Leading law firm, Ellisons Solicitors, will lose its longest serving Partners this month, with the retirement of former Senior Partner, Peter Powell.
Peter Powell joined Ellisons in August 1963, meaning he celebrated 50 years with the firm in 2013 – a staggering amount of time by today’s standards.
He trained to become a solicitor with Ellisons and qualified in 1971, becoming a partner in 1974. Peter was Ellisons’ Senior Partner for the period 1988 to 1997 and resumed the role in 2006 until 2012.
In Ellisons’ recently published commemorative book, celebrating its 250 year history, Peter reminisced on how he got the job with Ellisons: ‘‘I joined in August 1963 when I was 16 years old. Back then it was very easy to get a job when you left school…I remember going to the Youth Employment Office in Colchester and they showed me a few possible jobs, including one as a solicitor’s clerk at a local law firm called Ellison and Co. Within half an hour I had been interviewed by David Papillon and got my first job. That was the luckiest day of my life.’’
Peter continued: ‘‘I’ve never had a day in 50 years when I haven’t been happy to come to work. And I think I’m extremely lucky to be able to say that. I will certainly miss working at Ellisons, the clients, the people and my friends.’’
Ellisons has certainly changed and progressed in the 50 years since Peter Powell joined the firm as a solicitor’s clerk. The firm continues to lead the way in Essex, with offices in Colchester and the Tendring Peninsula and has most recently stepped across the border with a new office in Ipswich. The firm has also branched out into the financial services market with the newly launched Ellisons Financial Planning.