Theodore Goddard

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Theodore Goddard (colloquially TG) was an English law firm based in London. The firm merged with Addleshaw Booth & Co on 1 May 2003 to become Addleshaw Goddard. The firm was established by John Theodore Goddard, the solicitor appointed by Wallis Simpson as an adviser to her during divorce proceedings and in relation to her involvement during the United Kingdom abdication Crisis of 1936 (see below).

[edit] Early life

John Theodore Goddard from the photo portrait formerly hanging in the London office of Theodore Goddard

As a young man of 24, John Theodore Goddard founded the practice of Theodore Goddard & Co in 1902. For some years, he practised on his own account from offices in Clement's Inn, close by the Law Courts. Working the London court circuit as a litigator, his reputation soon enabled him to attract as a valuable client the newly created office of The Public Trustee. With the growth of the practice, he moved to new offices in Sergeant's Inn in the Temple area of London in 1917.

[edit] Growth of the practice

Over the next 30 years, there was further progress and by 1946 the firm of Theodore Goddard & Co had eight partners. John Theodore Goddard become known nationwide when, in 1936, he was instructed by Mrs Wallis Simpson (the late Duchess of Windsor) to act for her in her divorce proceedings.^[1][2] When King Edward VIII's intention to marry Mrs Simpson became known, Goddard became closely involved, at the behest of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, in the delicate abdication negotiations.

[edit] Role in the abdication

Following Mrs. Simpson's divorce hearing on October 27, 1936, Goddard had become concerned that there would be a "patriotic" citizen's intervention (a legal device to block the divorce), which worried him, who fearing such an intervention would be successful. He was handling the case as if it were an undefended divorce brought against Mr. Simpson, with Mrs. Simpson as the innocent, injured party. The courts could not grant divorce by consent of both parties, or if it were shown that Mrs. Simpson "colluded" with her husband in the divorce by, for example, having an affair or intending to marry another. On Monday December 7, 1936, the King came to hear that Goddard planned to fly to the south of France to see his client who had fled there. The King summoned him and expressly forbade him to make the journey, fearing the solicitor would put doubts in Mrs. Simpson's mind. Consequently, Goddard went straight to Downing Street and asked for Baldwin's protection. The Government immediately provided the airplane and Goddard flew directly to Cannes.^[3]

Upon arrival, Goddard warned his client that a citizen's intervention, should it arise, was likely to succeed. It was, according to Goddard, his duty to advise her to withdraw her divorce petition. Mrs. Simpson refused to do what her lawyer advised but they both telephoned the King to inform him that she was willing to give him up so that he could now remain King. It was too late, the King had already made up his mind to go, even if he could not marry Mrs. Simpson, a belief borne out by his ultimate actions. Indeed, as the belief that the abdication was now inevitable gathered strength, John Theodore Goddard stated: "[his] client was ready to do anything to ease the situation but the other end of the wicket [Edward VIII] was determined."^[4]

Goddard's visit led to false speculation that Mrs. Simpson was pregnant^[5], and even that she was having an abortion. As Goddard had a weak heart and had never flown before, he had asked his doctor, William Kirkwood - then a resident at a Maternity Hospital, to accompany him on the trip. The press excitedly reported that the solicitor had flown to Mrs. Simpson accompanied by a gynaecologist and an anaesthetist (who was actually the lawyer's clerk).^[6]

[edit] The practice generally

In 1941, the offices suffered a direct hit during a Blitz air raid and were completely destroyed, together with most of the firm's records and clients' papers. The firm then relocated to New Court, immediately behind the Law Courts, which remained its home until its move to the City of London in 1965.

John Theodore Goddard retired as Senior Partner in 1950 and died in 1952. However, the 1950s saw a period of further growth through amalgamation with, in particular, the City firm of Deacons & Pritchard (founded in 1834) and the firm of Rhys Roberts & Co (founded in 1883 by future Prime Minister David Lloyd George who had been a Partner thereof for many years until his Parliamentary duties grew too burdensome).

The firm developed as a balanced general practice, with an emphasis on private client work. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Theodore Goddard & Co. attracted many company clients and the commercial side of the practice grew rapidly.

This led to the decision in 1965 to concentrate on this work and move to offices in St Martin's-le-Grand in the City of London.

Company, commercial and international work continued to increase during the next 20 years, by which time it had become the predominant part of the practice.

By the end of the 1980s the London office had grown to a total of over 300 staff with over 40 partners. This made it necessary to move offices again in 1990, this time to offices at 150 Aldersgate Street (which continue to form part of the London network of offices operated by the merged firm Addleshaw Goddard see below).

[edit] The 1990s, 2000s and the merger

During the expansion of the practice throughout the 1990s, the firm at times experimented with international associate offices in Warsaw, Brussels and Paris amongst others. For a short time, there was also a small office run out of St. Albans.

Theodore Goddard continued to retain a strong media and entertainment law practice alongside a private client capability (including private tax work for members of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and others^[7], and defamation lawyers) at a time when many City law firms were divesting themselves of such business areas and concentrating on pure corporate matters. This diversity occasionally gave rise to high-profile cases involving celebrities the firm's instruction in relation to the Hello! magazine dispute over photographs of Catherine Zeta Jones's wedding to Michael Douglas^[8] and its appointment by Michael Jackson to advise on the controversial Living with Michael Jackson documentary.^[9]

Toward the end of the 1990s and the early part of the 21st century, the firm was linked to a succession of potential merger targets including a rejected offer from Eversheds in 1993 and a proposed tri-partite amalgamation in 1998 with Richards Butler and Denton Hall. However, following a third failed merger attempt in 2001, this time with Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn, the firm's credibility as a viable partnership was beginning to be called into question in both the legal press and the wider profession^[10].

Consequently a fourth proposed merger was approved in early 2003 by the Partnership with very little resistance following an approach by the North of England firm Addleshaw Booth & Co.^[11][12] As of 2008 the merged firm of Addleshaw Goddard continued to operate out of offices in Leeds, Manchester and London.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• BBC website 1936 Abdication Timeline
• Addleshaw Goddard website