Firm pays tribute to kind solicitor

The funeral will be held next week of solicitor and father-of-three James Ward, who died last month after being shot in his office.

The 58-year-old, who helped to found Wiltshire firm Morris Goddard & Ward more than 20 years ago, was described by colleagues as a ‘man of great tenacity and kindness’. A statement on the firm’s website said: ‘All of us who worked with him agree that he was a very principled, kind and humane man, and an accomplished solicitor.

‘He followed the very simple but fundamental principle of doing what he believed was right and just.’

It adds that the man charged in connection with the shooting, Michael Chudley, was never a client of the firm. The Law Society has contacted the firm and Ward’s family to offer any support it can.