A former senior partner of leading south-west England lawyers,
Ian Waite, 83, has spent his entire legal career with the company after joining it in County Cornwall, south-west England in 1953 as an articled clerk. He moved from London to become a qualified solicitor, his father paying £300 so that he received this training.
“Starting at the bottom rung of the ladder, Ian learnt the finer details of not only the general practice of a local law firm, but also the specialist topic that the firm was gaining a strong reputation for, mining. Ian changed the face of mining law with a ground-breaking case in front of the Court of Appeal. The case was lost but the law was changed and is still in use today,” says Stephens Scown LLP.
“Not only a ground-breaker, in terms of the law, Ian was also a nurturer and developer of his team. Generations of first-class lawyers have learnt their craft from his wisdom: Ian Lamond, partner and former team leader of planning law at Stephens Scown who himself has many mining and environment related accolades under his belt to solicitor Sarah-Jane Williams, a key player on a variety of mining related matters.
“The ultimate accolade came when Ian was appointed senior partner within the firm, a position which he held for 22 years. Having retired from the partnership in January 1991, Ian now acts as consultant within the planning team, continuing to share his knowledge and insights into the industry. During his period at the helm, he steered the firm with a steady hand through waters which were often quite turbulent and saw the firm grow from a small country practice to one of the largest firms in the south-west region.”
