
Sunderland law firm bids farewell to long-standing lawyer
A respected and highly experienced Sunderland lawyer has worked on his final case and is now looking forward to retirement.
Barry Wood, director and chartered legal executive at Richard Reed Solicitors, has been a well-respected member of the legal community both across Wearside and the wider North East. After 37 years at the firm, he has decided to retire.
Barry admits that when he joined the firm, he didn’t envisage staying for that length of time. He had previously worked in Hartlepool for nine years. ‘Richard Reed has been such a great place to work with so many fantastic people,’ he said, ‘and that’s the reason why I have stayed with the firm for so long.’
Barry, who lives in Peterlee, heads up a department of five and specialised in civil law, working mainly in the field of dispute resolution across a wide range of sectors.
‘I felt now was the right time to retire,’ Barry said. ‘My wife retired a few years ago and so it gives us time to now plan to do things together and with our family, although my immediate plans are just to get out and about on my bike and do more yoga.
‘I’ve had an amazing time working at Richard Reed and I know the company will continue to go from strength to strength.’
Sarah Reid, managing director, said that Barry would be hugely missed. ‘Barry has been an integral part of the team here at Richard Reed and his experience and expertise has been a real asset to the firm,’ she said.
‘We are very grateful for all of his hard work and wish him a long and well-deserved retirement.’