cooke painter ltd. news

Colin Berkovitch has finally decided to hang up his wig and pen

We have recently heard from Colin, who will be known to many of our clients, that he has finally decided to retire completely and will no longer be available to provide locum cover. As you may know Colin has had a very long association with Cooke Painter and Shepstone and its predecessor Cooke Painter and Co going back almost 40 years.

In October 1968 Colin, together with Michael Barnard, who until then practiced as Barnard and Berkovitch, merged with Cooke Painter and Co. Colin and Michael met at Bristol University as undergraduates in the Law Faculty where their acquaintance had started as a result of a shared interest in the old Austin 7 classic cars. They remained friends throughout their university life and then both went on to Gibson and Weldon Law School in Guildford and qualified together in October 1960.

In 1982 the firm split as Michael Barnard and three junior partners left to form Barnard and Co whilst Colin took over the name Cooke Painter and Co in his own right.

Colin had been instrumental in formulating the direction of the firm over many years in the period up until his retirement in 2002 and the partners wish to place on record their thanks and gratitude to him. More recently, he has on many occasions provided holiday and sickness cover for solicitors that has enabled the practice to continue to run smoothly. We all wish Colin the best for a long and happy full time retirement that has been a long time coming and is, of course very well deserved.

Colin (right) with Andrew Stone (left) and Hedley Stephens