A Lancashire firm flush with investor funds has announced the closure of three offices to move staff into a centralised hub.
Farleys Solicitors, a member of the private equity-backed Lawfront for two years, will move teams from high street offices in Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley to Communications House offices (pictured above) on a business park in the village of Altham.
The new premises, formerly used by a haulage company, extend to more than 18,000 sq ft and have room for around 120 employees, along with meeting and event spaces. Staff in the personal injury, family law, conveyancing, criminal defence and private client teams will move, as well as some colleagues from the commercial department.
Ian Liddle, managing partner at Farleys, said: ‘This is an exciting time for everyone associated with Farleys and these new premises are a big step in our firm’s growth plans.
‘With a property that offers as much as Communications House does, we’ve taken the decision to move our teams from our high street offices in Blackburn, Accrington, and Burnley to improve their working environment and the services we’re able to provide for clients.
‘We’ve been based in these towns for decades, but sadly those premises no longer give us the room to expand and continue to attract the best talent to join us so the time’s right to make this move.’
Farleys first opened an office in Blackburn in 1958 and has grown to five locations across Lancashire. The move to new premises is set to happen in spring 2025.
The firm is one of four regional practices which are now part of the Lawfront group. They are financially backed to expand through organic growth and ‘merge-in’ acquisitions, as well as investing in IT and office space.
Axel Koelsch, chief operating officer at Lawfront, said: ‘Investing into flagship offices in the regions creates great places to work where individuals benefit from working locally in a business of national scale. An attractive work environment is an important part of supporting ambitious people to provide excellent client service.’
Meanwhile, national firm Irwin Mitchell has announced the opening of a new office in Nottingham. The office will initially act as a base for staff from other offices to meet clients but there are plans to grow the operation in the east Midlands.
