Member Article

Legal sector loses one of its brightest stars

One of the West Midlands leading lawyers has passed away after a short illness.

Martyn Morgan, the head of QualitySolicitors Talbots, died last week aged 60 years-old at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and leaves behind wife Mary, daughters Abby, Charli, Danielle, Hannah and son Ben.

The Stourbridge-born residential property specialist was a popular figure in the Midlands law scene and was renowned for his sense of humour and commitment to delivering high quality legal services ‘locally’.

A former student of King Edward VI Grammar School, he had just marked the company’s best ever year in business, achieving £8m of annual fees and helping it secure its position in the top 20 conveyancing firms in the UK.

“Everyone is shocked and naturally saddened by Martyn’s sudden passing and our thoughts are with Mary and their children,” commented Rachel Pardoe, Practice Director at QualitySolicitors Talbots

“He was the heartbeat of the business and wasn’t afraid to try new ideas and innovate the way we did things in what is still a very traditional sector.”

She went on to add: “Despite his immense workload he would always make time for people and, more times than not, his larger than life character would brighten up the day with one of his trademark jokes or witty comments.

“As a business, we will continue to work hard to ensure Martyn’s vision – to remain one of the premier law firms in the West Midlands – is achieved. He always believed that local people and businesses shouldn’t have to travel to the big cities and pay extortionate fees to get the right legal advice when they need it most.”

Martyn was articled to Bryan Evers of Harward and Evers in Stourbridge, who he cited throughout his career as an inspirational lawyer and individual.

He took over QualitySolicitors Talbots in 1991 when the practice had two offices and a handful of staff.

Today, the company boasts more than 190 employees, seven offices across the Black Country and Worcestershire and a reputation for being experts in business, employment, estates, family and property law.

Under his guidance the firm has also introduced a number of innovations, including ‘free first advice’, Saturday openings and fixed-fee business advice meetings.

Rachel concluded: “Talbots was like a second family to Martyn and he would have wanted us to get back to business as quickly as possible, ensuring we put the clients first. That’s exactly what we are going to do.”

Outside of work, Martyn was a massive Aston Villa fan and enjoyed keeping fit, running two marathons (New York and London), taking part in long bike rides and playing practical jokes.

He was also a major fundraiser for the Chris Westwood Charity for Children with Physical Disabilities, where he helped to raise tens of thousands of pounds.

Details of the funeral will be confirmed shortly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .