Sturrock, Monteith and Bryan Scott

Sturrock Monteith and Bryan Scott have a long and distinguished history in the Franklin region, assisting local people with a variety of legal issues.

Their law firm, which is run by principal lawyer Bryan Scott, who has lived in Pukekohe for 29 years and is a well-known face in the region, began in the early 1920s, in Tuakau, and was founded by Colin Sturrock, who took over the practice of Garnet W Arrowsmith. He would develop a thriving practice with his colleague Doug Monteith who passed away in 1964.

Thanks to the popularity of the business, the firm branched out to Pukekohe in the 80s and that soon became the main office for the firm, with the Tuakau office only manned two days a week.

Colin retired in the 80s and by 1987, GM McLeod took over the business. Bryan followed shortly after and formed a partnership in July 1989.

Sadly, after his partner left the business in 1991, Bryan soon realised there had been fraudulent activity going on and he had to work hard to get things on track.

"I continued the practice under extreme pressure from McLeod's activities and I will be forever grateful to the very loyal clients who stuck by me."

Thanks to a reliable customer base and a strong team who worked well together, it wasn't long before Bryan managed to get the business working well again and attracting more clients, in fact things were going so well that the company relocated from the upstairs King Street premises to Professional House in Seddon Street, then on to Franklin Chambers in 2003.

Once he had managed to get the business growing well, Bryan was keen to get back into the community and become involved in activities that he was passionate about. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at St Joseph's School for 15 years, nine of which he was honoured to be Chairman of the Board. "I was first elected when the Boards of Trustees were first created. This was quite a demanding role but helping out the local school community made it all worthwhile," he smiles.

Bryan is also an active member of St Patrick's Parish in Pukekohe and has a judicial role with the Counties Manukau Rugby Union. "I have been a keen follower of rugby for years and truly enjoy being involved at grass level," he says.

One passion that he is particularly well known for is his interest in racing and in 1998, Bryan was elected as a steward for the Auckland Trotting Club. "I held that position for approximately six years and then I was elected to the Committee of the Club and remained there for the next six years.

He was also the honorary solicitor for the Franklin Trotting Club, for a time, and is currently assisting the Onewhero Golf Club in the same position. "I can't say I'm a great golfer, but I do enjoy helping out the club," he laughs.

Sadly, the busy lawyer was soon to suffer another tragedy in 2003, when his beloved wife passed away due to cancer, at the age of 48. "It took me many years to deal with this and it affected how I ran my business."

In order to help him get through the pain that he was struggling with, he joined the Judicial Control Authority for Racing. "It was a chance for me to escape for a limited time from the tragedy of my personal life," he says.

In the preceding years, Bryan has put all of his passion into giving his children the love and support they needed to cope with the loss of their mother and working hard on his business, which has become a beloved part of the Franklin region.

In recent years, Sturrock Monteith and Bryan Scott have now merged with Auckland and Pukekohe-based law firm, Daniel, Overton and Goulding and offers a variety of legal services.

For more information, visit the team at the office at 6 Hall Street in Pukekohe or call Bryan on 09 237 1421. You can also email him at bryan@doglaw.co.nz