The following is a piece written 35 years ago by Leo Spanner, and the business (Lilley, Spanner and Stacey) has been running for over 100 years in the Warwick district:
By the late 1920s the forerunner of the practice was being conducted – under his own name – by Kevin O’Sullivan.
Kevin left the law in 1931 to become a Jesiut priest.
Paul Neville was admitted in that year and took over the practice under the business name of “Neil O’Sullivan and Neville”.
That was still the situation in February 1947 when Leo Spanner became articled to Paul.
Paul was accidentally drowned in the Condamine in July 1947 and in August of that year Wilfrid Lees (who had up to then practiced at Texas Qld) took over the practice and practised on his own account under the name “Neville and Lees”.
Wilfrid had not long before returned from War Service and he had in some fashion been seconded from the Australian Army to British Intelligence and had spent most of his wartime in Europe finishing up with the rank of Colonel and an O.B.E.
Many articles were assigned to Wilfrid and I served the rest of my 5 years with him.
He was a kind and considerate man who treated me very well. He was also a methodical worker who restored a lot of order to the practice after the difficult conditions in which it had been conducted during the war years. Her could also, on occupation, revisited the difficult client that, in effect, he was the one with a commission and a decoration – not the client.
At this period (1947-1952) the practice was conducted from a small office in Palmerin Street, forming part of premises known then as Neale House just to the north of the old Qld Bank building (now replaced by the National Bank and Magnolia Arcade and part of the Rose City Shopping Centre) more or less opposite the Town Hall.
I was admitted on 10 June 1952 and became a partner on 1 July 1952. The firm name remained unchanged but shortly after that we shifted across Palmerin Street to a larger premise.
About 1955 the partnership was reorganized and more national basis (meaning I had found some money to start paying for my share with) and the firms name was changed to “W.N. Lees and Spanner”.
By early 1957 Wilfrid had grown restless and had an opportunity to join the staff of Mt Isa Mines as an in-house solicitor, which presented the problem of finding another partner.
I knew Jeays Lilley slightly and there had been some previous contact between his practice and in that Paul Neville had acted as Jeays’ part-time semi-permanent locum while Jeays was on War Service. I got Wilfrid to raise the question of a possible amalgamation of the Allora and Warwick practices with Jeays, who was receptive to the idea, and eventually the amalgamation took place, and Wilfrid retired, as from 1 August 1957 the amalgamated practice being carried on under the
name of “Lees, Spanner and Lilley”. Jeays practice at Allora had been formed by his father in 1907.
There were no changes in the name or the partnership for the next 30 years except that during the period 1972-1976 Noel Brosnan (who hand been my article clerk) became a partner. In 1976 he retired from the partnership and went to practise in Townsville where he is still a partner in the firm of Crosley, Brosnan and Owen.
In 1972 the practice was extended to Inglewood.
Ian Stacey served his articles with me and following graduation, he stayed with the firm.
On 1 July 1987 Jeays suffered a stroke and was unable to practise thereafter.
He retired from firm from on 30 July 1989.
Ian became a partner, the firm named being changed to “Lilley, Spanner and Stacey Solicitors.
The practice’s present partners have been in business for the last 30 years, Ian Stacey, Geoffrey Hobson and Gavin Stewart.
