Employee retires after record 45 years with lawyers

(CNS): After more than 45 years with the firm Alice Mae Coe retired from Walkers’ on Monday setting the record as the longest serving member of staff in the firm’s history. Coe who was employed before her retirement as the Community Liaison Officer may even been the longest serving employee of any firm in the Cayman Islands with 45 years, seven months and 17 days on the payroll. A retirement party was held in her honour on her final day in the office where she was presented with a gift and a cheque to be shared among some of the many local charitable organisations with which she has been equally dedicated to over the years.

Ms Alice’s first day with the firm was Monday 14 June 1965, just 18 monthsafter it was originally established as W.S. Walker & Company by the founder Bill Walker. Initially employed as Walker’s secretary and personal assistant, Ms. Alice continued in this role until Walker’s retirement in 1999, following which the firm’s name became Walkers as it is known today.

"The growth in the size of the firm has been the biggest change over the years, exceeding Mr. Walkers’ vision with each good person that joined," said Alice Mae. “Working conditions today are also very far removed from the mid 1960s, when all the work was done on portable manual typewriters, with no phones or air conditioning, but plenty of mosquitoes.”

Her next position with Walkers was Assistant to the Partnership Secretary and the firm’s Training and Orientation Coordinator which she held until the start of 2003 when she took up the position of Community Liaison Officer. This new role was particularly suitable for her given the vast number of community organisations and projects she has been involved in, both on behalf of Walkers and individually.

These organisations include: The National Trust, the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Red Cross, the National Gallery, Walkers’ Children and the Arts Club, the Cayman Islands Beautification Committee, numerous church committees and the Concerned Citizens Group.

“One of the greatest assets of any organisation is the dedicated service of its employees and Walkers is proud to have had the pleasure of so many years with Alice Mae Coe," said Grant Stein, Walkers’ Global Managing Partner. "We thank Alice sincerely for her outstanding contribution to the firm and wish her well for her retirement."