Long serving Tamworth lawyer Bob Locke is merging his thriving legal practice with the new Stacks Law Firm at 1 Fitzroy Street.
It’s only a short move of two blocks for Mr Locke who moves into the Stacks building with his staff in coming days.
“It’s an exciting development for us as Stacks is a highly reputable law firm that has more than twenty offices based in regional centres as well as Sydney,” Mr Locke said.
“The merger opens up enormous opportunities to draw on the wide range of experience and skills of more than 70 lawyers in the Stacks group. I’ve known the chairman Maurie Stack for many years and have tremendous respect for him and his team.
“Maurie is a past president of the Law Society of NSW and comes from a family with a long history of working in the law.”
Mr Locke, son of a country magistrate, started his first job as a lawyer in Tamworth in 1974. He began working in all aspects of the law from criminal matters to commercial law.
In 1984 he set up his own law firm specialising in commercial and property law.
“Tamworth was growing rapidly and we grew with the city. By 2000 we had a staff of 30 and seven lawyers.”
Outside his law firm Mr Locke worked with several charities and the judicial committee for regional rugby.
In 2000 Mr Locke wanted to be more hands-on with his clients so once again he set out with his own small law firm. However last year he had a health scare. He’s fully recovered now, but decided at age 69 it was time to wind back his day-to-day responsibilities as a firm principal.
“Maurie offered me the opportunity to merge firms and for me to become a consultant with the Stacks team in Tamworth. For me it is the best of both worlds. My clients will have the best possible service at Stacks, and I can continue to provide assistance where I am needed.
“I will also be freed up to pursue some of the things I really love such as helping community groups and spending more time with my clients, many of whom have become close personal friends.
“I also relish mentoring upcoming generations of young lawyers, passing on the benefits of my long experience in Tamworth and the law. There are some things you just can’t learn in university, such as the importance of the personal relationship you have with your clients, the need to treat your client as you would like to be treated if you were in their position. All the developments in technology can’t replace that personal contact, and it’s key to enjoying your own work.”