Exciting times for Wards Solicitors as it celebrates 120 years of business!
Wards Solicitors is marking its 120th anniversary with some major news for 2025 including relocating its head office to a brand new Bristol city centre hub this summer.
This will bring the firm’s two Bristol offices under one roof for the first time.
At the heart of the community since Wards’ first offices opened in Bristol in 1905, the firm now has a network of 13 offices across the South West and one of the largest and most respected Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate teams in the region.
Says Jenny Pierce, Managing Partner: “We have certainly come a long way since James William Ward started the firm all those years ago. We have just won Bristol Law Society’s Regional Law Firm of the Year award and I couldn’t be more proud of where we are today.
“We have a lot going on in 2025, not just a big office move this summer but a whole range of events with our focus, as ever, very much on giving back to the community and supporting an ever-growing number of local charities through fundraising.”
How is Wards Solicitors celebrating its 120th anniversary?
In this important year for Wards Solicitors, we are:
- Moving from Broad Street, the home of our head office for more than 70 years, to light, bright, inviting new premises within the Prudential Building on Wine Street. Just a 10-minute walk from Temple Meads Station and a stone’s throw from our old head office, we look forward to welcoming clients soon.
- Forging an exciting new partnership with one of Bristol’s oldest and most prestigious live music venues – we’ll be revealing the name in the coming weeks.
- Launching a raft of new charity events including a 25km sponsored walk in the Cotswolds to raise money for our charity of the year, 1625 Independent People, which works to prevent homelessness, keep young people safe and support them to build on their strengths in Bristol and the South West.
- Continuing to support community projects both big and small across our region – everything from taking part in numerous charity Write a Will initiatives, sponsoring grassroots football, rugby and cricket teams, attending fairs, shows, displays and festivals and providing free Wills and Probate sessions at some offices.
How has Wards Solicitors grown?
Now one of the oldest and most established law firms in Bristol, the history of Wards Solicitors is a fascinating one.
James William Ward set up the firm as soon as he qualified in 1905 and by the end of that year had three offices, one in the city centre’s Dolphin Street and two more in Upper Eastville.
His two sons, William and Wilfred Ward, joined him and by the time World War II broke out, William was running the firm, now made up of six branches, with Wilfred as probate clerk.
In November 1940, as heavy bombing swept the city, the Dolphin Street office – in the area now known as Castle Park – was raised to the ground. However, the firm brushed itself off and kept going, concentrating predominantly at the time on conveyancing.
During the sixties, the firm grew slowly and surely, absorbing smaller firms along the way as it consolidated its business. JW Ward and Son became Wards Solicitors in 1996 and Wards Solicitors LLP in 2018.
Today, Wards has 13 offices across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset, and is a private client focussed firm with a staff of around 200.
Still renowned for its excellent conveyancing services but with acknowledged expertise across the board including Probate Disputes, Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, Family law and Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence, our lawyers also work across the full range of commercial law sectors.
Our emphasis remains more on delivering the highest client care, particularly in relation to elderly and vulnerable clients, than simply achieving financial targets. This includes a high level of pro bono work.
Award winning Wards
- Bristol Law Society’s Regional Law Firm of the Year.
- Devon and Somerset Law Society’s Private Client Firm of the Year scooped by our Wills and Probate team.
- Legal 500 – named as a leading South West law firm with Probate Disputes, Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, Family law and Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence (claimant) all highlighted as recommended practice areas.