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Legal Directories on the Web

Descriptions of directories of solicitors and barristers in the UK and Ireland and links to the resources concerned.

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To find a barrister in England & Wales....

  • The Legal Hub is the new home of the Bar Directory - click on the words "The Bar Directory" half way down the left hand section. The Directory covers the employed and practising bar and features over 12,500 barristers and 680 chambers. You can search by name, region or specialisation.

    To find a solicitor in England and Wales

  • The Law Society's Directory (called "Solicitors Online") lists all firms and branches, with each solicitor's name, their specialisms, languages spoken, location maps and web site links. Users can look for a named firm or individual, or do a search for a firm in their area with the specialism they need.

  • The Law Society of Scotland provides a directory of all Scottish firms (there are around 1,800) which can be searched by name of firm, town or category of work. There is also a separate section to search for individual accredited experts (solicitors) in specific fields of law.

  • Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission provides a register of all solicitors in Northern Ireland which can be searched by County or town, and by specialism (take "Solicitors" from the list of options on the left).

  • The Law Society of Ireland provides a directory of Irish firms which can be searched by name or by location. (I do not think there is yet a search by work type or specialisation).

  • Lawyer Locator is the web version of the what used to be the Butterworths law directory, now ownded by LexisNexis. It is free to use. Searches can be made by name, specialisation, town, postcode, individual name and name of practice. Firms pay a fee to be in this directory.

  • Waterlow Legal provides a series of legal directories on their site. There is one for firms of solicitors which can be searched by town, county, work category, number of partners and language. The search returns name and phone number of the firms plus additional details if the firm has paid a fee. (This directory is not for individual solicitors, for which The Law Society's Directory described above, is the best source of information). There is also a list of firms who undertake Agency Commissions, International Law Firms, Legal/Investigative and Expert Witness Companies. There is a full list of barristers chambers split between London and the rest of England and Wales. (This directory is not for individual barristers, for which the The Bar Directory, part of the Legal Hub, described above, is the best source of information). There is also a Waterlows directory of solicitors and barristers on CD ROM which covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as International Firms. There is a free 30 day trial of this system - call 0171 490 0049 or register for the trial on the site.

  • The Hallmark Directory (formerly known as The Office Directory for Lawyers) from Hallmark Publishing, is not a free online directory but is available on a subscription basis. It a vast resource of UK legal contact information, with solicitors' firms, and legal aid franchises, barristers / advocates and chambers (stables in Scotland), legal associations (UK and abroad), courts and tribunals, advice agencies, the criminal justice system: police stations prisons, CPS,probation etc., expert and professional organisations, local authorities, government departments, MPs and ministers, European Union offices, health services, universities, embassies and high commissions, property and business practice contacts, a wide range of advice agencies, self-help and support organisations and charities, extensive tables including court fees, legal aid rates, calendars, interest rates, and travel information with many maps (to courts, chambers, prisons, a number of useful glossaries, gazetteers, and emergency case contacts. E-mail and web addresses are "live". It is designed for use on office networks. Subscription rates are aimed at all sizes of firms, from sole practitioner to large commercial, all kinds of chambers, and advice agencies. It is updated throughout the subscription year and updating can be done automatically for subscribers with "Courtserve" from Courtel Communications.

  • Chambers & Partners provide UK and global guides to the worlds leading lawyers - and these directories are online without charge. The firms can be selected by specialisation and region. They have over 30 full-time researchers investigating the reputations of leading lawyers throughout the world to produce the Global Directory. They also focus on the UK to produce the UK Directory, and the USA to produce the USA Guide to the legal profession.

  • Rapoports is a new legal directory set up by an Australian solicitor called Yuri Rapoport who has already provided a successful "law broking" service in Australia. The idea is that firms and individual solicitors can enter information about themselves and the work they have done which can then be searched by members of the public trying to find the right solicitor. The site will launch from a consumer point of view in the autumn of 2008; at the moment, it is inviting information from solicitors. The directory is free to both public and lawyers.

  • Infolaw, the legal information site run by Nick Holmes, provides a free access listing of lawyers' websites in the UK and Ireland which is fully searchable by firm name, work type and location. Entries in the directory are free and link directly to the firm's or chamber's website. Any firm or chambers can check their entry, and submit amendments to the url, locations and work types listed.

  • The Faculty of Advocates is the organisation for Scottish barristers (but they are called Advocates in Scotland). This was established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1532. There are 683 members of which approximately 417 are practising advocates including QC's. There is a directory of practising members on the site.

    International Directories

  • International Correspondence Lawyers is a lawyer directory with correspondence lawyers and law firms in more than 100 countries. The directory is managed by Daten Info Service Eibl GmbH, a small enterprise with Headoffice in Cologne. The directory was started in 1992.

  • LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell provide access to more than one million legal professionals worldwide and includes complete coverage of the USA legal profession. There are new facilities available including, for example, a feature called “My Martindale Network,” which enables corporate counsel to create and manage their own personalised preferred provider lists. There are apparently a number of Web 2.0 enhancements now available, including knowledge sharing abilities and the ability to personalise data.

  • Waterlow Legal International Directory provides an international directory of law firms, searchable by firm name or by country. The country field is populated with firms who not only practice law relating to that country (but may be based in the UK) and firms who have offices in those countries. Note that the overseas branch offices of the larger UK firms are included in this international directory.

  • IFLR1000 is a guide to the world's leading financial law firms. Compiled by a team of dedicated specialist legal journalists based in New York, London and Hong Kong, the IFLR1000 focuses on the leading law firms for corporate finance worldwide. The guide is now in its 19th edition, and has grown to cover more than 100 jurisdictions. The rankings are based on the recommendations of in-house counsel at the world’s most prominent financial institutions and companies, as well as the leading lawyers in each legal market.

    Directories of Commercial Law Firms

  • The International Law Office provides a register of 2,000 commercial law firms which can be searched by area and by specialisation.

  • The Legal 500 is a listing of firms of solicitors specialising in commercial work provided by The Centre for Commercial Law, the Internet arm of the legal publisher, Legalease. This register can be searched by name, by speciality, by size and by location. There is also a European 500 and an Asian 500.

    Note to organisers of legal registers:
    * If you like a link here (free of charge), please email me:

    delia@venables.co.uk
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