The Best Solicitors in Nottingham

Updated Sept 202616 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Nottingham punches above its size in law, with two national firms headquartered here and a fourth of the city's legal work done from the Lace Market and Castle Meadow rather than a business park. 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

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

Why they are on this list

Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the East Midlands and Tier 2 for corporate and commercial work in Nottingham and Derby
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
Advising clients since 1983, from Pennine House on Stanford Street, with offices in Leicester and Derby
Became an alternative business structure in 2014, so conveyancers and investment managers can be partners, and has since absorbed Cleggs Solicitors, Else Solicitors and Simpson Jones
SRA regulated under number 536939, published on the site

Why they are on this list

Ranked Tier 2 by the Legal 500 for family law in the East Midlands and Tier 3 for corporate and commercial work in Nottingham and Derby
Won every category it entered at the 2025 Nottinghamshire Law Society Awards
Its head of serious injury was named Partner of the Year at the 2026 Nottinghamshire Law Society Awards, and the firm was shortlisted in two categories at the 2026 Leicestershire awards
Based in the Lace Market, with offices in Derby, Leicester, Bingham and Long Eaton
Covers family, injury, private client and commercial work, so a separation that involves a business stays in one firm
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Why they are on this list

Publishes an our fees page and separate guides to buying and selling a property, so the process and the price are both set out before you call
Supporting people, families and businesses since 1893, more than 130 years advising across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
Offices in Beeston on Devonshire Avenue and in Ripley, which covers the west of the conurbation rather than the city centre
Client feedback on the site includes conveyancing relationships running ten years and several properties
SRA regulated under number 567496, published on the site

Why they are on this list

Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Nottingham and Derby
Ranked third for deal count by Mergermarket in 2026, and won three times at the East Midlands Rainmakers Awards 2025
Won twice at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe awards in 2025 and again in 2026
Two of its partners took the Community Champion and Lifetime Achievement awards at the 2026 Nottinghamshire Law Society Awards
Nottingham office at Mowbray House on Castle Meadow Road, with offices including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Exeter
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Nottingham and Derby, and Tier 2 for family law in the East Midlands
Named Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2024 and again at the City AM Awards 2025
Ranked Tier 1 in 25 categories and recommended in 97 practice areas in the 2026 Legal 500, with 12 individuals in the Hall of Fame
Its Nottingham office at 80 Mount Street is the largest of the firm's 13 UK offices, with around 400 staff
Featured in the Legal 500 Green Guide 2026 for sustainability
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the East Midlands and Tier 2 for corporate and commercial work in Nottingham and Derby
Over 1,200 legal and business professionals across 12 UK cities, with more than 50 practice areas ranked in the Legal 500
A certified B Corporation, legally required to weigh the effect of its decisions on people and the environment as well as profit
Nottingham office at Waterfront House, Waterfront Plaza, and publishes a pricing transparency page
Its family team holds ten top tier rankings across the Legal 500 and Chambers
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Ranks 07 to 10

Gateley Legal

Ropewalk office of a firm re-accredited every year for Lexcel and ISO.

Website

Bhatia Best

Carrington Street firm with Children Panel and Resolution accredited specialists.

Website

Stowe Family Law

Family law only, at Standard Court on Park Row.

Website

Curtis Parkinson

Bingham and Bulwell practice with a later life and probate focus.

Website

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Compare at a glance

Rank	Firm	Best for	Specialisms	Price	Rating	Area
01	Nelsons	One firm for a Nottingham family and its business	Family · Corporate · Wills and probate · Dispute resolution	££	Not verified	City centre
02	Rothera Bray	Divorce, children and injury claims	Family · Children · Serious injury · Wills and probate	Not published	Not verified	Lace Market
03	Ellis-Fermor & Negus	Buying and selling in Beeston and west Nottingham	Conveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · Commercial	Not published	Not verified	Beeston
04	Browne Jacobson	Corporate deals, insurance and public sector work	Corporate · Insurance · Public sector · Education	£££	Not verified	Castle Meadow
05	Freeths	Businesses that want a national firm on their doorstep	Corporate · Commercial · Real estate · Family	£££	Not verified	City centre
06	Shakespeare Martineau	Full-service work for businesses and families	Corporate · Family · Real estate · Private wealth	£££	Not verified	Waterfront
07	Gateley Legal	Company sales, buy-outs and fundraising	Corporate · Commercial · Banking · Real estate	£££	Not verified	The Ropewalk
08	Bhatia Best	Care proceedings, crime and family work	Family · Children · Criminal · Civil	£	Not verified	City centre
09	Stowe Family Law	Divorce and children cases at a specialist	Divorce · Children · Financial settlements · Surrogacy	£££	Not verified	City centre
10	Curtis Parkinson	Wills, probate and later life planning	Wills and probate · Later life · Conveyancing · Commercial	Not published	Not verified	Bingham and Bulwell

Before you instruct a firm in Nottingham

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. Three of these firms are national practices with a large Nottingham office, and two are firms built by merger over the last five years. The partner who wins the work is not always the person who does it.

Get the estimate in writing. Nottingham is unusually good for published prices, and four firms here print something. Everything else is hourly, and an estimate given on the phone is not the same as one written into a client care letter.

The Nottingham legal market

The corporate firms sit on Castle Meadow Road, Mount Street, The Ropewalk and Waterfront Plaza, all within a short walk of the county court on Canal Street. The consumer firms are spread through the city and its edges, in the Lace Market, on Carrington Street and out in Beeston, Bulwell and Bingham where their clients live.

Frequently asked

How do I check a Nottingham 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 Browne Jacobson?

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. Rothera Bray at rank two is the best place in Nottingham to take a divorce, not a claim that it beats Browne Jacobson at company work.

Do I need a solicitor based in Nottingham?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Nottingham County Court and Family Court on Canal 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 Nottingham charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Nelsons publishes fixed fees and hourly rates by grade, Bhatia Best and Ellis-Fermor & Negus publish fee pages, and Shakespeare Martineau publishes a pricing page. Commercial and dispute work is mostly hourly, quoted after a first meeting. Ask for the estimate in writing before you instruct.

Can I still get legal aid in Nottingham?

For some family, housing, mental health and criminal matters, yes, subject to a means test. Bhatia Best is the firm on this list that most clearly still does publicly funded crime and care work. The commercial firms do not take it, so ask before the first meeting.

Corrections and suggestions

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The Best Solicitors in Nottingham

Nelsons

Rothera Bray

Ellis-Fermor & Negus

Browne Jacobson

Freeths

Shakespeare Martineau

Gateley Legal

Bhatia Best

Stowe Family Law

Curtis Parkinson

Compare at a glance

Before you instruct a firm in Nottingham

The Nottingham legal market

Other cities

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