Law Society Obituary

Samuel Richard Mason Jenkins (Dick)
27 April 1918 to 8 January 2004

After returning from war service Mr Jenkins studied law and was admitted to the Bar at Wellington High Court in the early 1950s.

In 1955 he joined Lloyd Ellingham and Mr Dale as a partner at the firm of Atkinson Dale Ellingham & Jenkins..

Lloyd Ellingham and Mr Jenkins were not only partners in law but close friends and together developed the firm into a successful partnership very much in the traditional style of providing legal services to generations of families and businesses
Lloyd Ellingham and Mr Jenkins were partners until Lloyd Ellingham's retirement in the late 1980s and on Lloyd's retirement the firm's name reverted to Atkinson Dale.
Mr Jenkins remained as the senior partner of Atkinson Dale until he formally retired from the partnership in 1991 but continued to have a loyal following through the next decade
He was well known for his amazing memory in regards to clients and files and this memory included generations of knowledge

He had what may now be considered an "old fashioned" approach - ensuring that client contact was paramount and he developed an aversion to the "time keeping" system of six minute units introduced in the 1980s, steadfastly resisting to submit to that system.

Mr Jenkins always maintained a politeness to clients and staff alike and this charming approach extended to such longstanding staff members as Peg Holman, who was the Trust Accountant at Atkinson Dale for over thirty years, who Mr Jenkins always addressed as Mrs Holman.

When the firm of Atkinson Dale merged with Tripe Matthews & Feist in 1999 Mr Jenkins accepted a consultancy role and provided invaluable assistance to Tripe Matthews & Feist staff and former clients of Atkinson Dale until the time of his death.

Mr Jenkins was one of a select group of practitioners who had been a lawyer for 50 years and in recognition of his long service to the legal profession the Wellington District Law Society in recent times elected Mr Jenkins as an Honorary Member of the Law Society.

Our condolences to Marie and sons David and Martin. Mr Jenkins was a valued colleague and a loyal friend. He will be greatly missed.

Courtesy of the Wellington District Law Society Council Brief, February 2004.

Last Updated on Saturday, 10 April 2010 10:00