Retired solicitor and law lecturer Lori Murdock, who made national headlines this year when she was forced to raise £60,000 to fund treatment for malignant melanoma, has died, the Gazette has been told. 

Murdock, from Topsham, Devon, practised and lectured under her maiden name Lori Evans. She spent months sailing around the UK when she was first diagnosed with the aggressive form of skin cancer. 

Interviewed for the Gazette’s My Legal Life earlier this year, she spoke passionately about the challenges faced by family solicitors: ‘I always took on a lot of domestic violence work. Let’s just say that in doing your job properly you are not liked by respondents. Some decided to make the fact abundantly clear.’

She eloquently expressed her pride in the profession and its value to society. 

‘The law affects everything and that is what makes it so interesting and dynamic. It’s an organic beast and an amazing construction. The study of law has given me a measured outlook on life. I cannot fail to see both sides of an argument and I always feel I can make a difference.

‘Seeing a case through from the first handshake to the goodbyes at court brings rewards. The images that remain are the grateful clients, especially if the case was particularly horrifying.

‘Lost in the changes I have seen to the profession are intelligent, devoted, hardworking and conscientious lawyers left demoralised by being undervalued, underpaid, overworked and left anxious about their future.

‘We cannot all be Atticus Finch, but every lawyer has a part to play in improving outcomes. We need a legal system that reflects today’s society. Solid, robust legal argument can exist without holding on to archaic tired structures.’