The Best Solicitors in Birmingham

Updated 16 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Birmingham has the largest legal market outside London, with the Colmore Business District holding the offices of firms that also appear in the City, and a separate layer of long-established local practices in Sutton Coldfield and the Black Country. These ten were ranked on the five checks we run on every firm. Rank one is the best overall, ranks two to four are the best for family law, conveyancing and commercial work, and the rest cleared the same checks. How we rank

  1. 01 Best overall
  2. 02 Best for family law
  3. 03 Best for conveyancing
  4. 04 Best for commercial
  5. 05+The rest of the shortlist, ranked on the same five checks

Mills & Reeve

Best overall

Ranked in both Birmingham tables, and one of only six percent of employers with Platinum Investors in People.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for both family law in Birmingham and corporate and commercial work in Birmingham, one of the few firms that manages both
  • Holds Platinum Investors in People status, awarded in 2023, which puts it in the top six percent of more than 50,000 assessed organisations
  • Named one of the UK's top law firms to work at by RollOnFriday for nine years running, winning in 2018, 2019 and 2020
  • Ranked by the Financial Times as one of the 50 most innovative law firms in Europe
  • Birmingham office at One Centenary Way in Paradise, with offices in Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich and Oxford
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Family · Real estate · Private client£££ Paradise
Visit website 0121 456 8499

Anthony Collins Solicitors

Best for family law

Top tier for family law in Birmingham, Band 1 in Chambers, and a certified B Corp.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in Birmingham, and Band 1 for family and matrimonial work in the West Midlands by Chambers
  • Kept its top firm ranking in the Chambers UK 2026 guide
  • Also ranked Band 3 in London for family mediation, so a case can be settled without a court date
  • Joined the B Corp community in 2022 as a social purpose law firm, and publishes an information on fees page
  • Its personal injury and clinical negligence partner has won multi-million pound awards, some over £20 million
  • Based at the Billiards Building, 134 Edmund Street, in the Colmore district
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Family · Mediation · Clinical negligence · Social housing Colmore Business District
Visit website 0121 200 3242

Sydney Mitchell

Best for conveyancing

Waterloo Street firm with an online conveyancing quote and published prices.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Runs an online conveyancing quote tool and a pricing information page, so the number comes before the phone call
  • Retained Lexcel, the Law Society's practice management standard, in its most recent assessment
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for family law in Birmingham, with the family team recognised by the directory for over a decade
  • Shortlisted as one of five firms in the Birmingham Law Society's Legal Awards every year since 2011, and won at the Nachural Signature Awards in 2025 for excellence in professional services
  • Birmingham office at Cavendish House, 39 Waterloo Street, with offices in Shirley and Sheldon
  • SRA regulated under number 513895, published on the site
Conveyancing · Family · Wills and probate · Immigration City centre SRA 513895
Visit website 0121 746 3300

Gateley Legal

Best for commercial

Edmund Street firm re-accredited every year for Lexcel, ISO and Cyber Essentials Plus.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for corporate and commercial work in Birmingham
  • Accredited every year for Lexcel, Investors in People, ISO and Cyber Essentials Plus
  • Deal work includes advising a machine tool supplier on an £18 million management buy-out and a client on a £5 million AIM placing
  • Birmingham office at One Eleven Edmund Street, part of a national and Northern Irish network
  • Its litigation team has acted on claims against a power cable manufacturer with an alleged overcharge of around £500 million
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Commercial · Banking · Real estate£££ Colmore Business District
Visit website 0121 234 0000

Browne Jacobson

Colmore Row firm ranked third in the country for deal count in 2026.

Updated
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for corporate and commercial work in Birmingham
  • Ranked third for deal count by Mergermarket in 2026
  • Won twice at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe awards in 2025, and again in 2026 for innovation in knowledge and data and in people strategy
  • Named Employer of the Year at the upReach Student Social Mobility Awards 2026
  • Birmingham office on the 15th floor at 103 Colmore Row
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Insurance · Public sector · Education£££ Colmore Business District
Visit website 0370 270 6000

Shakespeare Martineau

A 1,200-strong firm with Birmingham roots and over 50 ranked practice areas.

Updated
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for corporate and commercial work in Birmingham and Tier 3 for family law
  • Over 1,200 legal and business professionals across 12 UK cities, with more than 50 practice areas ranked in the Legal 500
  • Its family team holds ten top tier rankings across the Legal 500 and Chambers
  • Publishes a pricing transparency page
  • Named in the Best Companies lists for 2025
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Commercial · Family · Private wealth£££ City centre
Visit website 0121 214 0000
Ranks 07 to 10

Irwin Mitchell

Top tier for family law in Birmingham, and twice a winner at the local law society awards.

Website

Clarke Willmott

Colmore Row office of a firm ranked first for work-life balance in 2025.

Website

Stowe Family Law

Family law only, at Chamberlain Square, ranked Tier 2 in Birmingham.

Website

Enoch Evans

Practising since 1884, CQS accredited, with an office in Sutton Coldfield.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01Mills & ReeveOne firm for a Birmingham family and its businessCorporate · Family · Real estate · Private client£££Not verifiedParadise
02Anthony Collins SolicitorsDivorce, children and mediationFamily · Mediation · Clinical negligence · Social housingNot publishedNot verifiedColmore Business District
03Sydney MitchellBuying or selling with a fixed quote up frontConveyancing · Family · Wills and probate · ImmigrationNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
04Gateley LegalCompany sales, buy-outs and fundraisingCorporate · Commercial · Banking · Real estate£££Not verifiedColmore Business District
05Browne JacobsonPublic sector, insurance and corporate workCorporate · Insurance · Public sector · Education£££Not verifiedColmore Business District
06Shakespeare MartineauBusinesses that want depth in one firmCorporate · Commercial · Family · Private wealth£££Not verifiedCity centre
07Irwin MitchellFamily finances and serious injury claimsFamily · Personal injury · Clinical negligence · Wills and probate£££Not verifiedCity centre
08Clarke WillmottFamily work and property disputesFamily · Conveyancing · Property litigation · Private clientNot publishedNot verifiedColmore Business District
09Stowe Family LawDivorce and children cases at a specialistDivorce · Children · Financial settlements · Surrogacy£££Not verifiedCity centre
10Enoch EvansConveyancing and family work in the north of the cityConveyancing · Family · Wills and probate · CommercialNot publishedNot verifiedSutton Coldfield

Before you instruct a firm in Birmingham

Check the register first. Every firm here appears on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register, and the number is on the card where the firm publishes it. Check it again yourself before you sign anything, because firms merge, rename and occasionally lose their authorisation between our quarterly re-checks.

Match the firm to the size of the job. Birmingham’s top corporate tier is made up of global firms with a Birmingham office, and none of them will take a house move or a will. The firms on this list are the ones a business owner and their family can both use, which is a different question from who does the biggest deals.

Get the estimate in writing. Fixed fees exist for conveyancing, immigration applications and simple wills, and two firms here publish quote tools. Everything else is hourly, and an estimate given on the phone is not the same as one written into a client care letter.

The commercial firms are packed into the Colmore Business District and the newer Paradise and Chamberlain Square developments, on Colmore Row, Edmund Street, Waterloo Street and Centenary Way. The family specialists sit among them rather than out in the suburbs, and the older local practices hold the ground further out, in Sutton Coldfield, Shirley and Walsall.

Frequently asked
How do I check a Birmingham solicitor is regulated?

Look the firm up on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register. Every firm on this list was checked there before it was listed, and where a firm publishes its SRA number we show it on the card.

Why is a family law firm ranked above Gateley?

Because ranks two to four are not a straight ranking. Rank one is the best firm overall. Ranks two, three and four are the best firm for family law, conveyancing and commercial work respectively. Anthony Collins at rank two is the best place in Birmingham to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats Gateley at company work.

Do I need a solicitor based in Birmingham?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre on Bull Street and can sit down with you is worth more than a cheaper firm at the other end of the country.

How much do solicitors in Birmingham charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Sydney Mitchell publishes an online conveyancing quote and a price list, Clarke Willmott publishes a conveyancing price promise, and Shakespeare Martineau and Anthony Collins publish fee pages. Commercial and dispute work is mostly hourly, quoted after a first meeting. Ask for the estimate in writing before you instruct.

What is the difference between a solicitor and a barrister?

A solicitor is the lawyer you hire. They advise, draft, negotiate and run your case. A barrister is a courtroom specialist, usually instructed by your solicitor when a case goes to trial at the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre or the Crown Court on Newton Street.

Other cities

The Best Solicitors in London The Best Solicitors in Manchester The Best Solicitors in Glasgow The Best Solicitors in Leeds The Best Solicitors in Liverpool The Best Solicitors in Edinburgh
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