Talbots writes the next chapter with university book donation
The School of Law at Birmingham City University has been given a major boost this week thanks to a kind-hearted gesture by a local legal specialist.
Talbots, a fast-growing law practice in the Black Country, is currently refurbishing its Kidderminster office and, as part of the redevelopment, needed to find a home for 850 law journals.
The firm was keen to find the right new owner for the books so got in touch with a number of universities and Birmingham City’s large breadth of legal disciplines offered the perfect fit for the unique collection.
“We had been storing the journals at our library, but needed to free up some space for our expansion and to accommodate additional staff,” explained Mary Mocklow, chief executive of Talbots.
“The books, some of which date back to the 1800s, are leather bound and look great. They’re too good to be just thrown away so we took the decision to find an organisation that could make the best possible use of them.”
She added: “Some of our lawyers had graduated from Birmingham City University and asked us to approach the school there to see if they wanted the collection. Haydn Davies, the interim head of law, wasted no time in saying ‘yes’ and even came and helped us pack and transport them.”
The legal journals are now in place in Birmingham City University’s two courtrooms that are used to train more than 1000 students every year.
They will also be used as a backdrop for press and media interviews regularly conducted by legal staff.
Haydn Davies said: “The oldest of the texts (in the English reports) goes back to 1895 and it is very unusual these days to get a full set of law reports bound in leather. They look fantastic in place and conjure up the feeling of being in an active courtroom – great experience for our students.
“It is the first time we have worked with Talbots and it is a very generous donation. If we were to purchase this collection - even second hand - the cost would probably run to thousands of pounds, so we are very grateful.”
Talbots, which has seven offices in Codsall, Dudley, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Stourport and Wolverhampton, is on course to generate £12m of fees this year.
