THE country was in the grip of Silver Jubilee fever and the Queen had been on the throne a mere 25 years when Richard Baker began his career as a lawyer.

Now, the solicitor has joined Coles Solicitors as a consultant based at its office in Yarm-on-Tees.

Mr Baker, 64, is well known across the Teesside and North Yorkshire areas that are Coles’ heartland.

He brings to the firm his long experience of family law, handling divorce settlements, dispute resolution, maintenance, estate claims, pre-marital and co-habitation agreements.

On the commercial side, he excels in property litigation, boundary and building disputes, landlord and tenant claims, while almost 40 years in practice enables him to offer dependable employment law advice for employers and employees as well as representation at tribunals.

He is a former partner with BHP Law and prior to that, of James & Baker of Thornaby, which merged with BHP in 2007.

When not working, North Yorkshire born and bred Richard is a keen fly fisherman in pursuit of trout and salmon and a member of Stockton & District Angling Club.

He particularly relishes river fishing or angling in some of the region’s more remote reservoirs and  wandering the moors and dales.

“I am delighted to have joined Coles Solicitors, and I aim to provide the friendly but efficient service I have always strived to deliver,” he said.

Peter Gibson, Coles Solicitors’ managing director and principal solicitor, said: “Richard is a heavyweight Teesside litigator and adds a really strong dimension to our march northwards.

“He will be primarily based at our Yarm office but with the obvious scope of being able to handle matters from other offices too. Richard is well-known name on the Teesside legal scene and will be a great asset to our range of lawyers as we continue to grow.”

Mr Baker joins fellow solicitor Alison Skene at Coles’ Yarm base at 133A High Street, which was opened last year as part of expansion that has seen four new offices opened since it moved to purpose-built headquarters in Northallerton four years ago. Other branches are in York, Thirsk and Settle.