To fresh woods and pastures new
Following Pattinson & Brewer’s relocation to a new City head office, Senior Partner John Davies is moved to reflect upon the firm’s historic years in Great James Street…
As I write this, Pattinson & Brewer has moved from Great James Street in Bloomsbury, Holborn to 11 Pilgrim Street, near St Paul’s.
The firm has been practising since 1890 from Great James Street, reputedly called one of the loveliest streets in London on account of the houses built there during the reign of King George the First. It’s possible that we were in business even earlier, as one of our former senior partners claimed that Charles Dickens might have been an occasional client in his last years.
What is certain is that for most of its professional life the firm has acted for a number of trade unions with whom our history has been uniquely interwoven. The business of the firm arose from the early Workmen’s Compensation Acts and developed into a leading personal injury practice, to which was added, amongst others, important linked specialisms in medical negligence and employment.
During our time at Great James Street we acquired additional office space, ultimately in Singer Street in the City. That lease has now expired and we therefore decided that our London office should be under one roof at 11 Pilgrim Street, EC4 – between St Pauls and Blackfriars in what was once one of the City’s religious centres until the reformation.
Our culture has come with us; our core belief in justice and fairness in the service of our clients continues as we face the new challenges that the legal landscape has set for us.
And so, as Milton wrote in his poem Lycidas, “Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new”.