The Best Solicitors in Leicester

Updated 14 firms evaluated9 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Leicester's legal market splits between the New Walk and De Montfort Street practices that have served the city for a century and the newer commercial firms out at Grove Park in Enderby. These nine 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

Howes Percival

Best overall

Top tier for both family and corporate work, and part of Leicester since 1997.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the East Midlands and for corporate and commercial work in the region outside Nottingham, one of very few firms in both
  • States it has been ranked the number one best law firm to work for in the UK, which usually shows in how quickly people reply
  • Part of Leicester's community since 1997, based at Grove Park in Enderby, with offices in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester and London
  • The Legal 500 records that its clients receive prompt and cost-efficient service with the right blend of experience, responsiveness and value
  • Corporate team works from £1 sales of distressed businesses up to £100 million share sales
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Commercial · Family · Employment£££ Grove Park
Visit website 0116 247 3500

Nelsons

Best for family law

Top tier for family law in the East Midlands, with fees published to the pound.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the East Midlands
  • Publishes real numbers on its fees page, including debt recovery at £150 plus VAT and seven percent of sums up to £25,000, and hourly rates by grade of lawyer
  • Recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, The Lawyer's UK 200 report and The Times Best Law Firms
  • Leicester office at Provincial House, 37 New Walk, with offices in Nottingham and Derby
  • Advising clients since 1983, and has absorbed Cleggs Solicitors, Else Solicitors and Simpson Jones since 2023
  • SRA regulated under number 536939, published on the site
Family · Wills and probate · Dispute resolution · Corporate££ New Walk SRA 536939
Visit website 0116 222 6666

Rich & Carr

Best for conveyancing

Six offices across Leicestershire and more than 50 years in the city.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Six offices across the county, in Leicester, Blaby, Birstall, Lutterworth, Oadby and Syston, so there is a branch on the right side of most moves
  • Merged with Freer Bouskell in 2009, combining more than 300 years of practice into one of Leicestershire's most established firms
  • Providing legal services in Leicester for more than 50 years, from Assurance House on Rutland Street
  • Covers residential and commercial property, wills, family, employment and dispute resolution from the same offices
  • SRA regulated under number 621914, published on the site
Conveyancing · Commercial property · Wills and probate · Family City centre SRA 621914
Visit website 0116 253 8021

BHW Solicitors

Best for commercial

The region's largest independent commercial firm, with three Legal 500 leading individuals.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in the East Midlands outside Nottingham
  • Three of its corporate lawyers are named Leading Individuals in the Legal 500, and its head of commercial property holds both a Legal 500 Leading Partner ranking and Band 1 in Chambers
  • Its commercial property team is ranked in the top 100 in the UK by the Legal 500, with six recommended lawyers
  • Grown organically from two staff to over eighty, always in Leicester, and now the largest independent commercial law firm in the region
  • Holds Lexcel and the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, and runs a separate conveyancing arm
  • Based at 1 Smith Way, Grove Park
Corporate · Commercial property · Dispute resolution · Conveyancing£££ Grove Park
Visit website 0116 289 7000

Shakespeare Martineau

Colton Square office of a 1,200-strong firm ranked top tier for family law.

Updated
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for both family law in the East Midlands and corporate and commercial work in the region outside Nottingham
  • 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
  • Leicester office at One Colton Square, and the firm publishes a pricing transparency page
  • Named in the Best Companies lists for 2025
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Corporate · Family · Real estate · Private wealth£££ City centre
Visit website 0116 254 5454

Smith Partnership

Large law firm of the year at the 2023 county awards, with advanced family accreditation.

Updated
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the East Midlands and Tier 3 for corporate and commercial work in the region
  • Named Large Law Firm of the Year at the Leicestershire Law Society Awards in May 2023
  • Holds the Law Society's advanced family law accreditation, awarded to solicitors with demonstrated expertise across a wide range of family issues, and the Lifetime Lawyer qualification for work with older and vulnerable clients
  • Runs a multilingual lawyers page, which matters in a city where a third of residents speak another language at home
  • Offices in Leicester, Derby, Burton upon Trent, Stoke and Swadlincote
  • SRA regulated under number 639865, published on the site
Family · Wills and probate · Personal injury · Commercial City centre SRA 639865
Visit website 0330 123 1229
Ranks 07 to 09

Josiah Hincks

Leicestershire's large law firm of the year in 2024, on De Montfort Street.

Website

Rothera Bray

St George Street office of a firm highly commended at the 2025 county awards.

Website

Crane & Walton

De Montfort Street practice with a residential property lead of over 20 years.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01Howes PercivalOne firm for a Leicester family and its businessCorporate · Commercial · Family · Employment£££Not verifiedGrove Park
02NelsonsDivorce, children and financial settlementsFamily · Wills and probate · Dispute resolution · Corporate££Not verifiedNew Walk
03Rich & CarrBuying and selling across LeicestershireConveyancing · Commercial property · Wills and probate · FamilyNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
04BHW SolicitorsCompany deals and commercial propertyCorporate · Commercial property · Dispute resolution · Conveyancing£££Not verifiedGrove Park
05Shakespeare MartineauProperty, business and family work in one firmCorporate · Family · Real estate · Private wealth£££Not verifiedCity centre
06Smith PartnershipFamily and later life work across the East MidlandsFamily · Wills and probate · Personal injury · CommercialNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
07Josiah HincksAn established local firm for everyday legal workConveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · CommercialNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
08Rothera BrayFamily work and serious injury claimsFamily · Serious injury · Wills and probate · CommercialNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
09Crane & WaltonHouse moves and family trustsConveyancing · Family · Trusts · Commercial propertyNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre

Before you instruct a firm in Leicester

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.

Read the Legal 500 region correctly. The directory groups Leicester with the rest of the East Midlands outside Nottingham and Derby, so a ranking in those tables is a regional result rather than a city one. We checked each firm for a Leicester office before listing it.

Get the estimate in writing. Published prices are rarer in Leicester than in the bigger cities, and only two firms here print anything. Ask for the estimate in writing before you instruct, and ask whether it covers disbursements such as searches and Land Registry fees.

The commercial firms have moved out to Grove Park in Enderby, where Howes Percival and BHW both sit, while the consumer firms stayed in the city on New Walk, De Montfort Street, Rutland Street and Colton Square. Several of the county firms run branches in Blaby, Oadby, Syston and Birstall, which is where the conveyancing work in this list is actually done.

Frequently asked
How do I check a Leicester 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 only nine firms?

Because nine cleared our checks. Leicester has fewer firms with independent rankings and published credentials than a city of its size suggests, and several of the names we looked at could not be verified against a directory listing or a regulator record. We would rather run a shorter list than pad it.

Why is a family law firm ranked above BHW?

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. Nelsons at rank two is the best place in Leicester to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats BHW at company work.

How much do solicitors in Leicester charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Nelsons publishes fixed fees and hourly rates by grade, and Shakespeare Martineau publishes a pricing page. Most of the local firms quote after a first call. Ask for the estimate in writing before you instruct.

Do I need a solicitor based in Leicester?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Leicester County Court and Family Court on Wellington Street and can sit down with you is worth more than a cheaper firm at the other end of the country.

Other cities

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