History
The genesis of Short, Richardson and Forth LLP can be traced to 1978 when Michael Short, David Richardson and David Forth set up their own firm under the name Michael C. Short & Co. There was a common desire to serve the business sector from a City Centre location rather than continue in a general High Street type practice.
Michael C. Short & Co took over the City office of a former practice and retained the majority of the business clientele. A new City Centre address was secured in 1981 and the name change to Short Richardson & Forth followed in 1988. The firm continued to grow and the office space doubled in size in 1992.
Michael Short was one of the first practitioners in the North East to recognise that employment law was a stand alone subject in its own right, and not something that practitioners from other fields did on an occasional basis.
Max Winthrop joined the firm in 1999 becoming a partner in 2003. Michael Short and David Forth decided to move into Consultancy roles in 2005. With this in mind, Tim Berg, a respected commercial litigation and insolvency lawyer, joined the firm in 2005 and now heads the civil litigation team. The firm has since added three new partners Mark Green in litigation, Jean-Pierre Van Zyl in employment and Lesley Crinson in private client work, with Michael Short continuing as a very active Consultant. David Forth remains a non-practising Consultant.
Whilst the firm has grown to meet the demands for its services, the core values that led to its foundation remain the same - a desire to provide an efficient, cost-effective and bespoke service to its clients.
