R.H. Farnell II graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1980. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Georgia. He received his M.B.A. from the University of North Florida in 1984. He worked for a Jacksonville-based commercial real estate developer for nine years before starting law school in 1992. He received a J.D., with high honors, from the University of Florida in 1994, and was honored by the Florida First District Court of Appeal for receiving the highest score on the Florida bar examination. In 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2024, Best Lawyers named Mr. Farnell Jacksonville’s Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year, and in 2016 Best Lawyers named him Jacksonville’s Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants Lawyer of the Year. In 2021, Best Lawyers named him Jacksonville’s Legal Malpractice–Defendants Lawyer of the Year. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants, Litigation-Real Estate, and Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants.
Honors & Awards
- Highest Score on the Florida Bar Examination, Honored by the Florida First District Court of Appeal
- Florida Super Lawyers (Jacksonville Top 25: 2019 | Business Litigation: 2009-2024 | Personal Injury Defense and Professional Liability Defense: 2009-2022)
- The Best Lawyers in America (2007-2025) in the following practice areas: Commercial Litigation | Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants | Litigation – Real Estate | Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
- The Best Lawyers in America – Jacksonville Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year (2013, 2017, 2019, 2024)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Jacksonville Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants Lawyer of the Year (2016)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Jacksonville Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants Lawyer of the Year (2021)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV
- Florida Legal Elite
- Jacksonville Magazine’s Best Lawyers | 2024
- Commercial Litigation
- Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Litigation – Real Estate
- Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Professional Associations & Memberships
- The Florida Bar, Member
Published Work
- Article, Public Policy Implications of the Settlement of the Multi-Party Lawsuits