Major UK law firms Bright Legal and W&P Legal form collaboration to expand clients’ legal support
Leicester-based Bright Legal Solicitors and Lincolnshire’s W&P Legal have confirmed a strategic collaboration designed to provide a broader and more integrated suite of legal services to clients across England and Wales.
The partnership brings together two established law firms with complementary areas of expertise. Bright Legal is known for its work in family law and litigation, while W&P Legal specialises in lifetime planning and estate administration.
Under the new arrangement, clients of both firms will gain access to a comprehensive range of legal support services. Those services extend from routine legal advice to specialist estate planning, wills, probate and related legal matters.
Parvien Akhtar, who leads Bright Legal Solicitors, described the collaboration as a natural fit that will strengthen each firm’s offerings without changing the quality of service clients expect. Akhtar said that working with W&P Legal allows the firms to combine their strengths.
She added that clients will benefit from expert guidance across an expanded set of legal needs while receiving consistent care and professionalism from both teams.
Nick Ash, director of W&P Legal, echoed that sentiment, saying that the partnership represented the logical next step for his firm. Ash noted that W&P Legal has specialised in wills and probate work for over 20 years, and that long-standing client demand for more comprehensive support had motivated the move.
According to Ash, Bright Legal’s recognised expertise in family law, conveyancing and litigation complements W&P Legal’s existing services and significantly broadens the firm’s legal portfolio.
The collaboration comes at a time when both firms are actively expanding their capabilities. Akhtar was recently elected as a member of the Law Society Council, a position that reflects her professional standing within the legal community. In 2022 she was also honoured with the Solicitor of the Year award at the Leicestershire Law Society Awards.
Ash, a member of the Society of Will Writers Professional Standards Board, has led W&P Legal to recognition in the private client field, including a shortlist placement for the Best Workplace Wellbeing category at the Modern Law Private Client Awards. He also published a guide on probate matters in December 2022.
The firms have not disclosed financial terms of the collaboration or how operational structures will change, but both leaders emphasised continuity of service for existing and future clients.
Industry observers say that the legal market has seen a number of similar alliances and consolidations in recent years, as firms seek to respond to evolving client expectations and demand for multi-disciplinary support. Such arrangements can allow smaller specialist practices to maintain client-focused services while benefiting from shared expertise and operational resources.
In the case of Bright Legal and W&P Legal, the collaboration effectively merges the family law strengths of one firm with the estate planning and probate expertise of the other. The result is a single point of legal contact for individuals and families seeking advice and representation across a range of life events.
Clients requiring assistance with family disputes, conveyancing or litigation now have access to estate-planning specialists without needing to seek out separate providers. Likewise, those beginning an estate administration or wills process can receive broader legal guidance where related family law issues arise.
Both firms said they would continue to operate under their existing brands, with leadership teams remaining in place. The symbolic union reflects broader trends in the legal sector, where collaboration and strategic alliances are shaping the ways that legal support is delivered to clients throughout the UK.