The Best Solicitors in Bristol

Updated 16 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Bristol is home to the oldest law society in the country and to some of the largest law firms outside London, several of them founded here, alongside neighbourhood practices in Clifton, Henleaze and Bedminster that do most of the city's house moves. 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

Clarke Willmott

Best overall

Three hundred staff on Cheese Lane, ranked for family and corporate work alike.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the South West and Tier 2 for corporate and commercial work in Bristol
  • In Bristol since 1986, and states the Bristol office is now its largest with more than 300 staff and over 40 partners, at Assembly Building C on Cheese Lane
  • Publishes a conveyancing service with a price promise page, so the residential side is priced up front
  • Ranked 8th in RollOnFriday's Best Law Firms to Work At 2025 and first for work-life balance, which tends to show in how quickly people reply
  • Property litigation team of more than 20 rated in both the Legal 500 and Chambers, with a Legal 500 Hall of Fame partner
  • No SRA number appears on the pages we read, so check the register before instructing
Family · Conveyancing · Corporate · Property litigation Temple Quay
Visit website 0117 314 9000

The Family Law Practice

Best for family law

Family law only, on Queen Square, with a fixed-fee first meeting.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for family law in the South West, as a specialist firm rather than a department
  • Offers the first meeting at a fixed fee, and publishes a fees page explaining that hourly rates follow the solicitor's experience
  • Publishes fixed prices for small jobs too, such as a change of name deed at £500 including VAT
  • Based at Queen Square House, 18 to 21 Queen Square, with a second number in Bath
  • Covers divorce, separation, financial settlements and child arrangements, and writes about non-court dispute resolution first
  • No SRA number appears on the pages we read, so check the register before instructing
Divorce · Financial settlements · Children · Cohabitation££ Queen Square
Visit website 0117 925 9539

Barcan+Kirby

Best for conveyancing

Four Bristol offices, CQS accredited, and top ranked by Chambers.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, and top ranked in Chambers UK 2026
  • Neighbourhood offices in Bedminster, Bishopston, Kingswood and Thornbury, so there is a branch on the right side of the city for most moves
  • Ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers for family law and personal injury, and top ranked by both for clinical negligence
  • Wills and probate team includes members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Law Society's Private Client Section
  • SRA regulated under number 568743, published in the site footer
Conveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · Clinical negligence Bedminster and Bishopston SRA 568743
Visit website 0117 325 2929

Burges Salmon

Best for commercial

Founded in Bristol in 1841, and the UK's law firm of the year in 2020.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Bristol, and its mergers and acquisitions work sits in the top tiers of both Chambers and the Legal 500
  • Named UK Law Firm of the Year and Energy and Infrastructure Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2020
  • Founded in Bristol in 1841 by Edward Burges, whose grandfather helped found the Bristol Law Society in 1770, and still headquartered in the city at One Glass Wharf
  • Also ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the South West, so a business owner's divorce can stay in the building
  • Advised on transactions totalling over £3 billion from its Edinburgh office alone in 2025
  • A firm built for large transactions, so a small business will get better value from an independent on this list
Corporate · Mergers and acquisitions · Energy · Family£££ Temple Quay
Visit website 0117 939 2200

Ashfords

Five hundred people, four offices, and top tier rankings in family and corporate.

Updated
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for both family law in the South West and corporate and commercial work in Bristol
  • States a team of over 500 people across offices in Bristol, Exeter, London and Plymouth, with access to lawyers in over 70 countries
  • Bristol office at Tower Wharf on Cheese Lane
  • Publishes a pricing page
  • States that 96 percent of its people would recommend it as a place to work
  • No SRA number or direct Bristol phone number appears on the pages we read, so check the register and use the contact form
Corporate · Family · Real estate · Employment Temple Quay
Visit website

TLT

Redcliff Street firm with a top tier corporate ranking and offices across the UK.

Updated
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Bristol and Tier 2 for family law in the South West
  • Won twice at the 2024 South West Dealmakers Awards and secured new top tier rankings in Chambers UK 2025
  • Shortlisted at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards 2026, and three times at the Bristol Law Society Awards in 2024
  • Headquartered at One Redcliff Street, with offices including London, Belfast, Glasgow and Piraeus
  • SRA regulated under number 406297, published on the site
Corporate · Commercial · Family · Financial services£££ Redcliffe SRA 406297
Visit website 0333 006 0000
Ranks 07 to 10

VWV

Narrow Quay firm with nine Chambers High Net Worth rankings.

Website

Wards Solicitors

Wine Street firm with a Legal 500 listing for family, probate and injury work.

Website

AMD Solicitors

Henleaze's longest-standing independent, since 1953.

Website

Battrick Clark Solicitors

Clifton practice since 1997 with fixed-price first meetings.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01Clarke WillmottOne firm for a Bristol family and its businessFamily · Conveyancing · Corporate · Property litigationNot publishedNot verifiedTemple Quay
02The Family Law PracticeDivorce and finances with a specialistDivorce · Financial settlements · Children · Cohabitation££Not verifiedQueen Square
03Barcan+KirbyBuying and selling in the Bristol suburbsConveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · Clinical negligenceNot publishedNot verifiedBedminster and Bishopston
04Burges SalmonLarge transactions and complex corporate workCorporate · Mergers and acquisitions · Energy · Family£££Not verifiedTemple Quay
05AshfordsA large regional firm for family or business workCorporate · Family · Real estate · EmploymentNot publishedNot verifiedTemple Quay
06TLTBusinesses with a national footprintCorporate · Commercial · Family · Financial services£££Not verifiedRedcliffe
07VWVPrivate wealth, schools and charitiesPrivate wealth · Corporate · Education · FamilyNot publishedNot verifiedHarbourside
08Wards SolicitorsProbate, injury and family work across greater BristolWills and probate · Personal injury · Family · ConveyancingNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
09AMD SolicitorsNorth Bristol families who want a local officeConveyancing · Wills · Family · CommercialNot publishedNot verifiedHenleaze and Clifton
10Battrick Clark SolicitorsFamily and conveyancing in Clifton at a known priceFamily · Conveyancing · Wills · Children££Not verifiedClifton

Before you instruct a firm in Bristol

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. Bristol has an unusual number of very large firms for a city its size. Burges Salmon, Ashfords and TLT are built for transactions and disputes with a lot of money at stake; for a house move or a will, the Clifton and Henleaze independents on this list will be quicker and cheaper.

Get the estimate in writing. Fixed fees exist for conveyancing, first meetings and simple wills, and three firms here print theirs. Everything else is hourly, and an estimate given on the phone is not the same as one written into a client care letter.

The big firms cluster at Temple Quay and along the harbourside, on Cheese Lane, Glass Wharf, Redcliff Street and Narrow Quay. The consumer firms are spread across the neighbourhoods: Clifton and Whiteladies Road, Henleaze, Bedminster and Bishopston, which is why the conveyancing and family slots on this list go to firms with a branch near where people actually live.

Frequently asked
How do I check a Bristol 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. Three of the larger firms do not print the number on their sites, and the cards say so.

Why is a family law firm ranked above Burges Salmon?

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. The Family Law Practice at rank two is the best place in Bristol to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats Burges Salmon at company work.

Do I need a solicitor based in Bristol?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre 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 Bristol charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Battrick Clark and The Family Law Practice publish fixed prices for first meetings, Clarke Willmott publishes a conveyancing price promise, and three of the larger firms publish pricing 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.

Other cities

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