History

The firm of Farrell, Martin & Barnell, LLP has been proudly serving the legal needs of Baldwinsville and Central New York under its current name and at its present location in the heart of the Village of Baldwinsville for over 50 years, but its roots in the community go back even further in the town’s history.

Orman Gale and Winifred Brown Stone originally established the law practice, known then as Gale & Stone, 70 years ago in 1946 with a location on an upper floor of the Seneca Savings building in Baldwinsville.

After Stone moved away in 1952, Gale recruited a young lawyer who had impressed him in the courtroom, Simeon “Si” Farrell, to join him at the firm.   Gale & Farrell was born.

A second location in North Syracuse was soon after opened by another attorney, Ron Crowley, who had become part of the law firm.   A young attorney, Norman Martin, joined the North Syracuse office in 1956.

By the end of the decade, graduating intern Thomas Barnell had also accepted a position as an attorney in the Baldwinsville office.

When Orm Gale was elected County Court Judge in 1962, Ron Crowley left the firm to open his own solo practice, and the firm’s offices were consolidated into its present location at the Four Corners in the Village of Baldwinsville and subsequently renamed Farrell, Martin & Barnell.

A fire burned the Corner Pharmacy building where the firm was located to the ground in 1977 presenting the partners with an opportunity to purchase the corner lot and rebuild the new Farrell, Martin & Barnell building, which opened in August 1979.

In 1975 and 1980, respectively, Charles Farrell and Paul Martin graduated from law school and joined their fathers at the firm.  For more than 20 years, Si Farrell, Charlie Farrell, Norm Martin, Paul Martin & Tom Barnell all practiced law at the firm.   After the retirement of Si Farrell, Norm Martin & Tom Barnell, remaining partners Charles Farrell and Paul Martin made the decision to bring new young attorneys on board who shared their commitment to Baldwinsville and to carrying on the firm’s work.   Accordingly, Sara Connell Brady joined the firm in early 2014, followed by Derek T. Shepard, Jr. in 2015.

Paul Martin retired in early 2016 after providing legal services in Baldwinsville for 35 years.