The Legal 500

Willans LLP is a dynamic and progressive law firm based in Cheltenham. Established in 1947, it has grown steadily through high-quality organic growth, as well as mergers, to become one of the best-regarded firms in Gloucestershire.

The firm: Willans LLP has a strong commercial practice, with notable expertise in corporate work, employment, property and charity law. Its commercial clients range from UK and international quoted and private companies, to entrepreneurs, institutions and charities.

The practice is unusual in offering both commercial and private client services of such high quality. It has 29 professional staff, a number of whom joined from City law firms. They include an ADR Group accredited mediator and members of specialist bodies such as the Employment Lawyers’ Association, the Property Litigation Association, the Society of Construction Law, the Charity Law Association, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, Resolution and the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel.

The firm’s style and approach is straightforward and practical, and its rates are competitive and generally regarded as providing good value for money.

Types of work undertaken: Company/commercial: this team has a fine reputation for advice that is commercially astute, realistic and responsive. Work includes acquisitions, disposals and management buyouts, reconstructions, and investment and financing agreements, as well as company and LLP formations, partnerships, shareholder agreements, intellectual property, IT and e-commerce, and commercial contracts,

Charities: the firm acts for a wide range of charities, public bodies and not-for-profit organisations.

Employment: the firm’s specialists provide clients with first-class technical advice in all aspects of employment contracts and consultancy agreements, redundancies, disciplinary action, compensation packages, and discrimination. The firm conducts it own advocacy in proceedings.

Commercial property: this experienced team acts in matters including estate developments, multi-tenant letting schemes, buy-and-build agreements, pension fund investments, land options, sales and purchases of leasehold and freehold land, licensed premises, and leases for telecommunications.

Construction: the firm’s expertise includes drafting and negotiating building contracts and collateral warranties.

Dispute resolution: work includes landlord and tenant disputes and contract disputes, as well as partnership, professional negligence and insolvency issues. The firm is willing to provide agency services in litigation matters.

Private client: services include divorce and family law, including breakdown of relationships, financial issues such as joint assets and pensions, and arrangements for children. Expertise includes mediation and collaborative law.

Residential property work includes remortgages and tenancies. The firm has applied for approval under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

All areas of wills and tax planning, estates, trusts, probates, and powers of attorney are dealt with.

Personal injury services include industrial accidents and claims for stress.

Breakdown of work %
Company commercial 20
Commercial property 15
Residential conveyancing 20
Wills and probate 13
Dispute resolution 21
Family 11

Number of UK partners 14
Number of other UK fee-earners 15