Farrer & Co has an extraordinarily long and varied history. Below we highlight a selection of our significant moments, and notable clients whom the firm has supported through their most critical challenges and opportunities - laying the foundation for its market-leading practices today.
1701
The journey begins
We trace our origins back to a practice started by Tempest Slinger Snr and Tempest Slinger Jnr, who set up an office at 5 New Square.
1769
Keeping it in the family
Oliver Farrer becomes a partner. From this point, there is at least one member of the Farrer family working as a partner at the firm until 1999 - a total of 17.
1780
School for Scandal
The firm is instructed to sue well-known playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, resulting in the repossession of the Opera House.
1789
In the papers
We are instructed by the Duke of York to sue The Times newspaper for an article suggesting some of the Royal Princes were less than happy at the recovery of George III. The editor was imprisoned for a year.
1790
Moving in
The firm moves to 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, a building steeped in historical significance. In 1694, the Charter of the Bank of England was signed in what is now our Peacock room. Until 1768, it was the London residence of the Duke of Newcastle, who was prime minister at the time. The building was redesigned in the 1690s by renowned architect Christopher Wren and later worked on by John Vanbrugh.
1820
The Iron Duke
Advice was provided to the Duke of Wellington, the victor of Waterloo and prime minister in the 1820s, relating to the insurance of his paintings and the purchase of country estates.
1856
Great expectations
Charles Dickens asks the firm to handle his purchase of a house at Gads Hill in Kent. Further advice is provided on Dickens’ business contracts, libel cases, a copyright dispute in New Zealand and much more for the rest of his life.
1860+
Queen of the Poor
We act over several decades for Angela Burdett-Coutts, known as ‘Queen of the Poor’: the first woman to be given a peerage for her own achievements, and one of the greatest philanthropists pioneering social change in Victorian England.
1875+
Championing justice
The firm acts for Duleep Singh, previously the Maharajah of the Punjab, on a potential claim against the Government of India to recover assets lost on his deposition by the East India Company.
1910
Good health
Following advice from Farrer & Co, work starts on a groundbreaking cancer research institute in London, later to become the world-famous Institute of Cancer Research.
1911
Polar pioneer - Captain Scott
We act for Captain Scott of the Antarctic on preparations for his much celebrated but ill-fated expedition to the South Pole.
1930
Lutyens’ vision
A further great architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, restores and remodels the front of 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, returning it to its early 17th-century grandeur and leaving us with one of the finest offices in London.
1930
The Royals
The firm advises the Royal Family and the Royal Estates in a number of capacities. In the 1930s, this includes sensitive negotiations over the abdication of Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor).
1948
Olympic legacy
The relationship with the British Olympic Association (BOA) commences with instructions on the London Olympic Games. Partner Emrys Lloyd was an Olympian competing in the fencing tournament.
1961
Defending James Bond
We represent Ian Fleming in High Court copyright litigation arising from plagiarism claims over his James Bond novel Thunderball.
1967
Expanding next door
The firm expands into number 65 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, previously the home of William Marsden with whom the firm had cordial relations, having been instrumental in founding the Royal Free and the Royal Marsden Hospital.
1986
Breaking boundaries
We advise News International, publisher of The Times, on the so-called “Wapping Dispute” with the print unions, one of the seminal industrial relations disputes of the 1980s.
1990
A new TV era
The firm advised Sky on its merger with British Satellite Broadcasting to become BSkyB, one of the largest M&A transactions that year.
1992
Shaping the charity sector
The firm plays a key role in the founding of the Charity Law Association, the first organisation of its kind in the sector. The firm continues to maintain a strong connection with the association, supporting its growth and impact.
2012
Making waves
We advise the British Olympic Association on the successful London 2012 bid. Staff raise funds for Paralympian sailors to buy a boat called “Tempest Slinger”, which they use to win Bronze.
2022
The future of film
We advise Shinfield Studios Limited, the UK flagship of Shadowbox Studios, the global film studio production platform, on a landmark transaction with the University of Reading to develop one of the UK’s largest purpose-built film studio complexes in Shinfield, Berkshire, supporting unprecedented growth and investment in the UK’s film and TV industry.
2023
A national treasure
The firm advises the National Portrait Gallery on its purchase of Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai in collaboration with Getty. The £50m acquisition is the most significant in the Gallery’s history and the joint-largest the UK has ever made.
2024
New milestones
Farrer & Co becomes a 100+ partner firm with revenues exceeding £100 million, still operating from our historic offices which have been our home since 1790.