Michael King is retiring after more than four decades at law firm Stone King, having played a key role in its growth and prosperity as senior partner and chairman.
Michael, pictured, joined the firm 43 years ago, becoming a partner aged just 26. He has led the charity & social enterprise group – helping make it a national leader in the sectors – and been instrumental in driving the firm’s growth in London, having established its first office there in 1990.
He is the great-great-grandson of Edward King – who brought the ‘King’ to Stone King in 1832 – while his father Gerald also practised at its historic Bath office at 13 Queen Square.
Michael has seen – and been integral to – significant growth at the firm. Turnover has increased from £85,000 when he joined to £17.5m today and staff risen from around 20 people in Bath to around 250 operating out of offices in Bath, London, Leeds, Birmingham and Cambridge.
Beyond Stone King, Michael’s influence on the legal landscape has also been significant.
He has served in prominent positions including chairman of the Charity Law Association (CLA), president of Bath Law Society and chairman of the Catholic Charity Conference, among others, and fulfilled numerous charity trustee and school governor roles.
He was also the first solicitor to be appointed by the Charity Commission to act as interim manager for a charity under investigation. He has found this area of work particularly rewarding and has been appointed by the Charity Commission seven times.
He successfully recruited respected figures in the charity and education sectors, who have driven Stone King to become a leading national law firm in these sectors.
Michael said: “I leave the Stone King partnership in good hands, with an excellent chairman in Ann Phillips and a well-honed managing partner in Steven Greenwood, plus a group of talented people around the table who in my judgement will take the firm forward and develop new areas of work and expertise for the benefit of our clients and professional contacts and for the good of those who work here.”
Ann Phillips added: “Michael will be sorely missed by the whole firm, both professionally as an exceptional and enormously respected lawyer and personally as someone who keeps things in perspective, has a great sense of humour and embodies the very best in professional values. It has been a privilege to work with him and he should be very proud of the legacy he leaves behind him.”
After leaving Stone King, Michael plans to spend more time with his family and on several trustee boards. He has also enrolled on a mediation course with a view to being available to trustees of voluntary organisations.
