Timeline of History

1870	Leathes Prior left school age 17
1875	Leathes Prior was admitted as a Solicitor and set out for London to take up an appointment in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
1876	Leathes returned to Norwich and established the firm with the name it still bears today. The firm was based on a blend of work for private clients in Norfolk and public appointments for the city of Norwich and the diocese.
1876	Leathes Prior married Cecilia Bolingbroke. They had six children and the two boys - Bernard Leathes Prior and Charles Bolingbroke Leathes Prior - qualified as Solicitors after being articled to their father.
1920s	Charles rejoined his father briefly before being appointed Official Receiver and later chairman of a tea and tobacco merchants.
1927	After the war, Bernard returned to England and set up business in London but was recalled to Leathes Prior as the burden of business became too much for his father.
1936	Leathes Prior dies aged 83.
1937	A new generation came onto the scene as Colonel Bernard Leathes Prior saw his younger son Bernard Oliver admitted as a Solicitor.
1949	The young Bernard Oliver Leathes Prior was at this time taking up public appointments in Norwich and they were becoming an important part of the business – in this year he became Clerk of Peace
1953	Bernard becomes HM Coroner and also Clerk to the Great Hospital Trustees
1953	The older Colonel Bernard Leathes Prior died aged 77.
1955	Bernard becomes Registrar to Diocese of Norwich and Legal Secretary to the Bishop.
1960s	This combination of official appointments and private client work lasted into this decade when Norfolk began to grow as an important commercial centre. There were no other members of the family to continue the firm so the decision was made to recruit keen young lawyers and ensure its succession in this way.
1973	Current senior Partner William Riley joins LP
1970s and 1980s	Leathes Prior transformed through the development of a wide range of legal services and significant growth into the modern law firm it is today. This change has reflected the growth and development of the County and the increasing importance of Norwich as a commercial centre
1990s and 2000s	The last 20 years has seen a consolidation of that change with the firm emerging as a leading commercial and private client player in the Norfolk and East Anglian scene, consistently rated as such by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners guides.
2001	LP holds 125th anniversary
2006	LP Corporate office opens in Tombland
2010	Today Leathes Prior currently consists of 13 Partners, 6 Associates and over 60 members of staff. We are one of the larger firms in East Anglia advising a wide range of clients. The firm is split between two offices, one in Tombland and the other in the Cathedral Close.