It was 20 years ago today!
Today we celebrate Jolyon Barton‘s 20 year anniversary with the firm. We asked Jo if he could summarise his experiences at Gardner Leader throughout these years “I joined Gardner Leader on 1 July 2002 to head up the Inheritance Protection (or private client) team. At that time it was a team of one – me!
The 20 years since have without doubt been the happiest and most fulfilling of my legal career and the team is now 25 strong. We have built a great team here and I enjoy coming in to work with them every day.
It all started for me in 1979 when I left the college of law and took articles with John Marshall at Charles Lucas & Marshall in Newbury. (He was a friend of my father).
Following qualification as a solicitor I had spells with firms in London and Reading but the move to GL in Newbury happened by chance. I had been invited to a football match at Southampton by Roland Gardner of Newbury building society and sat next to Derek Child who was then the senior partner at GL – and the rest is history!
Our office in the marketplace in Newbury is in the exact place where my grandfather Harold Barton started his career as an estate agent and auctioneer with Dreweatt Watson and Barton in 1910. Many members of my family followed in his footsteps so as well as my 20 years at GL I also feel proud to be continuing that tradition 112 years later!”
Our Managing Partner Derek Rodgers added to this by saying “throughout his career and especially during his 20 years with Gardner Leader, Jo has been the very definition of a ‘trusted adviser’ to so many clients and their families, as well as being someone who has always thrown himself into every activity at the firm as a great role model and mentor for all of our younger lawyers. It is great to be able to congratulate him on reaching two decades with Gardner Leader.”