The law firm of Bobbetts Mackan has its origins in the 1800's. Its feet are firmly planted in the present and its eyes are focused on the delivery of specialist legal services to the people of Bristol, the South West and beyond.
The Bobbetts Brothers established the firm in the mid 1800’s. They were lawyers committed to the provision of affordable and accessible legal services to local people. To this day we seek to maintain this tradition.
The practice has grown and developed over 150 years into the law firm it is today. Having embraced two other well-established Bristol firms. Parry Mackan in the 1980's and Culpan Williams in January 2005. We are local lawyers with a regional presence, concerned that clients should have access to justice through our specialist and expert teams.
Our commitment to accessible and affordable legal services benefits both those clients who pay for our services in the usual way and those who are publicly funded through the legal services commission in the following are franchised areas:
Family and Children.
Civil Litigation.
Criminal Defence.
Actions against the Police.
Whilst we are committed to publicly funded work it is but a part of the services we provide as an exploration of our website will demonstrate.
We offer the accessibility and approachability of a local firm with the expertise, specialisation and focus of a substantial regional practice.
We provide our services through five specialist teams, and as you explore this web site you will see the breadth and depth of the services we offer.
We are a people centred, quality assured, team based law firm with a staff proud of the contribution they make to the firm and to the community.
As partners and staff we are always happy to talk with our clients and ensure that the services we provide are tailored to their needs and delivered in a way that meets expectations.
Talk to us.
We want to be your personal lawyers to help you whenever an event in your life needs legal input.
Founded in 1800
50 people in their team
Experience, excellence and straight-talking are just three of the reasons why Bobbetts Mackan is recognised as a leading law practice for criminal defence and defence of serious fraud.
We have extensive expertise in relation to all enquiries undertaken by the police and other investigative and regulatory bodies - including Customs and Excise, the DTI and Serious Fraud Office. Our team includes highly experienced solicitor advocates and has the ability to provide representation at all levels; from police station representation to cases heard in the Magistrates Courts, through to Inquests, Courts Martial and the High Court.
Recognised in the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession as a 'regional front runner’, the Defence Team at Bobbetts Mackan comprises a range of individuals who between them have the breadth and understanding to work with young people or first time offenders and the professionalism to be a leader in cases of ‘white collar crime’ and serious fraud.
The team has recently been enlarged and strengthened by the incorporation of the Criminal Defence team of Culpan Williams LLP upon the merger of the two firms.
We provide professional advice and defence to individuals from all walks of life and all parts of the UK against the full range of criminal allegations, whether brought by charge or summons, including burglaries, assaults, excess alcohol and drug-related crime. We deal with all motoring and vehicle related offences including situations where a driving licence is at risk - such as speeding. We have considerable expertise in sexual offence cases, in particular allegations of child abuse involving carers, teachers and other professionals.
We have acknowledged expertise in defending allegations of internet related pornography matters supported by strong forensic computing skills.
We have substantial experience in cases involving violence and murder.
Contact us round the clock for emergency advice or support, and guidance at interviews involving Police or other regulatory investigators.
Contact Tony Miles on 0117 3164921 or email [email protected]. We will arrange an appointment for you to come and discuss matters.
If you need help out of hours our emergency helpline is 0117 929 8987.
At Bobbetts Mackan we won’t make a mountain out of a molehill. If you have a dispute or disagreement, we’ll listen first and then provide both practical and legal advice to help establish the best way in which we can both resolve it.
Involving a solicitor in a dispute won’t necessarily mean a trip to the courts. At Bobbetts Mackan, we’ll work to achieve your goals by the most cost-effective means. We aim to understand all our clients’ individual objectives and then take decisive action to move each case forward, using negotiation, mediation, litigation or referral to other authorities - if and when appropriate.
We provide a specialist service for individuals in dispute with their employer, at tribunals, in cases of unfair dismissal, racial or sexual discrimination.
We offer guidance and help with:-
cohabitee disputes
general civil issues
We tailor our service specifically for the needs of individual clients. It means we talk your language, using plain speaking to spell out clearly the issues affecting the outcome of each case.
At Bobbetts Mackan, the lawyers in our children and family team are expert and dedicated and make it their business to help each and every client understand exactly what is happening and how events will effect both themselves and the people they care for. We make sure you remain an influential part of the whole process of resolution. Providing support and guidance at a time when it’s most needed, we offer advice in matters involving children, separation and cohabitation and associated financial issues and disputes.
Appointed to the Law Society’s Children’s Panel, Sally Mitchell leads our specialist team representing the needs of children. We regularly receive instructions from CAFCASS appointed Guardians to act for young people whose interests can’t be represented by parents or other relatives. We give sensitive, constructive advice in cases of physical or emotional abuse or when children are deemed to be out of parental control or a risk to themselves.
We provide practical help and support for parents who want to re-establish their control over their children or need help in understanding how to work in partnership with a local authority, particularly in case conferences involving the care of their child. We represent families and individuals wishing to adopt or to oppose an adoption, working closely with well-established agencies. We also handle cases involving international child abduction.
Our objective is to avoid unnecessary conflict and work together to find practical solutions in areas such as care of children and financial matters. We can advise on what benefits you may be eligible for or liabilities for child support and if necessary organise an emergency protection order. For practical advice, talk to Sally Mitchell on 0117 3164922 email
as a first step to moving your case forward.
If you are buying, selling, or letting a residential property, the whole process becomes much easier with clear communication and the support of a legal team whose motivation is to help you succeed in your objectives. At Bobbetts Mackan we work in close partnership with clients, successfully completing the sale and purchase of more than 500 properties every year.
Our property team has the skills and experience to facilitate:
the sale and purchase of residential property
remortgages
buy to let schemes
transfers of equity
provision of tailor-made Home Information Packs (HIPs)
With experience of guiding both national financial lending institutions as well as taking thousands of individuals though the property maze, we have a wide knowledge of both the legal and practical issues involved with buying, selling or remortgaging a property. Always available to talk, we’ll communicate these issues to our clients in straightforward language, explaining the unexpected, clarifying the risks and, most importantly, investigating the solutions.
To find out more about our commitment, personal attention and the value we offer to residential property transactions, call Sara Marsh direct on 0117 3164920 or email [email protected]
At Bobbetts Mackan, our team focuses purely on providing accessible, practical advice tailored specifically to the needs of small businesses.
Our small business clients don’t need to compete with bigger fish for service and support. At Bobbetts Mackan, each case and each business receives a friendly welcome and immediate and ongoing personal attention.
Much of what we do involves solving problems. It’s a fact of small business life that many only look for legal advice at the point when things go wrong. We help to put things right. We give pragmatic advice in all areas of dispute resolution including partnership, property and employee disputes, breach of contract and business breakdown, advice that won’t necessarily mean a trip to a tribunal or other Court. We’ll work to achieve your goals by the most cost-effective means, acting decisively through negotiation, mediation or arbitration as well as, when needed, litigation.
Getting back to basics, we also have the expertise to help you avoid the dispute process by putting in place procedures and contracts that avoid misunderstanding and uncertainty in the future. Talk to us about commercial structures and contracts, health and safety, employment policies and issues surrounding the sale, purchase and lease of commercial property. Talk to a small business specialist - call Kevin Wood on 0117 9299001 or email [email protected]
We can also advise in the specialist areas of liquor and gaming licensing. Talk to Tony Miles on 0117 3164921 or email [email protected].
At Bobbetts Mackan, we take the time to talk about the many different issues involved in estate planning and ensure we understand our clients’ views and sensitivities when dealing with matters of succession and/or Will making, and advice relating to elderly people and their families.
Making a Will is the most important way of ensuring your assets and belongings are passed on in just the way that you want. Talk to us and we will help clarify your wishes and make sure you understand all the issues that may have an influence on what you want to achieve. We will discuss with you all the points that may have an effect on your decision making; issues such as providing for your family, the appointment of a guardian, or creating powers of attorney.
One of the ways you might create greater flexibility with your estate is through the use of discretionary trusts, something increasingly relevant to more people as rises in property prices put the value of many private homes over the inheritance tax threshold. We can advise on all aspects of creating and administering tax efficient trusts including children's trusts and family trusts. Talk to us and we will explain how this approach might work for you. We work directly with a panel of financial advisers and can help with a wide range of financial matters as well as inheritance tax.
We provide the best advice and understanding in issues involving the elderly and their families. For example, when it may be necessary to set up Powers of Attorney , or where applications may need to be made to the Court of Protection.
We combine insight with sensitivity in providing support with obtaining a grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, and help in the administration of estates.
For sound advice, guidance...and someone to talk to Sara Marsh a Solicitor and Partner. Sara qualified as a Solicitor in 1991. Sara is happy to help with all aspects of non contentious work such as Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Probate, Letters of Administration. Call Sara Marsh, Solicitor and Partner, on 0117 3164920 or email [email protected]
