WILLS CHANDLER LIMITED

What WILLS CHANDLER LIMITED does

Wills Chandler Limited is a privately held, family-owned UK law firm operating under the trading name Wills Chandler Solicitors. Established in 1891 and headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, with a second office in Guildford, Surrey, the firm delivers a full-service traditional legal practice to individuals and small-to-medium businesses across Hampshire, Surrey, and surrounding regions. Service lines cover residential conveyancing, wills and lasting powers of attorney, probate and estate administration, matrimonial and family law, employment law, dispute resolution and litigation, housing law (including legal aid work), commercial property, business advisory, and commercial litigation and debt recovery. The firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 560352) and is owned by the Dodson family, with directors Margaret Dodson and Tony Dodson overseeing housing/public law and commercial property respectively.

The firm's core technology stack is standard legal practice tooling for document management, case management, and client communication, with no proprietary platform, no public API, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed. Service delivery occurs through in-person consultations at the two office locations, supplemented by phone, email, and an online quote-request form on wills-chandler.co.uk. The firm differentiates itself through 132+ years of brand continuity in its regional market, publicly disclosed fixed-fee pricing for wills, probate, conveyancing, debt recovery, and employment matters, and active community engagement via charitable will-writing partnerships (Will Aid, Naomi House and Jacks Place, St Michaels Hospice Basingstoke, Make Your Will Fortnight).

The revenue model is professional services fees, structured primarily as fixed fees for commoditised practice areas (wills, basic conveyancing, lasting powers of attorney, settlement agreements) and as percentage-based or hourly fees for complex matters (full estate administration at 2% of estate value plus VAT, employment tribunal work ranging £1,000–£10,000 plus VAT, debt recovery ranging £520–£12,000 plus VAT). Customer acquisition combines local SEO, the firm's website, word-of-mouth referrals, third-party estate-agent referrals for conveyancing (average referral fee ~£130 per matter), and lead generation through charitable will-writing campaigns. The firm serves a long tail of individual and SMB clients with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts, and headcount is reported at 7 (firmographics) with 14 team members listed on the website across legal, paralegal, and administrative roles.

Name

WILLS CHANDLER LIMITED

Legal name

Wills Chandler Limited

Website

https://wills-chandler.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wills Chandler Limited is a family-owned UK law firm (Dodson family), established 1891, operating from Basingstoke and Guildford, providing wills, probate, conveyancing, family law, employment law, dispute resolution, housing law, and commercial legal services to individuals and small-to-medium businesses in Hampshire and Surrey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD), Trust & Estate Tax Planning & Compliance (FSAEAKAE)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Residential conveyancing
• Wills and probate
• Family law
• Commercial property

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Legal Services: Legal services provided to individuals and businesses including conveyancing, wills, probate, family law, employment law, dispute resolution, housing law, and commercial property matters. Services are provided on both fixed-fee and hourly rate arrangements.
2. Fixed Fee Services: Many services offered at fixed prices including wills, residential conveyancing, lasting powers of attorney, probate, and employment matters. Provides price certainty for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wills Chandler Limited is a UK law firm established in 1891 providing legal services for individuals and businesses across Hampshire and Surrey from offices in Basingstoke and Guildford. Core offerings include residential conveyancing, wills and probate, family law, employment law, dispute resolution, housing law, and commercial property matters. The firm operates as a traditional solicitor practice offering personalized legal advice and representation.

Product overview

Wills Chandler Limited is a traditional UK law firm offering a comprehensive range of legal services through its two offices in Basingstoke and Guildford. The firm operates as a unified service provider rather than a platform, delivering legal expertise across two main client segments: individuals and businesses. Core individual services include Residential Conveyancing, Wills and Power of Attorney, Matrimonial and Family Law, Employment Law, Dispute Resolution, and Housing Law. Business services encompass Commercial Property, Business Advisory, Commercial Litigation, and Commercial Employment Law. The firm also provides specialist pricing for services including Debt Recovery, with services delivered by qualified solicitors, chartered legal executives, and support staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Conveyancing Legal services for residential property purchases, sales, and equity release transactions for individuals in Hampshire and Surrey.
• Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney Estate planning services for individuals including preparation of wills and lasting powers of attorney documents.
• Probate Estate administration and probate services for executors and beneficiaries following a death.
• Matrimonial and Family Law Legal services for divorce, separation, child arrangements, and other family law matters for individuals.
• Employment Law for Individuals Legal advice and representation for individuals on employment matters including workplace disputes and settlement agreements.
• Dispute Resolution Civil litigation and dispute resolution services for individuals involved in personal legal disputes.
• Housing Law Legal services for individuals facing housing issues, including tenancy disputes and homelessness matters.
• Commercial Property Legal services for commercial property transactions, leases, and acquisitions for businesses in Hampshire and Surrey.
• Commercial Dispute Resolution and Litigation Litigation and dispute resolution services for businesses involved in commercial disputes.
• Employment Law for Businesses Employment law advice and representation for businesses on workforce matters, contracts, and disputes.
• Debt Recovery Debt recovery services for businesses seeking to recover outstanding payments from commercial debtors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Charitable donations raised over £6,000 for local charities through will writing campaigns
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Will AidminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Charitable will-writing scheme where the firm prepares wills at no charge and clients make donations to charity instead. The firm has participated since 2014.
• Naomi House and Jacks PlaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChildren's hospice charity. The firm's Private Client Department supported the charity's Will Campaign and visited the charity to see how donations help.
• St Michaels Hospice BasingstokeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal hospice. The firm raised over £6,000 for the hospice through charitable will writing campaigns.
• Make Your Will FortnightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable will-writing campaign. The firm raised £2,280 directly and contributed to a total of over £16,000 from all participating solicitors.
• Third Party Property ReferrersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird parties including estate agents and other professionals who refer conveyancing clients. Referral fees averaging £130 are paid for these referrals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Co-op Legal Services: Online and phone-based legal services provider offering wills, probate, LPA and family law on fixed fees. Competes directly with Wills Chandler's commodity private-client offerings through a digitally-led, low-cost model.
• Taylor Rose Solicitors: Tech-enabled UK law firm focused on private client, residential property, family and employment matters. Comparable on service mix but differentiates through digital intake and remote delivery.

Direct peers

• Barlow Robbins LLP: Guildford-headquartered full-service law firm with strong private client, residential property, family and commercial practices. Directly overlaps with Wills Chandler on geography and service mix.
• B P Collins LLP: Buckinghamshire-based regional full-service law firm covering conveyancing, wills & probate, family, employment and commercial work. Comparable as a multi-office regional practice with a similar private-client orientation.
• Gardner Leader LLP: Thames Valley multi-office law firm covering wills, probate, residential conveyancing, family, employment and commercial matters. Closely comparable in size, practice mix and regional positioning.
• Herrington & Carmichael LLP: Surrey-based full-service law firm offering conveyancing, wills & probate, family law, employment law, commercial property and dispute resolution. Highly comparable as a regional multi-practice firm serving the same Hampshire/Surrey catchment.
• Russell-Cooke LLP: London/Surrey law firm with a substantial private client, family, employment and property practice. Comparable in service breadth and South East geographic focus, though larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Lyons Davidson Solicitors: National UK law firm with strong residential conveyancing, family and dispute resolution practices. Comparable in service areas but operates at significantly larger scale including remote delivery.
• Slater and Gordon Lawyers: National consumer-focused law firm with major practices in family law, employment, wills and personal injury. Competes in the same private-client space but at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• Blake Morgan LLP: Large South East / Wales full-service law firm with deep private client, family, property and commercial practices. Substantially larger but operating in overlapping service lines and geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wills-chandler-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 WILLS CHANDLER LIMITED