The History of Morrish Solicitors

Morrish Solicitors is a long-established law firm with its origins in Leeds. The firm was founded in Leeds on 17^th August 1882 by Harold Bee James (pictured), son of a non-Conformist minister, who received his first practising certificate on that date, aged 24. He practised as a sole practitioner (H B James) until after the First World War.

Records show that in 1906 the firm represented its first Association client, the Farriers and Blacksmiths. The relations with the Trade Union movement have grown from strength to strength thereafter.

As a result of friendships made through Headingley Hill Congregational Church, which the James and Morrish families attended, Harold James’ daughter, Kathleen, married David Morrish. David had an elder brother, Eric (pictured). Both Morrish brothers served and were injured in the First World War. Eric, whose law studies at Leeds University had been disrupted by war service, trained with Harold James and was admitted as a solicitor in January 1919, at which time the firm became HB James & Morrish.

Harold James retired from the practice in 1932 and Eric Morrish took over the firm. A younger partner, Clarence Nelson, joined the practice and the firm became Morrish, Nelson & Co from 1934 until just after WWII.

Eric Morrish, an Alderman on Leeds City Council, became Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds on two separate occasions and President of Leeds Law Society in 1941-42.  Leonard Skirrow and Priestley Kirby joined the practice in 1946 when the firm became Morrish & Co on the departure of Clarence Nelson. In the 1950s Fred Saville became a partner. The firm incorporated another Leeds practice, Pullan Davies & Co, in 1940 when Sir Charles Davies left to become Chief Executive of Leeds Permanent Building Society of which Eric Morrish was a director.

Eric Morrish died suddenly leaving the firm in the hands of Leonard Skirrow and Priestley Kirby. Eric’s elder son, John Morrish, had joined the firm in the late 1940s and later, in about 1973, left to become a Chairman of Industrial Tribunals in Leeds (now known as an Employment Judge of the Employment Tribunals). In the meantime, Eric’s other son, Richard Morrish, started with the firm in about 1959.

The firm took over Wade, Kitson & Rigg (in about 1963) which had offices in Yeadon and Leeds. The Yeadon office developed from a part time office, managed principally on evenings and Saturday mornings by Richard Morrish, in addition to his duties at Leeds, until it became a full-time office in the early 1980s. The firm was joined by Ian Skirrow (Leonard Skirrow’s son) and John Foster. Fred Saville left the firm to become Registrar at the Leeds County Court. John Foster later left to become a District Judge in Rotherham.

With the assistance of Jack Saxton (a legal executive who worked for the firm for over 50 years since starting out as an office boy aged 14), the practice was transformed to become a major litigation practice in Leeds, at the same time as maintaining its traditional high street presence. The next young Articled Clerk to join the firm was Tim Harris (pictured), later Senior Partner and now a Consultant, along with Bernard White.

In 1988 Martin Bare (pictured) joined the firm with John Peniston bringing the Transport & General Workers’ Union with them as a client together with a strong reputation for Claimant litigation work. Paul Scholey (pictured) also joined the firm as an Articled Clerk having undertaken his first year of articles with a niche criminal practice in Leeds.

Over the years the firm flourished as it acquired Thomas Tidswell and Co, a niche litigation practice, to add further strength to the litigation team. Our personal injury team expanded further with Jason London (pictured) and others becoming partners. In 1999 the firm exhibited for the first time at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which allowed the firm to develop wider relationships with the Trade Union movement. TSSA then became a client as have an increasing number of trades unions, now numbering over twenty.

The firm continued to strengthen its ties with Trade Unions and Associations.  In 2002 the firm attained the Lexcel award – the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management.  In 2006, the firm took over Lindley Clough, a leading Pudsey practice.  In 2009 it  evolved into Morrish Solicitors LLP and opened a new branch in Bradford, strengthening ties and commitment to the local community. The firm holds a clinical negligence Legal Services Commission franchise for Bradford and this specialist team expanded under the leadership of Duncan Gardiner (pictured). At the same time Laura Nabozny (pictured) grew the specialist personal injury team and David Sorensen the employment team.  Both Laura and David had joined the firm in 1999.  The most recently appointed partners are John Morrison, personal injury specialist, Daniel Kindell, head of employment law, and Anna Sari who now manages the clinical negligence team.

The firm continued to flourish and grow under the leadership of Paul Scholey as Managing Partner, expanding in size.

Today Morrish Solicitors is run by 7 partners who are led by the Managing Partner, David Sorensen (pictured), and the Senior Partner, Tom Morrish (pictured). Tom Morrish is the son of Richard Morrish and Grandson of Eric Morrish, who were partners in the earlier years of the firm.

Morrish Solicitors LLP is still independently owned and managed by its partners with a workforce 70 strong across four offices, providing a full range of legal services and maintaining a proud tradition of forward-thinking service to its clients, both nationally and locally.

2022 was the firm’s 140^th anniversary. The firm is growing and has invested in a significant modernisation programme, with a large investment in renewing its IT hardware and software, as well as this new website, with a focus on both environmentally sustainable and socially responsible practices. We look forward to the next 140 years with excitement and enthusiasm.