Sheila Brand from Wirral joined Potts Kerr & Co, now intellectual property law firm Forresters, in 1967 earning just £3 a week and half a century on is still going strong as a legal secretary

In 1967 On the Buses star Reg Varney became the first person in Britain to withdraw cash from an ATM – and it was the year the Beatles released the album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The first man on the moon was still two years away.

It was also an important year in the life of Sheila Brand from Wirral who, aged just 15, started her career as an office junior for Potts Kerr & Co in Liverpool, earning £3 a week.

Five decades on and Sheila is still with the business, which merged with intellectual property law firm Forresters in 2008, and now works as a legal secretary for senior associate and trade mark attorney, Kate Cruse.

To mark Sheila’s 50 years of dedication, managing partner, Lloyd Hoarton, presented her with a gift at the firm’s biennial outing.

Sheila, who is the longest serving member of the business, said: “Since joining the firm I have seen it evolve into the successful business it is today.

“There have been so many changes, such as the move from typewriters to computers and from telex machines to fax to emails – it’s unrecognisable.

“I don’t miss the days of having to rush to deliver documents for the Liverpool to London train to get them there for the same day. Email certainly has made everything a lot more efficient.”

Ross Walker, Forresters partner and head of Liverpool office, added: “Sheila’s loyalty and commitment to the firm is absolutely fantastic, so it was really fitting that we celebrated this huge milestone.

“She is a dedicated member of the team and has served the company well and we hope that she will continue to do so for years to come.”

Forresters is a leading UK and European intellectual property attorneys, with offices in Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Southampton and Munich.