About Us
Farmer & Ridley LLP is in it's seventh decade as one of the premier corporate, tax law and business litigation firms in Los Angeles. The firm’s goal is to provide professional services of the highest quality to it's clients on a prompt and cost effective basis.
Farmer & Ridley’s clients include major public corporations, as well as emerging businesses which the firm is proud to assist as they develop and expand. The firm also serves the needs of it's individual clients, not only in their business matters, but in family wealth transfers and estate planning.
HISTORY
In 1937, Richard H. Forster graduated from the University of Southern California law school and was employed by Chauncey Snow. From the inception, Dick specialized in taxation matters. Later, Dick formed the law partnership of Snow & Forster and continued practice in that form until Mr. Snow's retirement in the early 1940s.
During the war years, Dick was a sole practitioner, developing a flourishing tax law practice and serving as a part-time instructor in taxation at his law school alma mater. After the war's end, John G. Gemmill, one of Dick's USC classmates, joined him in forming the Forster & Gemmill partnership. Jack, who had worked as a lawyer briefly in his native Nevada before serving in the war's European theater, practiced in the areas of general business and civil litigation. In 1948, Dick was one of the founding directors of the USC Tax Institute which, after more than 60 years, continues to serve the continuing education needs of Los Angeles tax practitioners.
In the early 1950s, as the Firm grew along with Southern California's economy, Robert L. Farmer, a third USC law school graduate, joined the partnership which became known Forster, Gemmill & Farmer. Gradual expansion continued over the next two decades, and Robert W. Ridley and Robert L. Weaver, who were hired as associate attorneys immediately upon their graduation from law school (Loyola and Columbia), joined the partnership. Dick Forster passed away in 1973. After more than four decades together, the three Bobs continue in practice as partners in the Firm.
In the mid-1980s, a period of significant westward expansion for East Coast firms, the Firm merged with the New York firm of Hill, Betts & Nash. HB&N was seeking a California business-based firm as an anchor for what it anticipated would be an expanding Pacific Rim business and maritime law practice. The merger expectations were not met and, at the end of the decade, Hill, Betts & Nash closed it's Los Angeles office and opened a small office in Long Beach to serve it's maritime practice needs. Effective January 1, 1990, six former Forster, Gemmill & Farmer partners joined in re-forming the firm under the name Farmer & Ridley.
Although the Firm's origins date back more than seven decades, it's practice has remained rooted in taxation and business.