Harrowells Solicitors

With over 120 staff, Harrowells has a significant presence in Yorkshire’s highly competitive legal market; its lawyers are recognised as specialists at a national level in a number of practice areas.

The firm: Harrowells has a network of seven offices located in the city of York and in key market towns across North and East Yorkshire.

Unusually, compared with many equivalent practices, there has also been a strong focus on litigation. This explains the development of specialist contentious probate, property litigation, medical negligence claimant teams that punch well above their weight (given the overall size of the practice) and which attract clients from beyond the firm’s Yorkshire heartland.

The firm’s corporate, commercial and commercial property practice areas have steadily expanded – serving both local owner-managed businesses and larger corporates often based further afield.

Harrowells has a clear sense of direction in developing the practice over time. It strategically withdrew from legal aid over twenty years ago and has evolved into a major regional law firm through a mixture of organic growth and the absorption of successful rurally based practices (Hileys in 2011, Powell & Young in 2013, The Garfitt Law Partnership 2025).

The firm is known for never cutting corners in terms of standards of service and provides good grounding and mentoring for trainees, recently qualified solicitors and other legal staff. An early adopter of flexible working practices and, with an interest in hiring via non-traditional as well as traditional career routes, Harrowells has a successful track record in developing those moving into the law mid-career and those seeking a co-operative working culture that is open to new ideas.

Types of work undertaken: The firm has specialist teams in the company commercial, commercial property, agricultural law, employment and commercial litigation practice areas. In addition to serving the needs of owner-managed businesses in North and East Yorkshire, advice for larger and specialist corporates is also offered on a nationwide basis, especially in relation to commercial litigation. The firm is attracting increasingly significant instructions from clients that large metropolitan firms would hope to secure.

Harrowells also offers contentious and non-contentious services for individuals and families, primarily across North and East Yorkshire. These cover private client advice, family law, residential property, contentious probate, property litigation and medical negligence claims.

Harrowells is accredited by Lexcel, The Legal 500 and the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). Its lawyers are also individually accredited by a number of specialist bodies, including the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Solicitors.