Mayo &
A look back at
Perkins
When I joined Mayo &
Perkins as the junior
partner in 1965, the
senior partner – William
Gregory Perkins, had
good advice for me.
He said always offer your client a
cigarette and he always had smelling
salts in a drawer of his desk should any
client become distressed.
Another piece of advice was never
to include Dr Bodkin Adams as a
beneficiary in any will. Adams was
a general practitioner, convicted
fraudster and suspected serial killer.
Between 1946 and 1956, more than
160 of his patients died in suspicious
circumstances. Of these, 132 left him
money or items in their wills.
Mr Perkins also said never to be too
hasty in judging a potential client – his
most valued conveyancing client had
first arrived late one evening in soiled
builder’s clothes and rather the worse for
drink having been sent away by another
local solicitor.
My wife was privileged to take tea with
Mrs Perkins who explained that in her
day the senior partner’s wife would
never have contemplated inviting the
junior partner’s wife to tea; nor was she
impressed that we were still unable to
afford to have a phone at home.
Hugh Riddick had invited me to join the
firm. As a solicitor on the staff of the
Town Clerk of Eastbourne, I handled
prosecutions on behalf of the County
Borough Police and Hugh was my most
16
frequent opponent: especially in legal
aid cases or when the work was entirely
unpaid. He had need of a new partner;
Charles Mayo, the brilliant advocate
and renowned wit (his grandson was
actor, satirist, writer and comedian
Peter Cook), had already retired and
Mr Perkins was nearing retirement age.
The remaining partner, Bill Epsley, came
from the family who owned the multiple
Timothy White and Taylor, so Bill’s need
was for occupational therapy.
Our offices were at 1, Upperton
Gardens, Eastbourne. The entire annual
bill for wages and salaries was £7,000
which equalled Mr Perkin’s drawings and
he claimed the right to all the produce
from the office garden.
We soon made progress and acquired
the long-established firm of Stapley
and Hurst of 3, Gildredge Road, on
the retirement of Norman Hurst – well
known for the delicious cucumber
sandwiches served by his butler to those
invited to tea at his Hyde Gardens flat.
This acquisition enabled us to take on
Ron Naylor and Jonathan Watt into
partnership.
We needed to amalgamate in one
office and on New Year’s Day, 1969; I
made the resolution to find a suitable
building. I set off late that evening to