Judge & Priestley

Judge & Priestley, legal advice in London and the South East of England since 1889

Judge & Priestley is a law firm providing legal services to individuals and businesses in London and the South East of England. The firm states it has been assisting clients since 1889 and has offices in Bromley, Beckenham, Blackheath, Sidcup and London.

Services for individuals

The family law area covers divorce and financial matters, cohabitation and civil partnerships, domestic violence and injunctions, and pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. In children's matters, the firm handles issues such as custody arrangements, parental responsibility, grandparents' and step-parents' rights, relocation of minors, international child abduction and financial arrangements for children, including cross-border disputes.

It also offers services for modern families: co-parenting agreements, pre-conception agreements, assisted reproduction and donor conception, surrogacy and parental orders, adoption, children's matters within LGBTQ+ relationships and posthumous conception or use of frozen embryos after divorce or separation.

In residential property, the firm handles freehold and leasehold sale and purchase, transfer of equity and remortgages, new builds, buy to let, lease extensions, leasehold enfranchisement, right to manage and right of first refusal. The website includes conveyancing prices and allows requesting a quote. It also handles residential property disputes.

In wills, trusts and probate, services include probate, wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts, mental capacity and Court of Protection, deputyship orders, wills and inheritance disputes, independent administrator services and elderly client services, with planning for care home and nursing fees. Private wealth disputes cover challenging a will, estate disputes, trust and executor disputes, challenging probate and caveats, breach of trust claims, inheritance disputes and Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants Act) 1975 claims, entering warnings and appearances, beneficiary's right to information and limitation for claims on estates.

The firm also advises on employment law and other disputes, such as contractual disputes, neighbour disputes, nuisance and settlement agreements.

Services for businesses

In the business area, Judge & Priestley covers commercial property, commercial leases, sales and purchases and financing of commercial property. In business and commercial law, it handles buying or selling shares and assets, partnership and shareholder agreements, commercial contracts and franchising.

For landlords, it offers tenancy agreements, possession claims, deposit advice, disrepair, squatters and unauthorised occupiers, gas servicing and injunctions. Commercial litigation includes contractual, partnership, shareholder and commercial property disputes.

Real estate and social housing

The real estate area brings together residential and commercial property services, social housing management, landlord services, leasehold services, residential and commercial property disputes and property development.

Social housing management comprises anti-social behaviour, breach of tenancy, counter claims, disrepair, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and nuisance, possession, squatters and unauthorised occupiers, succession, tenancy fraud, ad hoc advice and training services.

In residential property disputes, boundary disputes, adverse possession, breach of covenants, termination of leases and forfeiture, co-ownership disputes, landlord and tenant disputes, party wall disputes, restrictive covenant disputes, right of way and easement disputes and service charge disputes are handled. In the commercial area, breach of lease and enforcement, business lease renewals and terminations, dilapidations, development disputes, alterations and improvements are addressed.

Property development includes forfeiture, rent review, service charges, site acquisition and disposal, conditional contracts, option agreements, funding and planning and infrastructure agreements. It also provides services to the public sector in leasehold services, service charges, rent review, breach of lease, alterations and improvements and forfeiture.

Debt recovery

The firm offers debt recovery services for SMEs, large corporates, regulated debts, public sector debt and subrogated recoveries.

Change in leadership

After more than four decades with the firm and 30 years as Managing Partner, Steven Taylor will step down from the role at the end of March 2027. Rachel Addai, David Prashanth Chandra and Nitika Singh will become Joint Managing Partners from April 2027 to lead the next phase of growth.

Recognition and current affairs

On 15 October 2026, the firm announced its recognition in Chambers and Partners UK 2027. On 13 October 2026, it communicated changes to its leadership structure.