New partner for long-established and trusted Lancaster law firm

Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand, which has offices in Lancaster and Kirkby Lonsdale, has taken on a new partner, David Anthony Barnes, who is a senior solicitor with more than 25 years' experience specialising in disputes arising in Business, Agriculture, Land and Property and Wills and Estates. He joined the firm on June 1.

“I seek to provide high quality legal services with pragmatic and cost-effective advice and represent divers types of businesses and individuals throughout the North and North West region in these kinds of disputes,” said Mr Barnes, who is joining the firm from Harrison Drury.

Mr Barnes, who lives at Little Eccleston, near Garstang, has lived in the north west all his life. He attended Kirkham Grammar School and Chester College of Law and has a range of legal qualifications.

He has a broad commercial and chancery litigation experience and is a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists in relation to his Wills and Estate dispute work. He is also an accredited Commercial Mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.

“I am joining Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand because they offer high quality legal services as trusted legal advisors throughout the north west,” said Mr Barnes.

“They have a strong following and put their clients and their people at the forefront of their decision making and I want to help contribute to the expansion of their long standing and excellent reputation.”

Mr Barnes, a keen open water swimmer, is married with four daughters. He is also an Advanced Swimming Teacher, a Triathlon England coach and a British Cycling coach.

Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand has just celebrated its 50th anniversary, although the firm’s roots go back as far as 1810.

Senior partner David Gillibrand said the firm had weathered the storm of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and was expanding and investing, even during this time of uncertainty in the economy.

“We are delighted that David is joining Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand,” he said. “He has an excellent reputation and is highly skilled and we are sure he will be a fantastic asset for the firm.”

He said the art of dispute resolution was not going to court if you could possibly avoid it. The aim was to help parties settle disputes because going to court was ‘outrageously expensive’.

“A private individual often cannot afford it and successful companies are too successful to do it!” said Mr Gillibrand.