The Best Solicitors in Sheffield

Updated 15 firms evaluated10 listed Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Sheffield's legal market is older than most. Wake Smith has practised in the city since 1802 and Irwin Mitchell, now a national firm, was founded here in 1912, while a ring of independents on Paradise Square and around Barker's Pool does most of the city's family, property and injury work. 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

Wake Smith Solicitors

Best overall

In Sheffield since 1802, and ranked across nine practice areas.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Founded in 1802 by Bernard John Wake and still based in Sheffield over 200 years later, now at No1 Velocity on Tenter Street
  • A Legal 500 Leading Firm in 2025, recommended for company and commercial, commercial litigation, banking, clinical negligence, family, private client, commercial property and property litigation, and ranked Tier 2 for corporate work in Sheffield
  • Residential conveyancing department accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, and the firm holds Lexcel
  • Wills and probate team regulated by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and a Law Society accredited clinical negligence practice
  • Acts for Sheffield businesses including Swann-Morton and Westfield Health, both of which describe relationships running near twenty years
  • No SRA number appears on the pages we read, so check the register before instructing
Conveyancing · Family · Commercial · Medical negligence City centre
Visit website 0114 266 6660

Irwin Mitchell

Best for family law

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, now the UK's largest full-service firm by its own account.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the Sheffield City Region, and won the Family Law Award at the Yorkshire Legal Awards in 2019
  • Founded in Sheffield in 1912 and describes itself as the UK's largest full-service law firm, with the largest private client team in the country
  • Sheffield office at Riverside East, 2 Millsands, which remains one of the firm's principal offices rather than a branch
  • Top ranked by Chambers and Partners and praised by the Legal 500 for the preparation of its Sheffield cases, per the office page
  • Holds more Legal 500 top tier rankings for personal injury than any other firm in England and Wales, so a family matter with an injury or negligence element can stay in one building
  • A national firm of this size means you should ask who will run your file day to day
Divorce · Children · Financial settlements · Personal injury City centre
Visit website 0114 299 6003

Taylor Emmet

Best for conveyancing

Sheffield's residential property team of the year, three times.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Named Residential Property Team of the Year at the Sheffield and District Law Society Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2026
  • Serving the Sheffield City Region for more than 150 years, and ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the region as well
  • Publishes a price transparency page, which is the page to read before you ask for a quote
  • Won Probate Provider of the Year for the North and Midlands at the British Wills and Probate Awards 2023, and holds Band 1 in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2026
  • Also picked up the Private Client Team of the Year and Corporate and Commercial Team of the Year awards from the Sheffield and District Law Society in recent years
  • No SRA number appears on the pages we read, so check the register before instructing
Conveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · Private wealth
Visit website 0114 218 4000

Freeths

Best for commercial

National firm with a top tier corporate ranking and 75 staff in Sheffield.

Updated
Why they are on this list
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for corporate and commercial work in Sheffield and South Yorkshire
  • States over 75 members of staff in its Sheffield city centre office at 129 Norfolk Street, covering a range of disciplines
  • A national firm, so a Sheffield business that expands elsewhere keeps the same firm
  • Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution for the North is based in this office
  • A commercial firm first, so for a house move or a divorce the independents on this list are the better fit
  • Publishes no fees, so the estimate comes out of the first conversation
Corporate · Commercial · Disputes · Real estate City centre
Visit website 0345 077 9696

Switalskis

Yorkshire firm of 380 staff with a top tier family ranking and a Paradise Square office.

Updated
  • Ranked in the Legal 500's top tier for family law in the Sheffield City Region
  • Established in Wakefield in 1993 with a focus on child care and criminal law, and states it now employs more than 380 staff across 11 locations
  • Sheffield office at 24 to 26 Paradise Square, with step-free access noted on the site
  • Shortlisted in three categories at the Yorkshire Legal Awards 2026
  • SRA regulated under number 614622, published on the site
Family · Child care · Criminal · Personal injury City centre SRA 614622
Visit website 0114 349 2300

Graysons Solicitors

Six-partner independent in Sheffield since 1925.

Updated
  • Established in 1925 and recommended in the Legal 500 2025 for family, personal injury, private client and medical negligence work
  • Every member of the family team is a member of Resolution and follows its code of practice
  • Holds Lexcel, the Law Society's practice management standard
  • A six-partner firm at Courtwood House on Silver Street Head, with branches in Chesterfield and Hathersage, and describes itself as local rather than multinational
  • Rated Excellent on Trustpilot, per the family page
  • No SRA number appears on the pages we read, so check the register before instructing
Family · Personal injury · Wills and probate · Medical negligence City centre
Visit website 0114 272 9184
Ranks 07 to 10

Howells Solicitors

South Yorkshire family and private client firm, trusted since 1979.

Website

Sills & Betteridge incorporating Bell & Buxton

The old Sheffield firm Bell and Buxton, now inside a 400-person regional group.

Website

Banner Jones Solicitors

Chesterfield-rooted firm whose employment team keeps winning in Sheffield.

Website

Foys Solicitors

Doncaster-founded firm with two Sheffield offices and published conveyancing extras.

Website

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Compare at a glance

FirmBest forSpecialismsPriceRatingArea
01Wake Smith SolicitorsOne firm for a Sheffield family and its businessConveyancing · Family · Commercial · Medical negligenceNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
02Irwin MitchellDivorce and children with a big team behind itDivorce · Children · Financial settlements · Personal injuryNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
03Taylor EmmetBuying and selling in the Sheffield City RegionConveyancing · Wills and probate · Family · Private wealthNot publishedNot verifiedNot stated
04FreethsBusinesses that will outgrow a local firmCorporate · Commercial · Disputes · Real estateNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
05SwitalskisChildren, care proceedings and criminal defenceFamily · Child care · Criminal · Personal injuryNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
06Graysons SolicitorsA local partner-led firm for family and injury workFamily · Personal injury · Wills and probate · Medical negligenceNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
07Howells SolicitorsFamily and inquest work with a South Yorkshire baseFamily · Children · Inquests · WillsNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
08Sills & Betteridge incorporating Bell & BuxtonFamily and conveyancing with regional back-upFamily · Conveyancing · Wills and probate · EmploymentNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
09Banner Jones SolicitorsEmployment disputes and house moves south of the cityEmployment · Conveyancing · Wills · Personal injuryNot publishedNot verifiedCity centre
10Foys SolicitorsFixed-price conveyancing in the Sheffield suburbsConveyancing · Family · Wills · Debt recovery£Not verifiedChapeltown and Waterthorpe

Before you instruct a firm in Sheffield

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. Bell and Buxton is the example on this list: the name survives, the regulated entity is now Sills and Betteridge.

Ask who will run your file. Two of the firms on this list are national practices with hundreds of fee earners. The partner who wins the work is not always the person who does it.

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.

Sheffield’s independents are unusually old. Wake Smith dates from 1802, Graysons from 1925, and Irwin Mitchell began here in 1912 before it grew into a national firm. The city centre firms cluster around Paradise Square, Tenter Street and Barker’s Pool; Foys and Banner Jones cover the suburbs and the Derbyshire side.

Frequently asked
How do I check a Sheffield 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. Several long-established Sheffield firms do not print the number on their sites, and the cards say so.

Why is Irwin Mitchell ranked second rather than first?

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. Irwin Mitchell holds the family slot because it is the strongest family practice in the city, not because it lost to Wake Smith overall.

Do I need a solicitor based in Sheffield?

For conveyancing and most paperwork-led work, no. For family, criminal and dispute work, a firm that knows the Sheffield Combined Court Centre and can sit down with you is worth more than a cheaper firm at the other end of the country. Two firms on this list have branches in the suburbs as well as the centre.

How much do solicitors in Sheffield charge?

It depends on the work and on who does it. Foys publishes the extras that sit on top of a conveyancing quote, Taylor Emmet has a price transparency page, and Banner Jones publishes pricing. 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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