Top lawyer celebrates 60 years of service at Oxford law firm
Well known lawyer John Cole – a renowned figure in the Oxford legal scene – has celebrated 60 years of service at Blake Morgan. The firm marked the event with a presentation at its Oxford office on 23 October.
After leaving the Dragon and St Edwards’ schools in Oxford, John joined his family firm Cole & Cole in 1964, which through mergers over the following decades, became Blake Morgan. Cole & Cole was set up by John’s father and uncle in 1945. After being admitted as a solicitor in 1970, John rose up the ranks, eventually becoming Managing Partner. In 1983-84 he was National President of the Association of Round Tables in Great Britain and Ireland.
Throughout the years, John has remained a trusted adviser to his many clients in Oxford and beyond, playing a key role in the firm as it adapted and changed with the times. John’s career navigated the firm’s merger with Morgan Bruce in 1998, and assisted in the subsequent merger with Blake Lapthorn in 2014, which created Blake Morgan in its current form.
In 2012, John changed from being a partner to taking on the role of a consultant at the firm, where he continues to advise clients. His areas of specialist expertise include partnership law and joint ventures and strategic partnership and business advice.
Outside of his consultancy role, John has long been a senior figure in the Oxford social and professional landscape. Through his involvement with the Oxford North Rotary Club, he has hosted a Blake Morgan team for several of the Rotary’s annual “Rowathon” events. He also supports the High Sheriff’s annual law lecture, which Blake Morgan sponsors, and has often taken part in more unusual events in the Thames Valley calendar, such as attending, with a long-standing client, the ancient, annual Swan-Upping – a census of swans on the Thames.
To mark John’s professional and personal milestone, Blake Morgan held a 60 years of service presentation at its Oxford office, where Managing Partner, Mike Wilson, and former Chair of Blake Morgan and longstanding colleague, Bruce Potter, gave speeches highlighting the firm’s gratitude for John’s significant contributions over the years.
Mike Wilson, Managing Partner at Blake Morgan, said:
John is a totemic figure at Blake Morgan and to our Oxford clients – an exemplar of how to build deep and trusting relationships, offer unfailingly high-quality advice, and support the growth and development of the business and his colleagues. It is wonderful to see him mark 60 years of service. His reputation in the Oxford market is unmatched, and without him and his family, the firm simply would not be what we are today.
While the firm and the city have undoubtedly changed since John joined what was then Cole & Cole, we are hugely grateful to still be able to benefit from John’s commitment, knowledge, and active engagement in Blake Morgan and the Oxford community.
Sixty years of service celebration: (From left to right) Mike Wilson, Helen Bunker, John Cole and Bruce Potter.
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