What Payne Hicks Beach does

Payne Hicks Beach is a London-headquartered limited liability partnership (SRA-regulated, ABS-licensed, number 807106) operating as a full-service boutique law firm with continuous practice dating to 1770. From 10 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, the firm employs approximately 220 staff including 43 partners, organised across seven practice areas: Estate and Succession Planning, Family/Children/Divorce/Surrogacy, Litigation/Arbitration/Dispute Resolution, Property, Citizenship and Immigration, Corporate, and Employment. Service delivery is exclusively bespoke, partner-supervised and relationship-driven, with no volume or commoditised offerings.

Name

Payne Hicks Beach

Legal name

Payne Hicks Beach LLP

Website

https://phb.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1770

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Payne Hicks Beach is a London-based full-service law firm (LLP, ~220 staff, 43 partners) serving high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices and commercial clients with bespoke legal advice across private client, family, litigation, property, immigration, corporate and employment matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Private client law
• Family law services
• Wills and probate
• Estate planning law
• Commercial litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Legal Services Fees: Fees are typically calculated by reference to standard hourly rates for those who carry out the work. Alternative fee arrangements are discussed where appropriate. No 'volume' services are offered. The firm is transparent about fees and does not apply hidden charges. Estimates are provided at the outset and clients are notified promptly if fees are likely to exceed estimates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Payne Hicks Beach is a full-service London law firm delivering bespoke legal advisory and litigation services across private client (estate and succession planning, wills, probate, trusts, tax and family offices), family law (marriage, divorce, children, surrogacy and adoption), litigation and dispute resolution (commercial disputes, contentious trusts and probate, defamation, insolvency), residential and commercial property, citizenship and immigration, corporate transactions (M&A, partnerships, financial services, GDPR), and employment law. Services are tailored for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, entrepreneurs, charities and commercial clients, with all work partner-supervised.

Product overview

Payne Hicks Beach is a full-service law firm offering bespoke legal services through multiple practice areas. The firm operates as a unified platform of legal services rather than a modular software product. The core service portfolio includes Estate & Succession Planning (encompassing probate, wills, trusts, and family offices), Family, Children, Divorce & Surrogacy, Litigation/Arbitration & Dispute Resolution, Property (residential and commercial), Citizenship & Immigration, Corporate (commercial, M&A, partnerships), and Employment law. The firm is particularly recognised for its high-value, complex work serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and family offices, with 43 partners and approximately 220 staff members across its London office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate & Succession Planning Comprehensive private client services covering UK tax advice, powers of attorney, trusts and landed estates, wills and estate planning, probate and administration of estates, offshore tax and estate advice, family offices, charities and accounting/tax compliance for HNW individuals and families.
• Family, Children, Divorce & Surrogacy Family law services covering marriage and cohabitation planning, separation and divorce negotiation, arrangements for children, and pathways to parenthood including surrogacy and adoption for HNW and ultra-HNW individuals.
• Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Dispute resolution services including commercial disputes, contentious trusts and probate, criminal defence, education disputes, inquests and inquiries, insolvency, political affairs, privacy and media law, property disputes, and misinformation and online abuse.
• Property Residential and commercial property legal services for individuals, family offices, investors and corporate occupiers, including acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant matters, asset management, development and financing.
• Citizenship & Immigration Immigration services covering corporate immigration and sponsorship, citizenship, HNW individual immigration, international protection, human rights and judicial review, relocation to the UK for business, and family member visas.
• Corporate Corporate legal services covering commercial law, corporate recovery and insolvency, family business advisory, financial services, GDPR, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and investments and private equity for private companies, family offices and entrepreneurs.
• Employment Employment law advice for both employees and employers, including UK data protection law, GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 compliance, with transactional employment support to the Corporate Department.
• Probate & Estate Administration Specialist probate and estate administration for high-value UK and cross-border estates, addressing complex inheritance tax, business structures, farms, real estate, heritage assets, international assets, art and charities.
• Contentious Trusts & Estates Private wealth dispute advice for individuals, beneficiaries, trustees, executors, attorneys, deputies and charitable organisations on will validity disputes, trust disputes, breach of trust claims and estate administration disputes.
• Commercial Property High-value commercial real estate services for entrepreneurs, institutional investors, family offices and corporate occupiers, including acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant matters, asset management, development and financing.

Quantifiable outcome

• The firm has been recognised with seven firm rankings and 27 individual lawyer rankings across nine practice areas in Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2025.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LeGal BesTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Payne Hicks Beach joined LeGal BesT, an LGBTQ+ network for law firms that believes in achieving more together. This membership gives LGBTQ+ colleagues access to a supportive community offering education, social events, and opportunities to connect across member firms. The firm is part of a network that promotes inclusion, support, and collaboration within the legal sector.
• Coram's FieldscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Payne Hicks Beach has been a long-standing corporate partner and supporter of Coram's Fields, a youth development and safe play space in Bloomsbury, London. The partnership involves three areas: fundraising efforts throughout the year, volunteering at the site and for events, and mentoring programmes for young people looking to pursue a career in law. In May 2021, the firm became a Founder Member of Coram's Fields Connecting Futures programme. The firm has worked with Coram's Fields since 2016 and is their longest-standing corporate partner. Over ten years of partnership, PHB people have fundraised, supported, and mentored many children and young people referred by Coram's Fields.
• London Legal Support TrustminorOthersPayne Hicks Beach works closely with the London Legal Support Trust as one of its community partners, supporting access to legal services.
• Support Through CourtminorOthersPayne Hicks Beach works closely with Support Through Court as one of its community partners, providing support for individuals navigating the court system.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mishcon de Reya: London-based full-service firm with a top-tier HNW private client, family and reputation management practice; competes head-to-head with Payne Hicks Beach in UHNW divorce, private wealth disputes and defamation work.
• Farrer & Co: Historic Lincoln's Inn-adjacent London firm serving HNW families, family offices and institutions in private client, family law, property and contentious trusts — directly comparable niche and client base to Payne Hicks Beach.
• Boodle Hatfield: Boutique Mayfair-based firm focused on private client, family, residential property and reputation work for UHNW London-based clients, mirroring PHB's boutique HNW positioning.
• Withers: International law firm built around private wealth, family and philanthropy, with significant London presence; competes for the same UHNW individuals, families and family offices with multi-jurisdictional needs.
• Forsters: London private client and family law firm serving HNW individuals, families, landed estates and entrepreneurs with a similar boutique, relationship-driven model to Payne Hicks Beach.
• Charles Russell Speechlys: London-headquartered full-service firm with a strong HNW private client, family and residential property practice, similarly targeting UHNW families, family offices and entrepreneurs in the UK and internationally.
• Harbottle & Lewis: London private client law firm serving HNW individuals, families, entertainers and entrepreneurs across private client, family and reputation management — closely overlapping with Payne Hicks Beach's core HNW niche.

Broad incumbents

• Macfarlanes: Major London full-service firm with a leading private client and family law practice serving UHNW families, family offices and charities — a broader incumbent that overlaps materially with PHB's HNW practice areas.
• Clifford Chance: Global Magic Circle firm whose private wealth, family and immigration practices (often via Clifford Chance LLP London) compete with PHB for UHNW advisory mandates, especially on cross-border matters.
• Stewarts Law: London-headquartered litigation-focused firm with a leading private wealth disputes and divorce practice for HNW clients; competes directly with PHB in contentious trusts & estates and UHNW family law.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/payne-hicks-beach
• Xx.com/phb_corporate
• Facebookfacebook.com/PayneHicksBeach

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Payne Hicks Beach