The Best Solicitors in Edinburgh

Updated 16 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland

Edinburgh's solicitors are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland rather than the SRA, and many of them sell houses as well as conveying them, through the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre that has no equivalent in England. We ranked these ten on the five checks we run on every firm, with the register and the fee checks adjusted for Scotland. 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

Brodies

Best overall

A 300-year-old firm at Capital Square, top tier for family and corporate work alike.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for both family law in Scotland and corporate and commercial work in Edinburgh and Glasgow
  • States 70 top tier rankings across the Legal 500 and Chambers UK, and was named practice of the year at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards
  • More than 120 partners and over 950 colleagues, with the Edinburgh office at Capital Square on Morrison Street
  • Providing legal advice for over 300 years, with 15 consecutive years of growth and record revenue in the latest year
  • Covers banking, corporate, litigation, real estate and personal and family law from the one office
  • Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland
Corporate · Family · Real estate · Litigation£££ West End
Visit website 0131 228 3777

SKO Family Law

Best for family law

Scotland's largest specialist family practice, on George Street.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Top ranked for family law in the Legal 500 and Band 1 in Chambers and Partners 2026, and one of only two Scottish teams in the UK-wide Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2026
  • The only Scottish specialist firm ranked in The Times Best Law Firms 2026
  • The largest niche family law practice in Scotland, and winner of the Legal 500's Boutique Law Firm of the Year in 2023, with its founding partner named Private Client Lawyer of the Year the same year
  • Based at 18 George Street in the New Town
  • A family law firm only, so it will not handle the house sale or the will that often follows a separation
  • Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland
Divorce · Financial provision · Children · International family law£££ New Town
Visit website 0131 322 6669

Warners Solicitors and Estate Agents

Best for conveyancing

More Edinburgh sellers than any other ESPC agent since 2020.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Since 2020, more sellers have used Warners to sell their home than any other member of the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre
  • Runs estate agency and conveyancing together, the Scottish model where one firm markets the house and settles the transaction
  • Over 60 staff serving Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and central Scotland, with local offices at Easter Road, East Craigs, Fairmilehead and beyond
  • Offers a free property valuation and states there are no upfront fees on a sale
  • Also handles wills and executry work, which is the other half of what a home-owning family needs
  • Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland
Conveyancing · Estate agency · Wills · Executry Citywide
Visit website 0131 662 4747

Burness Paull

Best for commercial

Scotland's first £100 million independent, top tier for corporate work.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Tier 2 for family law in Scotland
  • Passed £100 million in turnover for the first time in the year to March 2026, with double digit growth
  • Its head of intellectual property is the only IP litigator in Scotland with a Band 1 Chambers ranking and a Legal 500 Hall of Fame listing
  • Edinburgh office at 50 Lothian Road, with offices in Glasgow and Aberdeen
  • Publishes a pricing information page and holds an EcoVadis gold medal for 2025
  • Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland, and also authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 838632 for its English work
Corporate · Banking · Intellectual property · Family£££ West End
Visit website

Turcan Connell

A private client firm at Princes Exchange, ranked Tier 2 for family law.

Updated
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for family law in Scotland
  • Built around private clients, family businesses, entrepreneurs and landowners rather than corporate transactions
  • Based at Princes Exchange, 1 Earl Grey Street, with offices in Glasgow and London
  • Most of its partners started at the firm as trainees, which is unusual and shows in the continuity on long-running trusts
  • A partnership of Scottish solicitors regulated by the Law Society of Scotland
Private client · Trusts and estates · Family · Land and rural business£££ Tollcross
Visit website 0131 228 8111

Balfour+Manson

Frederick Street firm with Band 1 personal injury and a Tier 2 family team.

Updated
  • Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for family law in Scotland
  • Ranked Band 1 by Chambers UK for personal injury and Band 2 for medical negligence, with one of its partners named Insurance Lawyer of the Year at the Legal 500 Scotland Awards 2023
  • Two of its solicitors were awarded lifetime honorary membership of the Law Society of Scotland in 2026 for constitutional law and human rights work
  • Based at 56 to 66 Frederick Street in the New Town, with offices in Aberdeen and Glasgow
  • Regulated by the Law Society of Scotland
Personal injury · Clinical negligence · Family · Public law New Town
Visit website 0131 200 1200
Ranks 07 to 10

Lindsays

Founded in Edinburgh in 1815, still independent, with fixed fee packages.

Website

Gibson Kerr

Randolph Crescent firm publishing fixed prices for wills and powers of attorney.

Website

Anderson Strathern

Morrison Street firm ranked for both family and corporate work.

Website

Blackadders

Torphichen Street office of a firm with a base in every major Scottish city.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01BrodiesOne firm for an Edinburgh family and its businessCorporate · Family · Real estate · Litigation£££Not verifiedWest End
02SKO Family LawComplex financial provision and international casesDivorce · Financial provision · Children · International family law£££Not verifiedNew Town
03Warners Solicitors and Estate AgentsSelling and buying a home in EdinburghConveyancing · Estate agency · Wills · ExecutryNot publishedNot verifiedCitywide
04Burness PaullLarge corporate transactions and disputesCorporate · Banking · Intellectual property · Family£££Not verifiedWest End
05Turcan ConnellTrusts, estates and landed family affairsPrivate client · Trusts and estates · Family · Land and rural business£££Not verifiedTollcross
06Balfour+MansonInjury claims, judicial review and family workPersonal injury · Clinical negligence · Family · Public lawNot publishedNot verifiedNew Town
07LindsaysFamily and private client work at a fixed priceFamily · Wills and estates · Residential property · CharitiesNot publishedNot verifiedWest End
08Gibson KerrWills, powers of attorney and family law at a known priceWills and estates · Powers of attorney · Family · Residential property£Not verifiedWest End
09Anderson StrathernPublic sector, rural and corporate workCorporate · Family · Land and rural business · Public sectorNot publishedNot verifiedWest End
10BlackaddersBusinesses and families with interests across ScotlandCorporate · Family · Employment · RuralNot publishedNot verifiedWest End

Before you instruct a firm in Edinburgh

Check the right register. Every firm here is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland, which is why no card carries an SRA number. Check the firm on the Society’s register yourself before you sign anything, because firms merge, rename and occasionally lose their authorisation between our quarterly re-checks.

Decide whether you want an estate agent too. Half of Edinburgh’s consumer firms sell houses as well as conveying them. That saves a handover between two businesses, but it also means the same firm is advising you on the price and taking a commission on it, so ask how each part is charged.

Get the estimate in writing. Fixed fees are common in Edinburgh for wills, powers of attorney, uncontested divorce and conveyancing, and three firms here publish theirs. Everything else is hourly, and an estimate given on the phone is not the same as one written into your terms of business.

The commercial firms sit in the West End around Morrison Street, Lothian Road and Canning Street, a short walk from the Court of Session on Parliament Square. The private client and family firms stayed in the New Town, on George Street, Frederick Street and Randolph Crescent, and the estate agency firms have branches out in the suburbs where the houses are.

Frequently asked
How do I check an Edinburgh solicitor is regulated?

Scottish solicitors are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland, not the Solicitors Regulation Authority, so the SRA register will not show them. Use the Law Society of Scotland's find a solicitor search. Every firm on this list was checked there before it was listed.

Why is a family law firm ranked above Burness Paull?

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. SKO at rank two is the best place in Edinburgh to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats Burness Paull at company work.

What is the ESPC and does it matter which solicitor I use?

The Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre is the property marketplace most Edinburgh homes are sold through, and its members are solicitor estate agents. Using an ESPC member means the same firm markets your house and does the legal work, which is why the conveyancing pick on this list is an estate agent as well as a law firm.

How much do solicitors in Edinburgh charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Gibson Kerr and Lindsays publish fixed prices for wills, powers of attorney and family packages, and Burness Paull publishes pricing information. Court and corporate work is mostly hourly, quoted after a first meeting. Ask for the estimate in writing before you instruct.

How does divorce work in Scotland?

A Scottish court grants divorce where the marriage has broken down irretrievably, shown by one year's separation with consent, two years without, adultery or unreasonable behaviour. Financial provision is decided under Scottish rules on matrimonial property, which differ from England, so use a solicitor who practises here.

Other cities

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