Farleys Solicitors LLP > Blackburn, England > Firm Profile

Farleys Solicitors LLP
22-27 RICHMOND TERRACE
BLACKBURN
BB1 7AF
England

Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: general crime and fraud Tier 1

Farleys Solicitors LLP handles the entire spectrum of serious crime, fraud, and white-collar crime cases and the team is frequently instructed in the most complex and serious cases. Splitting his time between Preston and Manchester, practice head Paul Schofield has expertise in national and international fraud, as well as money laundering and undertaking defence preparation in foreign jurisdictions. Co-head Farleys Solicitors LLP draws on over 20 years’ experience of criminal defence work and has exceptional experience in POCA and complex trading standards cases. In the Blackburn office, Jonathan Taylor oversees the general crime department, which handles homicides and substantial conspiracies to import and supply drugs, as well as extradition matters.

Practice head(s):

Paul Schofield; Bridgette Hibbert; Jonathan Taylor

Other key lawyers:

Garry Leaver

Testimonials

‘Commitment and resolute support. They provide services across every level of case with high standards. They are excellent communicators and diligent in their handling of the case load. They are excellent.’

‘Outstanding, committed, and serious team.’

‘Fantastic team. Always willing to go the extra mile for the client.’

‘Paul Schofield is exceptional. He has a huge amount of experience and is incredibly easy to work with. His client care is terrific. He combines a passion for his client’s cases with sound judgement. He is incredibly hard working.’

‘Paul Schofield is outstanding. Meticulous in his preparation and with an excellent support team.’

‘Paul Schofield and Bridgette Hibbert are just incredibly hard working.’

‘A team that is second-to-none.’

Work highlights

  • Successfully defended a former solicitor in a £120m fraud trial at Southwark Crown Court.
  • Defending a client in a £45m duty evasion case concerning the importation of solar panels from the Far East.
  • Defending a client in a sex trafficking ring case.

Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: elsewhere in the North West Tier 2

The corporate and commercial practice at Farleys Solicitors LLP acts on a variety of sales and purchases for SMEs in addition to carrying out complex corporate restructures and demergers. The team has particular expertise in healthcare and routinely advises clients within the optics industry. Debbie King specialises in business acquisitions, sales, joint ventures and mergers. She co-heads the practice with Richard Bell who acts for clients across the SME market including owner-managed businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Practice head(s):

Debbie King; Richard Bell

Work highlights

  • Advised the owners of B&W Plant Hire & Sales Ltd on the sale of the business to The Fox Group.
  • Advised the shareholders of FabSpeed Holdings Limited on the sale of its entire share capital to Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC.
  • Advised B&M Henderson Limited on its sale to North West Roofing Supplies Limited.

Insurance > Personal injury: claimant Tier 2

Farleys Solicitors LLP‘s ‘powerful team‘ is particularly recommended for its abuse claims work, with Jonathan Bridge having specialised in this area for nearly three decades. Bridge leads the team jointly with Michael Corrigan and Nick Molyneux; the latter focus on catastrophic injury claims, including spinal and brain injuries. Further key names include inquest specialist Kelly Darlington, described by clients as one of the ‘leading lights in complex inquest work in Manchester and the North West‘, and 'brilliant' mental health claims expert Alice Wood.

Practice head(s):

Jonathan Bridge; Nick Molyneux; Michael Corrigan

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Farleys have a powerful team with enormous experience of claims arising out of child abuse and neglect.’

‘Jonathan Bridge has a huge caseload but is always on top of the detail of every case. He has secured the largest ever awards in cases of child abuse and neglect.’

‘The best firm for historic child abuse and sexual assault claims.’

‘Jonathan Bridge is a truly exceptional solicitor in this area of work and gets fantastic results.’

‘Kelly Darlington and her team have established themselves as the leading lights in complex inquest work in Manchester and the North West. They are compassionate and approachable as well as diligent and responsive.’

‘Kelly Darlington – leads her team of highly motivated and diligent lawyers. Kelly cares about every case she does and it shows in the quality of her work. She always goes the extra mile.’

‘It’s a very person-centred team. Lawyers get to know their clients on a personal level, which encourages clients to be open with the team and helps build a strong rapport. Solicitors are very responsive to emails and have good relationships with the barristers they instruct.’

‘Alice Wood is a brilliant solicitor. A safe pair of hands and always on top of the papers. She is always willing to go over and above and, often at short notice, will find a way to find the answer to a question. She’s a solution-focused person.’

Work highlights

  • Representing the family of a two-year-old who died due to a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment, a housing association flat managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.
  • Representing the families of two young men who died whilst under the care of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust at Prestwich Hospital.

Private client > Family Tier 2

A firm with an ‘excellent reputation in the North West’, Farleys Solicitors LLP has an impressive spread of complex divorce and financial remedy work alongside both public and private childcare cases. Antonia Love helms the practice and provides an ‘exceptional service’ to individuals engaged in separation negotiations, with notable expertise handling non-matrimonial assets, complex pension issues, and post-separation inheritance and business assets. The ‘highly experienced’ Ian Brunt tackles complicated children law and care proceedings alongside the ‘stand out’ Tony Rebello, whose recent work highlights include acting in criminal defence proceedings and allegations of sexual and physical abuse. Angharad Bentley is also active on firm matters, with a practice that is broadly split between divorce settlement cases and children work and routinely involves care proceedings and Child Arrangement Orders.

Practice head(s):

Antonia Love

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘All I know is that I was recommended by a friend to Farleys and it was the best thing I could have done.’

‘I cannot say enough about Antonia Love, from the first meeting I had with her she made me feel relaxed and I could talk to her freely. Every meeting we had Antonia was very professional and help me get my confidence back after a long while.’

‘The matrimonial team are very competent and provide excellent customer service. They kept me updated at all stages of my court hearings. The billings were easy to understand and the service was definitely value for money.’

‘Partner Antonia Love provided an exceptional service during a very difficult divorce. She was very approachable, extremely knowledgeable and worked hard to get the best outcome for me.’

‘Dynamic family law team who are diligent and caring. They go the extra mile for clients in every case.’

‘The child law team is headed by Ian Brunt who is a highly experienced and respected solicitor known for his work on behalf of children and parents. Antonia Love heads the divorce team. She is very well regarded for her sensitive yet pragmatic advice intended to keep cost down whilst obtaining excellent results for her clients’

‘Farleys has an excellent reputation in the North West. The team has strength and breadth and presents itself on its client care.’

‘Tony Rebello is a stand-out individual in the team. His work rate is phenomenal and his commitment to his clients’ cases is outstanding. Tony is able to build up an easy rapport with his clients, who respond quickly to his approachable manner. He listens, but also is not afraid to offer realistic advice when required. Tony aims to navigate a smooth path for his clients through the choppy waters of care proceedings.’

Work highlights

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: elsewhere in the North West Tier 3

Real estate > Commercial property: elsewhere in the North West Tier 3

The ‘very professional team’ at Farleys Solicitors LLP is co-headed by Ian Liddle from Manchester, Tom O’Neill from Blackburn and Stephen Greenwood from Preston. Across the team is a strong ability to handle work ranging from acquisitions, disposals and development work to disposals and secured finance. It predominantly advises on the high-value sale of sites across the region.

Practice head(s):

Ian Liddle; Tom O’Neill; Stephen Greenwood

Other key lawyers:

Graeme Booth; Lydia Griffin

Testimonials

‘A very professional team with ease of accessibility.’

‘The team at Farleys do their best to work with the client, keeping them fully informed of ongoing progress – they have a good grasp of legal and business risks.’

‘Stephen Greenwood, Graeme Booth and Lydia Griffin are all standout for their proactiveness – there is usually no need to ask them to do something in a matter they are dealing with, as they have proactively done this already.’

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport Tier 3

At Farleys Solicitors LLP, practice head Daniel Draper has longstanding experience representing clients before FA Arbitrations, Football Disciplinary Commission panels and applications before the Premier League Board. Draper has also acted for a number of footballers in contract negotiations with English Premier League clubs, also counting disputes regarding injuries to high level academy and youth team football players as a further specialism. Athletics and boxing promotion are also areas of expertise for the group.

Practice head(s):

Daniel Draper

Testimonials

‘An excellent understanding of how the boxing world operates, including how to get deals done.’

‘Dan Draper’s knowledge of the boxing world is second to none. He is able to get deals done, and is the person you want in your corner if anything goes wrong.’

 

Key clients

Professional Footballers Association

Boxxer Ltd

Hennessy Sports

Toni Minichello

Work highlights

Finance > Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 5

The corporate recovery offering at Farleys Solicitors LLP is led by the ‘extremely motivated’ Mark Hague from the firm’s Preston office. The ‘strong team’ has a varied workload which includes advising administrators in the disposal of property of significant values. ‘Excellent’ Ella Holden is a key name to note.

Practice head(s):

Mark Hague

Other key lawyers:

Ella Holden; Olivia Cooper

Testimonials

‘Mark Hague and Ella Holden are excellent in what they do. They are always there to give help and advice at all times. They always get great results and assist in so many ways.’

‘Mark Hague is exceptionally commercial and very good at client management. He has an unfailing energy to pursue or defend a case for his very good client base and is well-supported by his team to service the work he is generating.’

‘A strong team led by Mark Hague. It’s good value and my go-to firm. A technically excellent and a formidable team even in the most difficult of cases.’

‘Mark Hague stands out as a well-known partner across the UK and in London despite his regional location – he is really punching above the regional weight and is a good choice for serious disputes.’

‘The Farleys insolvency team continue to grow in both size and reputation. They have experience in the most complex of scenarios. Mark Hague is particularly successful at pursuing director misconduct.’

‘Mark Hague is extremely motivated and efficient solicitor. He is invested in client’s needs and claims and is driven to recover monies for the benefit of insolvent estates.’

‘Ella Holden has proved beyond measure her knowledge and expertise in her field.’

‘Ella Holden is a star in the making. She is a robust litigator, holding her own against those many more years her senior.’

Key clients

Menzies LLP

Mazars LLP

Begbies Traynor

Cowgill Holloway

Royce Peeling Green

Moore Kingston Smith

Manolete Partners PLC

McIntyre Hudson

Leonard Curtis

Kennway Francis

FRP Advisory LLP

JT Maxwell

T H Financial Recovery

Work highlights

  • Acting for the administrators of Sky Apartments 2018 Limited in the disposal of property worth £2.15m following the making of a Paragraph 71 Order and subsequent applications to Court.
  • Acting for the administrators of The Great George Street Project Limited in the disposal of a failed property development scheme in Liverpool.
  • Acting for an applicant insolvency practitioner in the largest Block Transfer Order ever obtained in England and Wales, which was obtained transferred 15,893 live insolvency cases.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Manchester Tier 6

The department at Farleys Solicitors LLP acts on a wide range of commercial disputes, regularly representing clients including private individuals, sole traders, partnerships, and LLPs in high-value complex litigation. Daniel Draper leads the team, and is commended for being ‘particularly strong on partnership and LLP disputes.’ 

Practice head(s):

Daniel Draper

Testimonials

‘Really understand how business operate and what their priorities will be.’

‘Dan Draper really understands the commercial realities of operating a business. He is particularly strong on partnership and LLP disputes.’

Public sector > Civil liberties and human rights

Farleys Solicitors LLP offers a specialist inquest and human rights practice, with team head Kelly Darlington overseeing a practice that regularly handles inquests into deaths in prison, police custody and health institutions.

Farleys Solicitors LLP is a full-service law firm, offering a broad range of legal services to commercial and individual clients. The firm prides itself on combining legal expertise with a down to earth approach, resulting in cost effective solutions to virtually any legal issue.

Originally established in Blackburn in 1958, the firm has grown substantially to over 130 staff and six offices across the North West including Manchester, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley and Accrington.

Nationally acclaimed and with impressive client retention levels, Farleys has an excellent reputation in providing specialist legal advice to both private clients and businesses, with clients ranging from individuals, to start-ups and SMEs and larger corporate businesses and organisations.

Recent award accolades include Legal Business of the Year at the Red Rose Awards 2018, and Law Firm of the Year at the 2017 Lancashire Business Awards.

The firm has also held Lexcel accreditation since 2012, the Law Society’s practice management standard which is awarded to solicitors who meet the highest management and customer care standards.

Photo Name Position Profile
Michael  Corrigan photo Michael Corrigan Senior Partner
Antonia Love photo Antonia Love Partner and Head of Department
Tony Rebello photo Tony Rebello Associate Partner
Jonathan Taylor photo Jonathan Taylor Partner
Head Count : 130
Partners : 15
Assistant Solicitors & Fee Earners : 62
Law Society
Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Solicitors
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)