John Barkers Solicitors

What John Barkers Solicitors does

John Barkers Solicitors is a regional UK law firm founded in 1884 by John Barker in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, operating today as John Barkers Solicitors Limited (company number 07620535) under SRA regulation (ID 560733). The firm employs approximately 60 staff across three Lincolnshire locations (Grimsby head office in the prestigious Telegraph House building, a Louth office, and a Mablethorpe meeting room) and serves both individual and business clients across a comprehensive service catalogue spanning residential conveyancing, family law and divorce, wills/probate/trusts, criminal and motoring defence, family mediation, civil litigation, employment law, corporate law, agricultural law, commercial property, contract law, and commercial litigation.

The firm operates a traditional, relationship-driven professional services model. Its technology layer consists of standard legal practice management systems supplemented by a website with online conveyancing fee calculators, live chat support (via LiveChat integration), and social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram; no proprietary software, SaaS product, or platform-plus-modules architecture is offered. Revenue is generated primarily through time-based billing in six-minute units with annually reviewed hourly rates, complemented by fixed-fee transactional work (e.g., wills from £204) and publicly funded legal aid work delivered under a Legal Aid Agency contract. Quality and regulatory credentials are a defining feature: Lexcel, SQM, CQS, Law Society membership, Resolution membership, and Information Commissioner registration.

In 2024 the firm executed two notable corporate moves: the acquisition of criminal law specialist Michael Culshaw & Co Solicitors (now a wholly-owned subsidiary) and the joint formation of the Humber Legal Group alongside Symes Bains Broomer and Brewer Wallace, a regional collective of firms retaining their own brand identities. The firm is privately held with no external institutional investment and is led by Chairman Howard Field, CEO Jonathan Stones, and Partners/ Directors Adrian Coggon, Tracey Pickard, James Clarke, and Catherine White.

Name

John Barkers Solicitors

Legal name

John Barkers Solicitors Limited

Website

https://jbarkers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

John Barkers Solicitors is a 140-year-old regional UK law firm based in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, employing approximately 60 staff across three offices to deliver conveyancing, family law, wills/probate, criminal defence, civil litigation, and commercial legal services to individual and business clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE), Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Residential conveyancing
• Wills and probate
• Family law
• Commercial legal advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Grimsby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Time-based billing using six-minute unit recording with hourly rates. Fixed fees available for certain services. Interim billing during ongoing matters with final account upon completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

John Barkers Solicitors is a Lincolnshire-based law firm providing legal services for both personal and business clients. For personal clients, the firm offers residential conveyancing, wills, probate, family law (including divorce, children matters, and domestic violence), employment law for employees, and personal disputes. For business clients, the firm provides commercial conveyancing, corporate law, commercial disputes, and employment law for employers.

Product overview

John Barkers Solicitors is a traditional law firm offering a comprehensive range of legal services to personal and business clients. The firm operates as a unified legal services practice without a platform-plus-modules architecture. Personal services include conveyancing, family law and divorce, wills and probate, criminal defence, family mediation, and civil litigation. Business services encompass employment law, corporate law, agricultural law, landlord advice, commercial property, contract law, commercial litigation, and business acquisitions/mergers. The firm also provides legal aid funded services under a Legal Aid Agency contract. All services are delivered through their physical offices in Grimsby (head office), Louth, and Mablethorpe, with no standalone digital product or SaaS offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Services for Personal Clients End-to-end legal services for individual consumers covering residential conveyancing, wills, probate, family law (divorce, children matters, domestic violence), employment law for employees, and personal disputes. Targeted at people in Lincolnshire and surrounding areas handling life-event legal matters.
• Legal Services for Business Commercial legal services for businesses and organisations covering commercial conveyancing/property, corporate law, commercial disputes, and employer-side employment law. Targeted at SMEs and local businesses needing commercial legal support.
• Residential Conveyancing Fixed-fee residential property legal work for buyers, sellers, and remortgagors, including sale, purchase, and remortgage transactions. The firm holds the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation and offers a free initial disclosure appointment.
• Commercial Conveyancing and Commercial Property Legal work on commercial property matters including acquisitions, leases, and development work for business clients. Led by the firm's Head of Commercial Property.
• Wills Will-drafting service for individuals on a fixed-fee basis, covering single and mirror wills and related estate-planning advice.
• Probate Estate administration and probate services for executors and family members following a death, including applications for grant of probate and distribution of estates.
• Family Law Family law services including divorce, children matters, and domestic violence cases, delivered by Resolution-accredited family lawyers. Targeted at individuals dealing with relationship breakdown or family protection issues.
• Employment Law (Employee-side) Legal advice and representation for individual employees on workplace matters including settlement agreements, disputes, and tribunal cases.
• Employment Law (Employer-side) Legal advice and representation for businesses and employers on workforce matters including contracts, policies, disputes, and tribunal cases.
• Corporate Law Corporate legal services for businesses covering transactions, structuring, and governance matters.
• Commercial Disputes Dispute resolution and litigation services for businesses involved in commercial disputes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving Lincolnshire communities since 1884

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Humber Legal GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024John Barkers Solicitors and Symes Bains Broomer jointly announced a merger forming the Humber Legal Group. Both firms retain their own identities in their respective regions. John Barkers continues to serve Grimsby and Louth areas.
• Symes Bains BroomercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Scunthorpe and Goole-based law firm that merged with John Barkers to form the Humber Legal Group partnership.
• Brewer Wallace LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Part of the Humber Legal Group collective, joining alongside John Barkers and Symes Bains Broomer.
• Michael Culshaw & Co SolicitorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024John Barkers Solicitors acquired Michael Culshaw & Co Solicitors, a firm specializing in criminal law. This acquisition strengthens John Barkers' criminal law capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chattertons Solicitors: Lincolnshire-headquartered full-service law firm with offices across the East Midlands. Directly comparable multi-practice regional competitor offering conveyancing, family, private client, commercial, agricultural, and litigation services to overlapping personal and SME clients in the same Lincolnshire catchment.
• Symes Bains Broomer: Scunthorpe and Goole-based regional law firm that merged with John Barkers in 2024 to form the Humber Legal Group. Directly comparable as a long-established Lincolnshire/North Lincolnshire full-service practice offering conveyancing, family law, wills and probate, criminal defence, and commercial services to similar personal and business clients.
• Wilkin Chapman LLP: Lincolnshire and East Midlands regional law firm with a comparable personal-and-business full-service offering including conveyancing, family, employment, private client, and commercial work. Operates at a slightly larger scale but serves the same regional client base as John Barkers.
• Andrew & Co Solicitors: Lincoln-focused regional law firm offering conveyancing, family law, wills and probate, employment, and commercial services. Closely comparable as a similarly sized, similarly aged Lincolnshire competitor targeting overlapping personal and business clients.
• Brewer Wallace Limited: Regional law firm that joined the Humber Legal Group alongside John Barkers Solicitors in 2024. Directly comparable as a regional partner firm offering overlapping personal and commercial legal services within the same Humber catchment and now operating under a shared group identity.
• Bridge McFarland LLP: East Midlands and Lincolnshire-based full-service law firm providing conveyancing, family law, wills and probate, employment, and commercial services. Closely comparable in size, service mix, and regional footprint to John Barkers Solicitors.
• Fraser Brown LLP: East Midlands regional law firm with comparable full-service personal and commercial practice including conveyancing, family, private client, and dispute resolution. Comparable in scale and client mix to John Barkers, serving neighbouring Midlands catchment areas.

Broad incumbents

• Irwin Mitchell LLP: Major UK national law firm with a broad personal and business services portfolio that includes many of the same practice areas as John Barkers (private client, family, conveyancing, employment, commercial litigation). Competes for higher-value regional matters and represents a broader incumbent against which John Barkers differentiates on locality and personal service.
• Weightmans LLP: National UK law firm with significant regional offices offering conveyancing, family, private client, employment, insurance, and commercial litigation. Comparable in service mix but operates at substantially greater scale than John Barkers and competes for some of the same regional and SME clients.
• Shakespeare Martineau LLP: Larger East Midlands and national law firm offering a wider portfolio that includes the same personal and commercial services John Barkers provides (conveyancing, family, private client, commercial property, dispute resolution). A broader incumbent competitor with deeper specialisation and geographic reach, but overlapping client segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JohnBarkersUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/JBSolicitors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19383895
• Instagraminstagram.com/johnbarkerssolicitors

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 John Barkers Solicitors