Alistair Millar, Senior Partner from May 2022 to present
“When I first arrived at Tallents Solicitors in Southwell, I was terrified. I was to spend the first three months sharing a room with Robin Marshall, whom I had come across whilst working for previous law firms, both in Nottingham and in Lincoln. I knew that he took no prisoners and he had been based at the Southwell office for 43 years, I believe, so there was nothing he didn’t know about local property and local people. I was placed at a small desk in the corner of Robin’s room and worked under his supervision whilst he remained at the big desk that dominated the room (and, in truth, the building). After just two months, Robin told me that he was going to move to the small desk, and I should replace him at the big one…Phew! I had passed the test.”
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“Movember in 2010. I was growing a moustache in the fledgling days of Movember, in a team with some Doncaster Rovers players and I was busting a gut to raise more than the Movember team captain, Simon Gillett. I asked our cashiers at Southwell if they would sponsor me, and Barbara Baldwin said that if I grew a full Freddie Mercury moustache and performed Queen’s ‘I Want to Break Free’, they’d raise £50. I knew they had no chance of raising so much money, so I agreed to it in the hope of seeing what they could manage to raise. Low and behold, they raised it in just under five minutes and that’s why I was seen at each of the offices that Autumn in a wig, tight pink sweater, leather mini skirt and high heels clutching with a hoover…and I was also seen on Middlegate in Newark, tottering across Westgate in Southwell and in the public car park in Mansfield! But we raised lots of money for Movember that year!”
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“A few years ago, Countryfile came to film the Laxton Court Leet proceedings, where I am the Steward to the Leet Court. Laxton was chosen for the filming because it is the only place in England which still has the old open fields (strip farming), with a working manor court (a court leet). A specially convened Court Leet was held for the BBC cameras to give an idea of the long history of this venerable institution. All of the farmers turned out, however, I fined Matt Baker £5 for turning up late! He did make a good plea in mitigation, so I rescinded his fine. ”
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