Liverpool Law Aug 2017

E Rex Makin
partners. Goodness, partners in the firm of E. Rex Makin & Co
which was all rather amazing!
Mr Makin was made a Freeman of Liverpool on 3rd November
2003. He was immensely proud and he invited all employees to the
ceremony and the beautiful salmon dinner at the Crowne Plaza
afterwards to share the celebration. The day after, I asked him to
sign my Conferment Programme. I felt pretty daft but I’m so glad I
asked and he was more than happy to oblige.
I have many more good memories of Rex Makin, he was dedicated,
kind, wise and generous. All in all it was a great honour to work for
Professor E. Rex Makin.
Naomi Pinder
Jackson & Canter
The End of an Era? –
A Young Solicitor’s Guide to
Working in the Shadow of Rex
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Rex Makin a few days
ago. I qualified as a solicitor in Liverpool in 1984. In all the
time since, I spoke to him face to face on only one occasion. I
felt like I had just had an audience with the Pope. It was that
important.
In my early days as a personal injury solicitor, I acted for
insurance companies in compensation claims. Rex would be on
my case, rebuking me for failing to reply to letters within 3 days
and mocking my involvement in the local law society. This was a
simple attempt to distract me whilst he got on with the business
of making sure he secured the best settlement for his client. I
soon learned. All letters I received were on half size sheets of
paper. I was lucky to get more than one sentence.
Rex always stood up for what he believed in. His views on a
variety of subjects were articulated in his regular column in the
Liverpool Echo. Sometime in the 1990s I was shown an exchange
of complaint correspondence between Rex and Mr Hagan who
was the senior administrator for the County Court in the old QE2
days. The letters sent by Rex were, to say the least vitriolic – but
also very clever. It was a regular weekly exchange between the
two on a variety of subjects. Mr Hagan was always very
courteous in his reply despite enormous provocation. Dealing
with these matters was a significant distraction for Mr Hagan but
when the staff set up a retirement party for him - guess who was
top of the list of invitations!
Rex was also a huge supporter of the arts in Liverpool. I set up a
function many years ago at the Walker Art Gallery. When I said
that I was a solicitor the staff told me about the contributions that
Rex had made to the gallery. In fact they said he was the fourth
largest benefactor. A private exhibition was set up for him to say
“thank you”. Apparently significant subterfuge had to be used to
get him there. I am told that despite outward signs to the
contrary, he openly wept when he got there and realised what had
been done for him.
He qualified as a solicitor in 1949 and in 2009 Liverpool Law
Society made a Lifetime Achievement Award to him after 60
years service in the legal profession.
At the time that I qualified his presence here in Liverpool made a
big impression on me and many others of my generation. His
approach to challenging authority and speaking out when things
were wrong was something that we all had to follow. If you
wanted to get on you had a lot to learn from Rex. I am firmly of
the view that by raising the bar he played a significant part in
establishing Liverpool as a centre of legal excellence.
With over 60 members Atlantic Chambers is able to offer a wide
range of expertise within our specialist practice groups.
Civil Litigation including Clinical Negligence,
Family, Chancery & Commercial, Crime,
Employment, Proceeds of Crime & Public Law
Many people applauded him for what he did. Many others could
not agree – particularly if they were on the receiving end of his
acerbic wit and challenge. Whichever way you looked at him you
always respected him and right now all with be sorry to learn of
his passing.
Will there ever be another Rex in Liverpool or elsewhere? I can
say “never” with certainty. It really is the end of an era.
Stewart McCulloch
AutoResolutions Limited
4-6 Cook Street, Liverpool L2 9QU
T 0151 236 4421 F 0151 236 1559
DX: 14176 Liverpool 1.
E-mail: info@atlanticchambers.co.uk
10 www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk