ONE of Wales’s longest-established law firms celebrates an historic landmark this year.
Cyril Jones and Co was established in Wrexham in 1919 and made its name with its support for working people in North Wales – most notably after the Gresford Mining Disaster in 1934.
The company’s founder, Cyril Jones, of Llanarmon yn Ial, near Mold, was a lawyer of the old school, with a passion for representing the poor and needy.
He was a Welsh speaker who supported the idea of a Welsh Parliament and a local politician who led the clearance of Wrexham’s slums and stood against his brother for Parliament.
His family still have links with the company with its branches in Wrexham’s Grosvenor Road and Egerton Street and in Shotton through Cyril’s grandsons, Colin and Francis, now retired after eminent law careers themselves.
Cyril Jones represented the families of the miners who died at Gresford, briefing barrister and Labour MP Sir Stafford Cripps for the public inquiry which led directly to the nationalisation of the mines.
Colin Jones, of Rossett, said: “In Wrexham in those days there weren’t too many firms who would represent ordinary people but he would act for them even if they couldn’t pay.
“He would say ‘if someone needs legal representation then it’s my job to represent them and if they can pay, fine, if they can’t then that’s just my bad luck’.’”
Cyril Jones and Co has since joined with long-established law firm Stanley Williams, to become Cyril Jones and Co, incorporating Stanley Williams.
