Biscoes Solicitors

Biscoes Solicitors: legal services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Biscoes Solicitors is a law firm with a network of offices in Portsmouth, Fareham, Petersfield, Wickham, Ryde, Newport, Waterlooville, Bordon and Tavistock. The firm states that it is rooted in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight but accepts instructions from clients wherever they are. It also offers emergency, remote and home appointments.

The firm is celebrating 170 years in business, according to its website.

Services for individuals

For private clients, the firm covers family law, residential property, dispute resolution, personal injury, children and social services, employment law for employees, immigration, wills and inheritance protection, and mental health. It also provides notary services.

Family and children

Family work includes collaborative law, divorce proceedings, domestic abuse, children matters, financial arrangements in divorce, separation for unmarried couples, pre-nuptial agreements, and fertility law and surrogacy. The fertility law practice covers donor conception and co-parenting, egg donation, embryo donation, sperm donation and surrogacy.

Children and social services work includes adoption, care proceedings, emergency protection orders, female genital mutilation protection orders, forced marriage protection orders, public law outline, special guardianship orders, and statutory wills and gifts under the Court of Protection.

Property, disputes and personal injury

Residential property services cover auction sales and purchases, buy-to-let properties, buying a property, buying the freehold and extending a lease, changing ownership arrangements or transfer of equity, equity release mortgages, first-time buyers, high-value properties, mortgaging and remortgaging, new-build purchases, registering property for the first time, selling a property, and selling the freehold and the right of first refusal.

Dispute resolution includes consumer law, contested probate claims, property disputes, and wills, trusts and inheritance disputes.

Personal injury work covers catastrophic, spinal and brain injury claims and fatal accidents, dental negligence, funding a claim, highways claims, industrial disease claims, injuries to members of the armed services, landlord and tenant claims, motorcycle accidents, occupational illness, occupiers liability, product liability, professional negligence, road traffic accidents, sports injuries, travel claims and workplace accidents.

Employment, immigration and mental health

Employment law for employees includes assistance in raising grievances, constructive dismissal, disciplinary assistance, employment contracts, the employment tribunal process, equal pay, race discrimination, restrictive covenants and representation, settlement agreements, tribunal claims and unfair dismissal.

Immigration services cover Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa, EEA applications, entry clearance visa, human rights and other applications, immigration appeal and admin review, British nationality applications, pre-action protocol letters and judicial review, settlement in the UK under various routes, spouse visa, UK fiancé visa, unmarried partner visa, visa extension applications, graduate visa, visitors visas, and business immigration.

Mental health work addresses the nearest relative, Section 2 (admission for assessment and treatment), Section 3 (detention for treatment), Section 7 (guardianship), Section 17A (community treatment order), Section 37 (hospital order without restriction), Section 37/41 (hospital orders with restrictions), Section 47 (transferred prisoners), Section 47/49 (transferred prisoners with restrictions), Section 48/49 (transferred remand prisoners with restrictions), and Section 117 (aftercare).

Wills, probate and notary

Wills and inheritance protection includes DIY grants of probate or letters of administration, lasting powers of attorney, main residence nil band rate, when it is right to make a will, a will questionnaire and will cleanse. Notary public services are offered both for businesses and for individuals, with details of services, fees and regulatory information.

Services for businesses

For business clients, the firm covers corporate and commercial law, commercial property, employment law for employers, business dispute resolution, commercial debt recovery, business immigration, estate planning for business owners, business lasting powers of attorney, insolvency and notary public services.

Corporate and commercial work includes independent legal advice, buying and selling businesses, commercial contracts, corporate law, cross option, directors obligations and shareholders agreements.

Commercial property covers commercial leases, buying and selling commercial properties, and commercial landlord and tenant issues.

Employment law for employers includes business transfers and service provision changes (TUPE), constructive dismissal, disciplinary assistance, discrimination, dismissal of employees, the employment tribunal process, enforcing restricted covenants, equal pay, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), race discrimination, settlement agreements, stress at work, whistle blowing (public interest disclosures) and workplace grievances.

Business immigration covers complying with sponsorship duties and maintenance of the sponsor licence, global talent visas, health care visa, right to work checks, sponsor licence applications, the global business mobility visa (GBM), the scale up visa, skilled worker visa, high potential individual visa, international sports person visa and innovator founder visa.

Offices and appointments

The firm lists offices in Bordon, Fareham, Newport, Petersfield, Portsmouth (Port Solent), Ryde, Tavistock, Waterlooville and Wickham. Several locations are by appointment only: Bordon, Newport, Petersfield, Tavistock and Wickham. The Portsmouth office is identified as Port Solent. The firm also offers remote and home appointments.

Client feedback and recognition

The website includes client testimonials, including one from a client who used the firm for a permanent resident application and thanked Sultana Ali. Another testimonial expresses satisfaction and willingness to recommend the firm. The firm also lists awards and recognition, and states that it is proud to be celebrating 170 years in business.

News and legal updates

The firm publishes news and blog articles on legal developments. Recent items include a company selling call blockers fined £190,000 for nuisance calls, a settlement that did not terminate entitlement to written reasons, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and the introduction of a private rented sector database, and a restaurant company refused permission to bring late appeals.