A former president of the Law Society is celebrating 50 years with the same Merseyside firm – and even at the age of 77 has no plans to retire.
Andrew Holroyd has enjoyed a distinguished career with Jackson Lees Group, receiving an OBE in 2003 for publicly-funded legal work in Liverpool and a CBE in 2009 for services to the administration of justice.
He was president of Liverpool Law Society in 1993-94 and national president in 2007-08.
During his career he has been a solicitor, partner, senior and managing partner and chairman, spearheading strong organic growth for the practice as well as a series of mergers.
He is currently head of risk and compliance for the firm as well as MAPD Group, which acquired Jackson Lees Group in 2020. Jackson Lees Group employs 240 people across offices in Liverpool, Wirral and Southport.
Fresh from his honeymoon in Italy – Andrew and his wife Caroline celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last month – he joined Jackson & Canter as a solicitor in August 1975, when a pint of milk cost 7p, a loaf of bread was 10p and a pint of beer was 27p.
Major news stories of the year saw Margaret Thatcher become leader of the Conservative Party, a new law giving women rights to equal pay and status in the workplace, and the Vietnam War ending with the fall of Saigon.
The first Britons conquered Everest, oil began to flow from the North Sea for the first time, and Bill Gates founded Microsoft with Paul Allen.
At Jackson & Canter, Andrew undertook a variety of work, dealing with housing and family law matters to criminal defence and welfare benefits, will-making and probate, immigration and asylum cases, and pursuing shipping claims for sailors injured at sea. He became a partner in 1977.
In 1981, the firm’s office in the Rialto Buildings in Toxteth was destroyed by fire during the notorious summer riots. Nothing could be salvaged, but the firm chose to remain in the area, initially in a temporary building before moving into new premises.
By 2008, Andrew was managing partner of Jackson & Canter. In 2012, it merged with RM Broudie and the enlarged practice consisted of two trading styles, Jackson Canter and Broudie Jackson Canter. In 2016, it acquired Wirral-based Lees Solicitors and became Jackson Lees Group.
Previous mergers had seen Jackson & Canter join forces with Chadwick and Haggis and AS Law.
Andrew said: “When I started at the firm, everyone could fit around one table – now there are 240 in Jackson Lees Group and over 500 in MAPD Group as a whole.
“I’ve had a very varied career in law, managing the business, chairing its board and now undertaking its compliance. I’ve never done anything for too long to become bored – I’ve always moved on to something else, which has brought lots of new challenges.
“Even now, I have no plans to retire. I would rather carry on, especially while I have something to contribute.
“My current role keeps the brain active as it’s full of intellectual challenges every day, and I can use my experience to help our younger lawyers navigate their way through the challenges they face in their work.”
He added: “The ethos of the firm’s founding fathers of making a difference – they chose to open offices in areas of Liverpool where they could support disadvantaged people – still underpins the work that we do, and I’m extremely proud of our achievements, in particular our role in acting for Hillsborough families.
“The way of delivering law has changed immensely over the years. The universal availability of data means people can find out a lot for themselves, but the application of law to a person’s individual circumstances is where the skill of a lawyer comes in, and I don’t think that is going to change.
“It’s still a career I would recommend – there is a variety of roles, there are always new areas of law emerging as legislation is passed by Parliament, and it’s an opportunity to make a difference.”
Esther Leach, managing director of Jackson Lees Group, said: “Andrew’s list of achievements is just incredible and he deserves every credit. He’s spent 50 years dedicated to our community, the legal profession and the fight for justice.
“He’s an absolute force to be reckoned with. His energy, motivation and drive for change and improvement never ceases to amaze us.
“His forward-thinking and innovative approach to everything is an inspiration to all who work with him. He genuinely brings massive pragmatism to all the issues he encounters. We are so incredibly lucky to have him.”
Father-of-two Andrew, who was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, spends his leisure time walking, looking after his grandchildren and playing golf.
When he became president of the Law Society, he was the first Liverpool lawyer for 25 years to take the role.
Andrew was presented with a wine hamper from the MAPD Group to mark his milestone.