It is with great sadness that the Dorset Law Society would like to announce the passing of local retired solicitor, David McCreath, on 16 December 2022. David was a past President of the Dorset Law Society and continued to serve on the committee for many years.
David’s funeral will take place on Thursday 19th January 2023 at Bournemouth Crematorium, further details to follow. If anyone would like to contact David’s daughter, Mrs Packham, they should contact the Dorset Law Society, who will be able to assist.
Our thoughts are with David’s family.
David’s family came from London and he was educated at Millfield School. After completing traditional articles of clerkship David qualified in 1963 and went on to practice in local government and in private practice in Bournemouth and Blandford. After suffering life changing injuries in a road traffic accident, David devoted his considerable energies to chairing a charity concerned with medical research into spinal injuries.
David was a steadfast supporter of Dorset Law Society. A past-president he continued to serve on the general committee long into retirement.
A gourmet and wine connoisseur David served as Hon Dinner Secretary for many years during which the Society earned a reputation for the quality of the food at its annual dinner amongst the Southern Area Association of Law Societies and at Chancery Lane. The invitation most sought after and remembered was an invitation to the Dorset Law Society Annual Dinner.
Working in partnership with the chef at the Portland Heights Hotel on selecting a theme (for example, the foods of Belgium) recipe books would be consulted, local ingredients sourced, sample menus tasted, and suitable wines chosen for up to six or seven courses. The menu book he kept for many years is now in the national archive at the Law Society library.
A general practitioner solicitor of the old school in the best possible sense, David lived by a commitment to the highest professional standards and standards of client service and will be much missed.