Law firms in the United Kingdom 2026: a ranking based on facts
A ranking of solicitors' firms in the United Kingdom, using facts from official websites only. We include a firm only if it states its own regulator, usually the Solicitors Regulation Authority with an SRA number, or the Law Society of Scotland. We did not check these statements in the regulators' registers. We look at the company or partnership number, professional indemnity insurance, the complaints procedure and Legal Ombudsman route, and prices published for services such as probate. Many firms do not name their insurer or state their number of lawyers on their sites; such facts stay unverified. This ranking is not legal advice and does not assess work on any particular case. Compare Scores only within the United Kingdom. Score is not for sale; any paid placement would be a separate labelled block.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hodge Jones & Allen | 89 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1977 | 90 | Bar Entity Insurance Complaints Fees |
| 2 | Russell-Cooke | 77 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | 1880 | 250 | Bar Entity Complaints Fees |
| 3 | Birketts | 71 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Bar Entity Insurance Complaints Fees |
| 4 | Clarke Willmott | 70 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | 1888 | Not verified | Bar Entity Complaints Fees |
| 5 | Anthony Collins | 69 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Bar Entity Complaints Fees |
| 6 | Mills & Reeve | 63 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Bar Entity Complaints Fees |
| 7 | Thorntons | 63 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Bar Entity Complaints Fees |
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Yes
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- 1977
- Lawyers (stated)
- 90
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Professional liability insurance declared
Details Visit site ↗ 90% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Not verified
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- 1880
- Lawyers (stated)
- 250
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Long established
Details Visit site ↗ 78% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Yes
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- Not verified
- Lawyers (stated)
- Not verified
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Professional liability insurance declared
Details Visit site ↗ 74% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Not verified
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- 1888
- Lawyers (stated)
- Not verified
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Long established
Details Visit site ↗ 71% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Not verified
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- Not verified
- Lawyers (stated)
- Not verified
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Chamber or other complaints route named
Details Visit site ↗ 71% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Not verified
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- Not verified
- Lawyers (stated)
- Not verified
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Chamber or other complaints route named
Details Visit site ↗ 64% backed by facts
-
- Bar, chamber or licence
- Yes
- Professional liability insurance
- Not verified
- Fee schedule or principles
- Yes
- Year founded
- Not verified
- Lawyers (stated)
- Not verified
Pros
- Bar status, chamber membership or licence shown
- Fee schedule or principles published
- Legal entity with registration number stated
- Chamber or other complaints route named
Details Visit site ↗ 64% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Foot Anstey (59% backed by facts)
- Irwin Mitchell (59% backed by facts)
- Leigh Day (44% backed by facts)
How we calculate the Score
35%
Status and entity
Whether membership of a bar or chamber is shown for the firm or its partners, or a Ministry of Justice licence where that replaces it, and whether the legal entity is stated with a registration number.
25%
Client protection
Whether professional liability insurance is declared, a chamber or other complaints route is named, client confidentiality is described and a privacy policy is published.
20%
Transparency
Whether fee schedules or fee principles are published, and how many of four general contact channels are named: phone, email, form or chat, office.
20%
Experience and reach
Year founded (scale to 30 years), number of lawyers (log scale to 500), practice areas (to 30) and working languages (to 6). Figures are the firms' own; some are counted by us from a list on the page, which the fact says.
How to choose a lawyer
Check the status
Look the lawyer or firm up in your country's bar or Ministry of Justice register. Ask who will actually handle the matter.
Agree fees in writing
Ask for the rate or fixed price, expenses and payment terms in advance. They should be in the engagement letter.
Do not trust promised results
Nobody can guarantee an outcome. Ask for a risk assessment and a plan, not a promise to win.
Know where to complain
Find out which chamber or body takes complaints about the firm, and whether its liability is insured.
Frequently asked questions
Is this legal advice?
No. The ranking compares public facts about firms and is not legal advice. For your own matter, speak to a lawyer directly.
What does first place mean?
The firm in first place has the highest Score under our open methodology among firms in that country. It is not a verdict on work in a particular case or advice to choose that firm.
Why no reviews or win rates?
Reviews are hard to verify, paid directories sell places, and win rates depend on which cases are taken and cannot be checked. No lawyer can promise an outcome, so we do not show such figures.
Why do some firms have missing data?
If a fact was not found on the official site or register, or the site is closed to automated checks, we show “Not verified” and award no points. This does not mean the firm lacks it.
Can I compare firms from different countries?
No. Professional rules, registers and insurance duties differ, so Score only makes sense within one country.