Richard Farnworth
Richard Farnworth — Director and Founding Solicitor
I'm a founder of Farnworth Rose and have spent more than 40 years in commercial property along the M65 corridor.
My work is mostly leases (often the more complex and larger transactions in the area), commercial property purchases and sales, and pension property work. The pension side is where things often get interesting. SIPP and SSAS purchases of trading premises are quirky, technical and time-consuming, and we work regularly with trustee firms including Whitehall Group, @SIPP and AJ Bell. With the 2027 IHT changes on the horizon, this work is moving up the priority list for a lot of business owners.
My approach is pre-emptive rather than reactive. Most of the savings we deliver for clients come from spotting something before they sign, not after. I'd much rather a client rings me first with their heads of terms (even for a quick chat) than turn up after a contract has been signed with a problem we can't undo. A small legal investment up front can save tens of thousands later, which is worth flagging because clients sometimes assume legal review is a cost rather than insurance.
I qualified as a solicitor in 1981 after my LLB at Nottingham and law college at Guildford. I started at Farnworth & Watson in Nelson and Colne, founded Farnworths in Burnley in 1988 (which grew to five partners and 60 staff over 16 years), spent a couple of years as in-house lawyer at Boundary Mill, and founded Farnworth Rose in 2007.
I'm a Trustee of Nelson Golf Club. I've previously served as a Mentor in the Blackburn Chamber of Commerce, on the committee for Housing Pendle, and on the Board of Ivy Bank High School. East Lancashire is the geography I've worked across my whole career, and the relationships and local knowledge that come with that are part of what we offer clients.
Outside the office I'm a keen golfer (which is partly why I'm still a Trustee at Nelson). I'm also known around the office for stirring up a bit of mischief and trying to keep everyone laughing. Beyond that, time at our local pub with family, and the occasional holiday.
Examples of recent matters can be found on our blog.
