The Best Solicitors in Manchester

Updated 93 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Manchester's legal market runs from two-hundred-year-old independents to fee-share boutiques, and most firms say they do everything. 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

Brabners

Best overall

Two centuries old, independent, and the UK's largest B Corp law firm.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Around 500 staff in Manchester at 100 Barbirolli Square, and more than 600 across the North West, which makes it one of the largest firms in the region
  • Still independent after 200 years, which matters here because most firms this size have been absorbed into a national or a group structure
  • The UK's largest law firm to achieve B Corp certification, awarded in 2022, so the governance claim is externally audited rather than asserted
  • Legal 500 Top Tier and Hall of Fame rankings across several years, plus Large Law Firm of the Year at the Manchester Legal Awards 2025
  • Sector depth in healthcare, housing, manufacturing, property, recruitment, retail, sport and technology, which is where the commercial advice actually gets specific
  • Runs a charitable foundation, which is not a legal service but does tell you something about how the partnership spends its surplus
Corporate · Real estate · Employment · Litigation£££ City centre
Visit website 0161 836 8800

Hall Brown Family Law

Best for family law

Family law only, founded in Manchester, now six offices.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Does family law and nothing else: divorce and dissolution, financial settlements, children, pre-nuptial and cohabitation agreements, domestic abuse injunctions and international cases
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the North West, and quoted in the Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2026 as exceptionally good at what they do
  • Established in April 2016 by Sam Hall and James Brown, both already ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers as family lawyers before they set up on their own
  • SRA regulated under number 627248, published in the site footer with the registered office at Ship Canal House, 98 King Street
  • Headquartered in Manchester with offices in London, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool, so a case that moves city stays with one firm
  • Publishes no hourly rates. The costs page says the first consultation is charged at a fee quoted before the meeting, with a written estimate after it
Divorce · Financial settlements · Children · Pre-nuptial agreements City centre SRA 627248
Visit website 0161 804 7000

MWG Solicitors

Best for conveyancing

Publishes exact figures for both sides of a transaction.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Publishes real numbers rather than a calculator, average legal fees of £700 plus VAT to act on a purchase and £650 plus VAT on a sale
  • Itemises the third-party costs separately and honestly, including search fees of £171 to £216 plus VAT and notice fees that can run to £500 plus VAT on a leasehold
  • SRA regulated under number 519318, published on the fees page itself
  • States realistic timelines rather than optimistic ones, 6 to 8 weeks for a freehold purchase and 10 to 12 weeks for a leasehold
  • Names the supervising partner for conveyancing publicly, so you know who is accountable before you instruct
  • Does not display CQS accreditation on this page, so confirm it if your lender requires a panel firm
Purchase · Sale · Leasehold · Fixed fee£ Levenshulme SRA 519318
Visit website 0161 835 2446

JMW Solicitors

Best for commercial

Manchester-founded, 500-strong, and mostly referral-fed.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Over 500 partners, solicitors and support staff, working from 125 Deansgate
  • States that around 30% of business comes from existing clients and over 70% of work comes from recommendations, which is the most useful number a law firm can publish about itself
  • Recognised by both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners
  • Unusually wide commercial coverage including business crime, road transport law, sports law and media and reputation management, which are genuinely hard to buy elsewhere in the city
  • Manchester-founded and still headquartered here rather than run from a London office
  • Publishes no SRA number on the business pages, so verify it on the SRA register before instructing
Corporate · Commercial litigation · Employment · Sports law£££ Deansgate
Visit website 0345 872 6666

Versus Law

CQS-accredited south Manchester firm with a fixed-fee promise.

Updated
  • Accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, which most mortgage lenders treat as the entry requirement for their panel
  • SRA regulated under number 519056, published on the site
  • States plainly that "our legal fees are fixed so you can be assured that the price we quote is the price you pay", with an instant online calculator behind it
  • Names the head of conveyancing and four further fee earners publicly, which is unusual disclosure at this size
  • Based on Lapwing Lane in West Didsbury, covering Chorlton, Withington, Prestwich, Stretford, Sale, Cheadle, Stockport and Eccles, and acting across England and Wales
  • Cites 351 client reviews, though without a platform and score we could verify, so the card carries no star row
Purchase · Sale · CQS panel · Remortgage££ Didsbury SRA 519056
Visit website 0161 249 5087

Kuits

City-centre commercial firm, 110 years in the same city.

Updated
  • Describes itself as a leading UK200-listed commercial law firm and has been rooted in Manchester for over 110 years, at Blackfriars House on Parsonage
  • Genuinely commercial-first rather than a general practice with a corporate department bolted on
  • Holds Lexcel and the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, both of which are audited standards rather than self-declared
  • Sector focus on leisure, tech, healthcare, care homes, sport and charities, which is a coherent list rather than every sector in the economy
  • Covers banking and real estate finance alongside corporate and commercial property, so a funded acquisition can sit with one team
  • Smaller than the two above it, which usually means better partner access and less bench to escalate into
Corporate · Commercial property · Banking · Employment££ City centre
Visit website 0161 832 3434
Ranks 07 to 10

Slater Heelis

250 years old, now inside a national group.

Website

Martin & Co Solicitors

Employment law only, and the founder answers first.

Website

Stephensons

250 staff, published tribunal costs, and an award to match.

Website

gunnercooke

Fee-share model, so you buy a partner rather than a firm.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01BrabnersEstablished businesses wanting one firmCorporate · Real estate · Employment · Litigation£££Not verifiedCity centre
02Hall Brown Family LawDivorce, finances and childrenDivorce · Financial settlements · Children · Pre-nuptial agreementsNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
03MWG SolicitorsBuyers who want the number firstPurchase · Sale · Leasehold · Fixed fee£Not verifiedLevenshulme
04JMW SolicitorsUnusual or specialist mandatesCorporate · Commercial litigation · Employment · Sports law£££Not verifiedDeansgate
05Versus LawSouth Manchester purchasesPurchase · Sale · CQS panel · Remortgage££Not verifiedDidsbury
06KuitsOwner-managed and mid-market dealsCorporate · Commercial property · Banking · Employment££Not verifiedCity centre
07Slater HeelisBusinesses wanting national coverageCorporate · Commercial · Employment · Property££Not verifiedDeansgate
08Martin & Co SolicitorsIndividuals with a real claimUnfair dismissal · Discrimination · Settlement agreements · Tribunal££Not verifiedCity centre
09StephensonsCases heading to a hearingTribunal · Discrimination · TUPE · Redundancy££Not verifiedCity centre
10gunnercookeBuying a specific senior lawyerCorporate · Commercial · IP · Financial services£££Not verifiedCity centre

Before you instruct a firm in Manchester

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.

Ask who will run your file. The larger firms on this list have hundreds of fee earners. The partner who wins the work is not always the person who does it. Ask for the name, the seniority and the hourly rate of the person who will actually handle your matter.

Get the estimate in writing. Fixed fees exist for conveyancing, settlement agreements and simple wills. Everything else is hourly, and an estimate given on the phone is not the same as one written into a client care letter.

The practice-area shortlists

This list picks one firm per priority area. For a deeper shortlist in each, ManchesterExperts ranks Manchester firms by practice area: commercial solicitors, conveyancing solicitors and employment solicitors.

Frequently asked
How do I check a Manchester 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 a large commercial firm?

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. A specialist family firm at rank two is the best place to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats the commercial firms at company work.

Do I need a solicitor based in Manchester?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Manchester courts 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 Manchester charge?

It depends on the work and on the seniority of the person doing it. Conveyancing and settlement agreements are usually fixed fee, and the firms here that publish prices are marked with one to three pound signs. Family, 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

The Best Solicitors in London The Best Solicitors in Birmingham The Best Solicitors in Glasgow The Best Solicitors in Leeds The Best Solicitors in Liverpool The Best Solicitors in Edinburgh
Corrections and suggestions

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