Adrian Parkhouse

Spear’s Review

Adrian Parkhouse has been at Farrer & Co for over 35 years, with more than 25 of these as a partner. He advises established art owners and national institutions (as well as new HNW collectors) on buying and selling; tax, import and export; and philanthropy, and is head of the firm’s commercial litigation team and co-chair of its art group.

‘As a litigator, the key problems I see are around ownership and authenticity,’ he says. ‘Ownership is a lot less certain than people expect, the more so when items cross jurisdictional boundaries and different law may be relevant.’ 

A former chair of the International Bar Association’s art and heritage law committee and a former member of the International Council of Museums’ legal affairs committee, he co-authored the England and Wales chapter in the Art Collecting Legal Handbook, now in its third edition.

Adviser Profile 

Adrian is a partner in the commercial litigation team and advises an unusually broad spectrum of clients on diverse claims. He brings a breadth of experience to advising clients with commercial disputes. 

Adrian heads the firm’s commercial litigation team and leads the contentious arm of the firm’s art group. 

He is recognised as one of the country’s leading art lawyers, representing art dealers, galleries (private and public), individuals and foreign governments in disputes concerning art and heritage property. He also advises owners of art in claims for the recovery of works from defaulting intermediaries and poor advice. Almost all of the work involves collaboration with specialist firms outside the UK.