Articles

21st December 2007

Kent's Legal Eagle Steps Down After 48 years' Service...

Colin Hayward has helped many Kentish residents and businesses to legal success. A legal practitioner who is well known across the county and beyond, Colin is retiring this month after an impressive 48 years in the legal profession. Currently a partner at Kingsfords Solicitors in Ashford, Colin is equally renowned for his work as senior partner at Colin Hayward & Co.

Throughout his career Colin has earned a reputation as an approachable and extremely capable all round general practitioner - a combination that has made him highly sought after and popular with clients and colleagues alike. Some of his most memorable cases have involved negotiating the sale and purchase of nursing homes, business acquisitions and disposals, and also car and commercial vehicle businesses.

Colin's path into the legal profession bears little resemblance to that experienced by graduates currently seeking entry into this popular career. He left school at 15 and took a course at Dover Technical College (now South Kent College) to set him on the way to a "good profession".

"It was so different then. We were encouraged to look for a profession, but university was not for the majority. I had to start at the very bottom of the ladder, quite literally making the tea and doing the filing. I can't impress enough how different it was - there were no photocopiers, let alone mobile phones and email!"

Colin started his career as a junior in a practice in Sandwich, before qualifying at a branch of an East Kent firm in Canterbury, for whom he later opened a new branch office in Broadstairs.

Armed with both confidence and experience, Colin set up his own practice, Colin Hayward & Co, in 1982 which he ran for 17 years, specialising in private client work, property and business law. "For me, this was the fulfilment of a personal ambition. Many legal practitioners aspire to setting up on their own, but very few achieve it," said Colin. The practice employed 27 staff before its 1999 merger with Kingsfords, Flower & Pain.

"The decision to merge was an easy one," explained Colin. "It was extremely important for me to develop long term continuity of service for my clients and the merger enabled me to do this. Now that I'm retiring, I'm confident that my clients' interests will be represented in the best and most appropriate way."

Over the years Colin has been fortunate to work with some very interesting and colourful clients and colleagues, and has earned wide respect in the legal profession throughout the county, having served on the Kent Law Society's Law committee in years gone by.

Now Colin is looking forward to enjoying his retirement, "My wife and I have always enjoyed travelling and exploring distant parts of the world, so we will be doing a lot more of that now," explained Colin. "More than anything, I am looking forward to devoting more time to our five grandchildren".

Although Colin is retiring he will remain a consultant with Kingsfords.