IT is always sad indeed to see the passing of a legend – local or otherwise.

‘A legend’ is how John Fisher described his father Ken, the well-known south Cumbria solicitor who died last week – and he was absolutely right.

For decades, Ken bestrode the local legal world as something of a colossus. As a young reporter for the Advertiser in the 1980s, I saw Mr Fisher in action countless times as a criminal defence solicitor in the old Barrow Magistrates’ Court and in the long-gone Ulverston court – and it is no exaggeration at all to describe him as inspirational.

By a mile the best advocate in our local justice system throughout his career, Mr Fisher would have made a superb barrister, such was his command of the court.

Indeed, when I was subsequently to mix socially with Ken, he told me that his one professional regret was that he had never become one. Certainly, it was easy to imagine him striding though the Inns of Court and, gowned and bewigged, addressing M’Lud on some arcane point of law.

Via my husband – a long-standing client of Ken’s through his general legal practice – and later still because of my friendship with Ken and wife Mary’s beloved late daughter Anne, I saw him quite often and went to some fantastic parties at the couple’s beautiful Ulverston home: their annual Christmas drinks party being a not-to-miss occasion for me.

What I never told Ken, regrettably, was that is was he who inspired me to go to university as a mature student to study law. Those days spent covering Barrow and Ulverston courts and watching Mr Fisher representing, mitigating and cross-examining clients and witnesses piqued an interest in the law and in the entire judicial process – an interest which very much remains today.

John Fisher’s description of his father as a local legend was spot on. He served his community in many ways as well as through his distinguished professional career: chairman of governors at Chetwynde; a stalwart of the local sporting world and of the St George’s Society; and instrumental in helping his home town of Dalton get its own leisure centre - and leaves a lasting legacy.

Ken Fisher’s was a long life, lived well. He will be greatly missed by his family and legion of friends – but remembered fondly for decades to come. We here in south Cumbria should be proud we breed people of his ilk.