Butcher's boy who was two hours late on his first day at work at Leamington solicitors is celebrating 40 years with the legal firm

A Leamington litigation lawyer who started work as a butcher’s boy after leaving school is now celebrating 40 years with Leamington solicitors, Blythe Liggins.

Darryl Barnes is a key member of the firm’s dispute resolution team, using his wide experience of acting in the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal to represent both claimants and defendants.

But his time with the firm did not get off to a promising start. “I was two hours late for work on my first day!” he said.

He was driving to Blythe Liggins in his Ford Cortina when he was flagged down by a motorist who saw petrol pouring out of the tank.

“I had to find a place where I could park over a drain so the petrol wouldn’t flood the road. Then I had to wait for the fire brigade and then get the car to a garage. It wasn’t the most auspicious start to a new job but fortunately the firm was very understanding!”

Darryl was joining the solicitors after spending five years with a Coventry law firm, which he had joined as a trainee.

“When I was at school in Rugby, I used to deliver meat for a local butcher before going to school each day. I sometimes also helped out in the shop on Saturdays so, when I left school and was wondering what career to follow, I spent six months working as a butcher’s boy while waiting to get a placement with a law firm,” he said.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. In 1989 he was struck down with cancer and fought a long battle for two years, during which time he also developed sepsis and then became one of the first 20 people in the UK to receive stem cell treatment for his tumour.

“The firm was absolutely marvellous and supported me the whole time, through months of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy and my transfer to a London hospital where they were in the early days of using stem cell treatment.”

Today, Darryl, a keen motor racing fan, keeps fit by walking miles along canals and through the countryside, often with his wife and two children.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride but I’ve enjoyed every minute of – well, most of it!”