Meeting John Wilson in the Lakeside Cafe at the Theatre by the Lake, in Keswick, it initially seemed two hours’ parking would give us ample time to discuss his various business, social and environmental pursuits in Cumbria over the last 30 years.


It was nowhere near enough.
John, 61, may be best known all over the county and beyond as founder of commercial law firm Baines Wilson.

However, his “extracurricular” activities have been just as influential as his day job.
John was born in and spent his early years in Carlisle then moved to Keswick aged 10 when his father Ian relocated with his employer Lloyds Bank. He attended Keswick School and then went to law school in Newcastle.
He returned to Cumbria in 1996 to work for local firm Burnetts before leaving in 1999 to start his own company, Baines Wilson, offering a commercial law service to businesses which may otherwise have looked outside the county.
The name Baines Wilson combines his own surname with the maiden name of his mother Adele, who died a few years before he founded the business.
At the time there were only two other commercial lawyers in the county, a number which, John estimates, has now risen to around 50.
“Fundamentally, the basis for Baines Wilson were the prospective clients, generally speaking, that were medium-sized to large businesses who were using law firms elsewhere around the country,” he said.
Over the next 20 years, Baines Wilson grew to have a Lancaster office and a total of 40 staff working with many of the best-known businesses across the region.

It helped bring legal talent into Cumbria and trained lawyers in-house, creating well-paid jobs and healthy competition.
John stepped back from his role as director due to ill health in 2017 but continued to work as a consultant.

He made no secret of his disappointment when Baines Wilson was subsequently sold to national firm Knights last summer, immediately resigning as a consultant and expressing his sadness that the whole support staff team were made redundant following the sale.

However, Baines Wilson is only part of a story which has also seen John play an important role in setting up and supporting many other initiatives, including Cumbria Community Foundation.