morton & Long.

That same year Margaret Thatcher became the Conservative party’s first female leader and Bill Gates founded Microsoft.

Philip said of the Halstead office: “It bore little resemblance to a modern solicitor's office. Only the very forward-thinking secretaries used electric typewriters; all the others used manual machines.

“Every version of each document had to be individually typed, and every will produced in the office was copied by hand in a wonderful copperplate script into the ‘Will book’.

“The office closed at lunchtime and most of the staff went home. A tea lady brought freshly made tea and coffee to the desks of all the solicitors whilst all the other staff enjoyed a 15-minute tea break morning and afternoon.”

Within two months, Philip had been moved to the newly opened Colchester office and was one of seven staff. Forty years on he is still there and the workforce has ballooned to over 180 across three offices including Chelmsford, Basildon and Colchester.

He said: “The firm has been like a second family to me. We have had many high spots, (and a few lows), but I remain as proud as I ever have been to be a part of the modern-day firm of Birkett Long.

“I am thrilled to see the progress that the firm continues to make under the wise leadership of Adrian Livesley and the rest of the Board, and I relish the friendship and support of so many colleagues throughout all the offices.”

Philip stepped down from the role of managing partner because he felt it was the right time for the firm and himself. Within 12 months his youngest son, Rob, was diagnosed with leukaemia and subsequently died in December 2013 at the age of 21.

Today, Philip combines his consultancy work commitments with jointly running a charity he and wife Lorraine set up in Rob’s name: the Rob George Foundation, Birkett Long’s charity of the year, which assists young people who have life-threatening or terminal illnesses and who need practical and/or financial support.

It also helps young people who demonstrate exceptional commitment and/or ability in the worlds of sport or the performing arts but may be held back from pursuing their goals by their financial situation.

Philip’s other roles include being Non Executive Chairman of the Kent Blaxill, C A Blackwell and Healthcare Homes groups of companies as well as of the Essex County Cricket Board; Vice-Chairman of ECL The Care & Wellbeing Company; a Non-Executive Director of Colchester Business Enterprise Agency; Company Secretary of the Essex Community Foundation and a Trustee of the Essex Cricket and Community Trust and of the Almshouse Charity of Arthur Winsley.