Frederick Fothringham and John Lindsay were 22-year-old cousins from Forfarshire who set up in business together in 1815. The Directory also shows a Mrs Fothringham living at the same address – likely Frederick’s mother, since he was unmarried. Initial expenses for furnishing the offices came to just under £15 (less than £1,000 in today’s money).
Despite the youth of its founders, the firm thrived. After Frederick Fothringham left the partnership in 1841, he received an annuity of £200 for life – a useful sum in the 1840s, and a substantial return on the £300 capital he had originally put up.
John Lindsay remained involved with the firm until his death aged 81. He was described by a colleague as “a man of great ability, ... and most courteous in speech and manner”. Of all the many lawyers practising in Edinburgh in 1815, he is rare - perhaps unique – in having set up a firm that bears his name two centuries on. Despite changes of partnerships and structure, the Lindsays name has been a constant.
Another constant has been our clients. We still work for Frederick Fothringham’s descendants, and also serve some of our original estate clients in the West Highlands. On a less grand scale, we’ve helped many generations of the same families on their journey through life – whether it’s buying a house, appealing a school placement decision, setting up a business or arranging a power of attorney.
It’s not sentimentality or a love of history that persuades families to stay with the same law firm for generations, but relationships and results. John Lindsay understood this in the nineteenth century, and so do our staff today. If we’re still serving some of your descendants in another 200 years’ time, we’ll really know that we’re getting it right.
