Town Legal LLP

What Town Legal LLP does

Town Legal LLP is a UK limited liability partnership founded in 2016 that operates as a specialist boutique planning law firm with offices in London (10 Throgmorton Avenue) and Manchester (Colony One, Silk Street). The firm provides planning law advice exclusively to developers, landowners, and public authorities across England and Wales, with practice areas spanning Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), compulsory purchase and compensation, highways, infrastructure and energy, Planning Court litigation, planning inquiries and hearings, regulatory matters, Section 106 agreements, and transactional planning. Its senior partner cohort has been recruited from elite UK and international firms (Norton Rose Fulbright, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, King & Wood Mallesons, Herbert Smith Freehills), and the firm also retains former Government Chief Planner Steve Quartermain CBE as a consultant, giving it unusual regulatory proximity.

The firm generates revenue through professional services fees on a quote-based, matter-by-matter basis, with new enquiries directed via website form and assigned to partners within 24 hours. Its client base is enterprise-grade and includes major UK developers, housebuilders, real estate investors, infrastructure providers, and public-sector bodies (e.g. the Battersea Power Station Development Company on an £8bn regeneration, British Land, Berkeley Homes, Taylor Wimpey, The Crown Estate, Transport for London, London City Airport). Supporting the core legal practice, Town Legal operates a content and data product layer branded as The Town Library, which bundles free interactive tools (Planning Court Case Explorer with Landmark Chambers, Planning Inspectorate Data Visualisation with Simmons Wavelength) with the Simonicity planning law blog and the Planning Law (With Chickens) podcast, functioning as both a client-acquisition channel and a brand-differentiation moat.

The firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA reference 632205), registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ZA221370), and holds professional indemnity insurance with Travelers Insurance Company Limited. It maintains Band 1 rankings in Legal 500 and Chambers for planning law, and has been named the most highly rated planning law team in Planning Magazine's annual law survey from 2019 through 2026 and listed in The Times Best Law Firms from 2020 through 2026.

Name

Town Legal LLP

Legal name

Town Legal LLP

Website

https://townlegal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Town Legal LLP is a UK boutique specialist planning law firm founded in 2016, headquartered in London with a Manchester office, serving developers, landowners, and public authorities on complex planning law matters across England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planning Law Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Planning law services
• Compulsory purchase advice
• Planning court litigation
• Section 106 agreements
• Infrastructure planning law

Headquarters

HQ city

London, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Planning Law: Boutique planning law firm providing specialist legal advice on complex planning matters. Revenue generated through legal service fees for development advice, compulsory purchase, infrastructure projects, planning inquiries, and litigation. Serves developers, landowners, and public authorities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Town Legal LLP is a boutique specialist planning law firm providing advice on complex planning law matters across England and Wales. The firm delivers expert legal services covering CIL, compulsory purchase, development advice and support, highways, infrastructure and energy, planning court litigation, planning inquiries, regulatory matters, Section 106 agreements, and transactional planning work. Its sole focus is planning law, with collective experience concentrated entirely on serving clients' planning law needs.

Product overview

Town Legal LLP is a boutique specialist planning law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services centred on planning law. Their core offering is comprehensive planning law advice encompassing compulsory purchase, infrastructure, CIL, Section 106 agreements, litigation, and regulatory matters. Supporting their legal services, they provide a suite of business intelligence tools including the Planning Court Case Explorer, Planning Inspectorate Data Visualisation, and Planning Appeals Map, all accessible through The Town Library resource centre. The firm also produces the 'Planning Law (With Chickens)' podcast as thought leadership content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Law Services Full-service specialist planning law advice covering CIL, compulsory purchase, development advice and support, highways, infrastructure and energy, litigation in the Planning Court, planning inquiries and hearings, regulatory matters, Section 106 agreements, and transactional work for developers, landowners, and public authorities across England and Wales.
• Planning Court Case Explorer Interactive business intelligence tool providing free public access to data on cases heard in the Planning Court since 2014, including Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cases. Developed in partnership with Landmark Chambers. Used by planning professionals, developers, and legal practitioners researching planning case law.
• Planning Inspectorate Data Visualisation

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Landmark ChamberscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with leading planning and environmental barristers' chambers Landmark to co-develop and launch the Planning Court Case Explorer, a business intelligence tool providing free access to data on Planning Court cases from 2014 to August 2023.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hogan Lovells LLP: Global law firm where Town Legal Chair Michael Gallimore previously headed planning; competes with Town Legal on complex regeneration, energy, and infrastructure mandates where planning sits alongside projects, real estate, and finance.
• DLA Piper LLP: Global law firm with a substantial planning, environmental, and compulsory purchase practice (Town Legal partner David Mathias previously trained there); competes for major development and infrastructure mandates from a global platform.
• Herbert Smith Freehills LLP: International law firm with a leading planning and environment practice (multiple Town Legal partners including Elizabeth Christie and Martyn Jarvis previously practiced there); competes on major mixed-use, tall buildings, and NSIP work from a full-service platform.
• Ashurst LLP: International law firm with a recognised planning and compulsory purchase practice advising developers and public bodies — overlaps with Town Legal on major regeneration, infrastructure, and energy mandates.
• Pinsent Masons LLP: Major international law firm with a substantial planning and infrastructure practice serving developers, public bodies, and housebuilders — competing with Town Legal on large regeneration and NSIP mandates from a broader full-service platform.
• Norton Rose Fulbright LLP: Global law firm where Town Legal's Managing Partner Duncan Field previously headed planning; competes with Town Legal on major projects, energy, and real estate matters where planning capability is bundled with broader transactional and disputes advice.

Direct peers

• Burges Salmon LLP: UK law firm with a highly regarded planning and infrastructure practice that competes for major development, regeneration, and compulsory purchase mandates against Town Legal's specialist bench.
• Sharpe Pritchard LLP: UK boutique law firm with a specialist planning, compulsory purchase, and local government practice — directly comparable specialist positioning to Town Legal, particularly on public-sector and regeneration mandates.
• BDB Pitmans LLP: UK law firm with a specialist planning and environmental law practice widely regarded as a top-tier planning team competing directly with Town Legal for developer, landowner, and public-sector mandates across England.
• Trowers & Hamlins LLP: UK law firm with a strong planning, compulsory purchase, and infrastructure practice regularly acting for developers, public authorities, and registered providers — directly comparable to Town Legal's core offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/town_legal?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/town-legal-llp
• Instagraminstagram.com/townlegal

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Town Legal LLP