Mr Bacon (60) first got a taste for the law when he went to Bryan and Armstrong solicitors in Mansfield during his school summer break to help out in the office.

After bosses at the firm spotted some potential, he was asked to stay on and study law before joining the firm as a qualified solicitor.

Just one month after joining Bryan and Armstrong, Mr Bacon was made a partner in the business and by the time he was 32, he had been made a senior partner and remained there for his entire career.

Looking back on his time with the firm, Mr Bacon said he had remained because of the wide variety of cases he dealt with and the people he met along the way.

"Since starting at Bryan and Armstrong I have dealt with around 50 murder cases as well as terrorism, kidnap and blackmail cases," said Mr Bacon.

"The variation of cases and the amount of different people I get to meet in the job is what has kept me interested in criminal law.

"I also specialise in mental health cases and made a change in law to the Criminal Procedure (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act in 1991.

Consultant

"My interest in mental health has led to me dealing with cases from all over the country and I am currently working on a case at the Old Bailey."

Although Mr Bacon will retire as a senior partner today, he will not be giving up criminal law altogether — instead he will work as a consultant and deal with a small number of serious cases.

He says: "I don't believe you should just retire and completely switch off — its better to have something to keep you mentally active and have more time to spend on personal interests.

"I will not be going to magistrates' court anymore which I will miss a lot as at one point in my career I was there nearly every day.

"It will be nice to have more spare time to spend with my wife Christine who is retiring soon. I feel like I have been on a treadmill for the last 40 years as the work never stops so it will be good to slow down and take some time out.

"We are hoping to get away to Australia and New Zealand in the new year and my other interests such as the Mansfield Music and Drama Festival should keep the rest of my time occupied."

Mr Bacon will be celebrating his retirement with a party tonight, where he will be joined by staff from Mansfield Magistrates' Court.