Carter Bells

What Carter Bells does

Carter Bells LLP is a UK-based limited liability partnership and law firm headquartered at Kings' Stone House, 12 High Street, Kingston upon Thames, operating since 1999 under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number: 439252). The firm provides legal services across two horizontal customer segments — families/individuals and local businesses — covering residential and commercial conveyancing, family law (divorce, civil partnership, mediation, collaborative law), wills/trusts/probate, lasting powers of attorney, dispute resolution and litigation, employment law, media and communications claims, and notary public services including apostille legalisation. It also holds the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation and is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance mediation activity.

The business operates as a traditional professional services practice with no proprietary technology platform; its core technology stack is standard legal practice tooling supplemented by Google Analytics for website measurement, an online conveyancing quote request tool, and website enquiry forms. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service billing — hourly rates, fixed fees for defined matters (e.g., notary public services starting at £150 plus VAT for the first document, £370 plus VAT per hour for additional work), and retainer arrangements for ongoing matters. The firm pays interest on client money held above £50 at the Barclays Bank PLC Business Premium rate. Go-to-market is sales-led and predominantly direct, relying on its central Kingston location, website content (legal guides and news), organic social media on Facebook and LinkedIn, paid search attribution tracking, and phone/email enquiry capture.

Carter Bells employs 14 legal and support personnel across a single office, including five partners — Elaine Guy (Managing Partner, Family), Richard Bland (Conveyancing/Notary Public), Simon Burley (Conveyancing), Justin Pinches (Commercial Conveyancing), and Julie Rowe (Private Client) — alongside solicitors, chartered legal executives, paralegals, and a compliance officer. Professional memberships include STEP, Solicitors for the Elderly, LawNet (a network of independent law firms), the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, and the Royal Borough of Kingston Chamber of Commerce. The firm is privately held by its partners with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Carter Bells

Legal name

Carter Bells LLP

Website

https://carterbells.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carter Bells LLP is a Kingston upon Thames-based law firm providing conveyancing, family law, wills/trusts/probate, dispute resolution, commercial property, employment law, and notary services to families, individuals, and local businesses in the Greater London/Surrey market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite) (BPAJAOAF)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Conveyancing services
• Family law
• Wills and probate
• Commercial property law

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston Upon Thames

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Fee-for-service legal advice and representation. Services include conveyancing, family law, probate, wills, trusts, dispute resolution, commercial property, employment law, and business development. Revenue generated through hourly rates, fixed fees for specific services, and retainer arrangements for ongoing client relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carter Bells is a law firm based in Kingston upon Thames providing comprehensive legal services to families and businesses. Core offerings include residential and commercial conveyancing, family law (divorce, civil partnerships, mediation), wills, trusts and probate (including lasting powers of attorney), dispute resolution and litigation, employment law, business development services, media and communications claims, and notary public services. The firm operates as a limited liability partnership regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Product overview

Carter Bells is a modern law firm offering comprehensive legal services primarily focused on individuals and families in Kingston upon Thames. The firm operates as a unified legal services practice rather than a software platform, providing services across residential and commercial property (conveyancing), family law, wills/trusts/probate, dispute resolution, employment law, and media law. Their core offerings include Residential Property Services, Commercial Property Services, Wills Trusts and Probate (including Lasting Powers of Attorney and Probate), Family Law, Dispute Resolution, Business Development Services, Employment Law, Media and Communications Claims, and Notary Public Services. The firm also provides ancillary tools such as online quote request forms and various legal guides for client education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Property Services Conveyancing and property legal services covering freehold and leasehold purchases and sales, remortgages, and mortgage assistance for individuals buying or selling homes.
• Commercial Property Services Legal services for commercial property transactions, landlord-tenant matters, commercial lease negotiations, and leasehold enfranchisement for business clients.
• Family Law Family legal services including divorce, dissolution of civil partnerships, pre and post nuptial agreements, mediation, collaborative law, and cohabitation matters for individuals.
• Wills, Trusts and Probate Private client services including will drafting, trust creation and management, estate administration, probate services, and lasting powers of attorney for individuals and families.
• Dispute Resolution Litigation and dispute handling services including debt recovery, County Court claims, and general dispute management for individuals and businesses.
• Business Development Services Business legal services including entity selection guidance, commercial lease advice, and tenant eviction procedures for SMEs and business clients.
• Employment Law Employment law advisory services for businesses and individuals covering workplace matters, contracts, and disputes.
• Media and Communications Claims Legal services for media law matters including defamation claims and communications-related legal issues.
• Notary Public Services Notarial services for document authentication, legalisation, and apostille certification for international use, with pricing starting at £150 plus VAT for the first document.
• Lasting Powers of Attorney Drafting and registration of property and financial affairs LPAs as well as health and welfare LPAs as part of the private client offering.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Centre for AssessmentminorOthersProfessional affiliation with Centre for Assessment, likely for compliance or assessment purposes related to legal services standards.
• Law Society - Conveyancing Quality SchemecoreOthersAccreditation partnership with the Law Society demonstrating compliance with conveyancing quality standards.
• LawNetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in LawNet network of independent law firms, providing access to resources, best practices, and support for member firms.
• Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement PractitionersminorOthersProfessional membership organisation for practitioners specialising in leasehold enfranchisement matters.
• Royal Borough of Kingston Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal business chamber membership providing networking and business support in the Kingston upon Thames area.
• Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)coreOthersProfessional body membership ensuring standards of expertise in trust and estate matters for private client services.
• Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE)coreOthersNational association membership for lawyers specialising in older and vulnerable client law, ensuring quality standards for client care.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Weightmans: UK-wide full-service law firm with private client, commercial property, employment, and dispute resolution practices. Larger scale and broader geographic reach than Carter Bells but comparable service categories.
• Penningtons Manches Cooper: Larger UK full-service law firm with strong private client, family, and real estate practices. Broader geographic footprint and deeper specialist bench, but overlapping core service categories with Carter Bells.
• Taylor Rose Solicitors: UK-wide full-service law firm with strong residential conveyancing, family, private client, and dispute resolution practices. Overlaps significantly with Carter Bells' service lines at a larger multi-office scale.
• Slater and Gordon: National full-service law firm offering family, private client, property, and dispute resolution services. Significantly larger than Carter Bells but competes in the same UK regional consumer and SME segments on price and brand.

Direct peers

• Russell-Cooke Solicitors: London-based full-service law firm with comparable practice mix including private client, family, residential/commercial property, and dispute resolution. Similar mid-sized partnership structure and London commuter belt client base make it a close direct comparable to Carter Bells.
• Hodge Jones & Allen: London-based full-service law firm of similar headcount offering private client, family, property, dispute resolution, and employment law. Comparable practice breadth and partner-led service model to Carter Bells.
• Cripps: Kent/South East full-service law firm offering private client, family, commercial and residential property, employment, and dispute resolution. Comparable regional full-service positioning to Carter Bells in the broader Surrey/Kent market.
• Bolt Burdon Kemp: London-based law firm of similar size with strong private client and family/child law practices alongside property and dispute work. Overlaps with Carter Bells on residential conveyancing, family law, and wills/probate.
• Thomson Snell & Passmore: Kent-based full-service firm serving the South East commuter belt with private client, family, commercial property, and dispute resolution practices. Highly comparable in geographic catchement and practice mix to Carter Bells.
• DMH Stallard: Sussex and Surrey full-service law firm with private client, family, commercial property, employment, and dispute resolution practices. Directly comparable in geographic market and service offering to Carter Bells.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CarterBellsLLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carter-bells-llp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Carter Bells