But breaking the mould is nothing new for Lalage Swinburne, who was one of only three female law graduates in the North-East when she completed her Durham University studies in 1956.
Her father was Col. Hugh Swinburne, and his practice Swinburne and Jackson had branches in Hexham, Chester-le-Street, Washington and Ryton, which closed in 2014.
But it was a legal practice on Fore Street in Hexham, then known as Portnell’s, where Lalage completed her first years in the job.
By 1958 Lalage was married to chartered accountant, Malcolm Sadler, and the couple were expecting the arrival of their first child.
And she was determined to keep working – despite it being the norm at the time for women to become the homemaker – working from home in Gosforth as Lalage L. Swinburne, concentrating mainly on conveyancing and probate work.
Soon the couple’s oldest child Simon was joined by siblings Crispin and Astrid.
Lalage continued working as a sole practitioner until the early 1980s, when her brother Nigel convinced her to join the family firm as a consultant.
In 2014, Lambert, Taylor and Gregory Solicitors opened up an office in Lalage’s home village of Corbridge and she has been working with them as a consultant ever since.
“It’s a small friendly team and I enjoy it so much,” she said. “It keeps me physically and mentally active and I’ll continue for as long as I can.”
Lalage recently received her 60th consecutive practicing certificate from the Law Society, along with a message of congratulations for her long-service.
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