Solicitors & attorneys · Since 1921
For more than a century, boards, institutions and families have trusted Ashford Whitlock with the matters that define them, from contested takeovers and cross-border disputes to the quiet stewardship of private wealth.
We act for
The Firm
Ashford Whitlock was founded on a simple premise: that clients deserve candid advice, given early, by people who will still be standing beside them when the matter is concluded.
Today our 214 lawyers advise across corporate transactions, disputes, real estate, employment, private wealth and intellectual property from offices in London, Edinburgh and New York. We remain an independent partnership (never merged, never acquired), and many of our client relationships now span three and four generations.
Our clients rarely remember the hours we recorded. They remember that we told them the truth, early, and that we stood beside them when it mattered most.
The Founders · MCMXXI
Arthur Ashford1884–1962
Edmund Whitlock1889–1971
Practice Areas
Each practice is led by partners ranked by the independent directories, and all six work as one firm whenever a matter crosses disciplines or borders.
Public and private takeovers, joint ventures and equity capital markets for listed companies, private equity sponsors and family-owned groups.
High-value commercial litigation, international arbitration and regulatory investigations, from pre-action strategy through to final appeal.
Acquisitions, development, finance and asset management for investors, landed estates and institutions across the UK and the United States.
Strategic advice to employers and senior executives on workforce change, boardroom exits, collective disputes and pension scheme governance.
Succession, trusts and philanthropy for families and their offices, with particular depth in multi-jurisdictional estates and family businesses.
Protection, licensing and enforcement of patents, trade marks, designs and confidential information for life sciences, technology and consumer brands.
The Firm in Numbers
One partnership across three jurisdictions, with the scale to lead the largest mandates and the continuity to see them through.
Our People
Each relationship is led by a partner who is personally accountable for your affairs and who still answers the telephone.
Showing all 8 partners
Our full directory lists all 214 lawyers by practice, office and language.
Find a lawyerNotable Matters
A selection of recent mandates that we are able to disclose. The greater part of our work is, by its nature, never announced.
The 2025 year in brief
Matters are shown with client consent or are already in the public domain. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Deal of the Year 2026 · Corporate & M&A
A contested process with a rival bidder, completed by scheme of arrangement in eleven weeks. Named Deal of the Year by The Albion Legal Register.
The claim, brought by a former private equity owner, was dismissed in full at an early stage, with indemnity costs awarded.
Joint venture, development agreements and forward funding for a mixed-use scheme including 640 homes.
Coordinated injunctions and customs seizures in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States.
All claims were withdrawn before the final hearing following our challenge to the comparator evidence.
A new governance charter, protector arrangements and a family investment company, agreed by all 23 adult beneficiaries.
Recognition
Rankings are earned through interviews with our clients and peers, which is why we value them.
The Albion Legal Register
Atlantic Bar & Bench Directory
Whitehall Review of Counsel
The Lexmoor Guide
“A firm of genuine gravitas: measured, commercial and utterly dependable when the stakes are highest.”
“Margaret Okonjo-Reid is the first call for boards facing a dispute they cannot afford to lose.”
“Families stay with Ashford Whitlock for generations, and it is easy to see why.”
Ranked in 31 practice areas, with 48 individually ranked lawyers across the 2026 editions.
Insights
Practical analysis of legal and regulatory change, written for the people who must act on it.
A year into the new corporate offence, prosecutors are asking a sharper question than “did you have a policy?” We set out the six procedures that are now being tested, and the board minutes that will prove them.
8.00–9.30am at 14 Fleetgate Square. By invitation; places are limited.
Careers
We have trained more of our own partners than any comparable firm. Our people learn at the elbow of the best, take responsibility early and stay for decades.
Twenty-four two-year training contracts across London and Edinburgh, with a six-month secondment to New York or a client.
Closes 31 Jan 2027Three weeks in two practice groups during June and July 2027, with a guaranteed training contract interview.
Closes 15 Dec 2026Currently recruiting in Corporate, Real Estate and Intellectual Property in London and New York.
RollingKnowledge management, finance, legal technology and client relations roles across all three offices.
RollingOffices
Clients instruct the firm, not an office. Our teams in London, Edinburgh and New York share one set of standards and one set of files.
Our founding office and registered office, facing the gardens of Fleetgate Square. Home to 148 lawyers and the firm’s Management Board.
Advising Scottish businesses, estates and institutions under Scots law since 1964, from a Georgian townhouse in the New Town. Home to 38 lawyers.
Ashford Whitlock (US) LLP opened in Lower Manhattan in 1989 to serve clients with business on both sides of the Atlantic. Home to 28 lawyers.
Consultation
Tell us briefly what you need. A partner in the relevant practice will review your request personally.
A member of the relevant team will contact you within one working day.