Dutton Gregory

Overview

Dutton Gregory is a long-established regional full-service law firm with a multi-office UK footprint focused on Property, Family and Business law. The firm combines local presence across the South Coast and Liverpool with a Mayfair presence in London, and has grown through mergers (notably the 2023 merger with Mackrell Turner Garrett) while investing in modern systems and people development. The firm emphasises client care, pragmatic advice and a balance between technology and the human touch, positioning itself as a trusted advisor for SMEs, individuals and high-net-worth clients.

Headquarters: Chandler's Ford, Concept House
Founded: 1947
Partners: 24
Offices: 7

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

Real Estate
Family Law
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
Corporate & M&A
Employment
Immigration
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Private Client & Wealth
Commercial Contracts
Tax

Geographic Focus: Strong presence across the South Coast (Chandler's Ford, Bournemouth, Southampton, Winchester, Woking) with an established Liverpool office and a London Mayfair presence. The firm describes a national reach for individuals and businesses and pursues growth via strategic mergers (for example the 2023 merger with Mackrell Turner Garrett to expand in Surrey/London commuter belt).

Training Contract

Mentorship

The firm operates a mentoring programme and an internal Trainee Academy referenced in CSR material; career development is supported by structured competency frameworks, internal mentoring and on-the-job supervision.

Apply on the Dutton Gregory website →

Programmes & Schemes

Apprenticeships

The firm runs apprenticeships and alongside training contracts as part of its people development programme. These are used to provide insight, practical experience and a pathway into paralegal and fee-earner roles; CSR notes that many paralegals and trainee lawyers started in other roles and progressed internally.

Deadline: TBC

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Notable Matters

Merger with Mackrell Turner Garrett (1 April 2023)

Completed the corporate merger with Surrey-based Mackrell Turner Garrett (a 20-staff, £2m turnover multi-disciplinary firm) as part of strategic growth into Surrey / the London commuter belt. Integration included staff transfers, compliance consolidation and practice management alignment; the process highlighted IT migration challenges and subsequent practice management software replacement plans.

Corporate & M&A

Client possession order (confidential client)

Local office litigation matter in which the firm secured a possession order on behalf of a client in a Property Lettings & Revenue matter (referenced in client testimonial). No client name or value published.

Dispute Resolution & Litigation

Estate administration for deceased client (confidential)

Probate/estate administration matter concluding satisfactorily for a client (referenced in client testimonial for Winchester/Woking office). No further details published on assets or instructions.

Private Client & Wealth

What Dutton Gregory Looks For

Key Competencies

Client care and empathy
Commercial awareness (especially for corporate and property roles)
Clear communication and straight-talking approach
Teamwork and collaboration
Resilience and practical problem-solving
Attention to detail and reliability

Evidence Signals

Practical legal or client-facing experience (work placements, paralegal roles, apprenticeships)
Experience or interest in Property, Family or SME-focused commercial work
Commitment to community engagement or charity work
Demonstrable communication skills and examples of client care

Benefits & Wellbeing

Structured competency framework and internal Trainee Academy
Mentoring programme and buddying for development
Mental Health First Aiders across the firm
Social Committee and Charity Committee (staff events and fundraising)
Opportunities for internal progression (paralegals -> trainees/fee-earners)
Flexible payment options for clients (fixed fee options) — firm-facing service offering rather than employee perk
Charitable sponsorship and community engagement (supporting Julia’s House, Teddy Rocks Festival and local awards)

Wellbeing

Firm-wide wellbeing and support includes Mental Health First Aiders, charity and volunteering activities, staff surveys and open communication channels. The CSR section emphasises investment in staff welfare, training and internal recognition.

Awards & Recognition

Lexcel accreditation (recognises client care and practice management)
Law Society: Higher Courts Rights – Civil and Criminal
Law Society: Family Law Accreditation
Law Society: Family Law Advanced (individual accreditation held by Jon Whettingsteel)
Law Society: Children Law accreditation (senior childcare & adoption team members are on the Children Panel)
Law Society: Personal Injury Accreditation
Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Firm equality and diversity policy committing to non-discrimination, reasonable adjustments for disability, equal pay for equal work, routine monitoring of employees by protected characteristics, and regular review of the policy. The firm requires equality & diversity training on induction and at least every two years and maintains monitoring data on gender, ethnicity, disability and related metrics.

Equality & Diversity training on induction and at least every two years
Anonymous annual diversity questionnaire (July 2025 collection; 80% response rate)
Mental Health First Aiders across the firm
Social Committee and Charity Committee
Trainee Academy and internal progression programmes

Pro Bono

Active community and pro bono engagement coordinated via the Charity Committee; staff volunteer as trustees, governors and advisors and the firm supports local charities and fundraising activities (examples include Julia’s House and Teddy Rocks Festival). No set firm-wide pro bono hours target published.

Innovation

The firm invests in practical legal-tech solutions (for example the Digital Vault to store and deliver wills and documents to executors) and is actively replacing its practice management software after experiences during merger IT migration. The stated strategy is to embrace technology while maintaining direct client contact; trainees and staff get exposure via internal training and the firm's drive to modernise processes.

Dutton Gregory Digital Vault (secure online storage for clients' legal and financial documents)
Practice Management Software replacement project (initiated following merger IT challenges)
Adoption of technology with an emphasis on keeping the human touch

Quick Application Angles

Reference the firm's regional growth strategy and the 2023 Mackrell Turner Garrett merger — emphasise ability to work across multi-office teams and appetite for integration and client continuity.
Highlight practical property or lettings experience if applying to Real Estate or Lettings & Revenue teams — the firm promotes national lettings expertise and Gina Peters leads the Lettings & Revenue team.
Demonstrate client-care examples and communication style — the firm stresses being 'friendly, reliable & honest' and 'straight talking and clear', so concrete examples of managing client expectations will resonate.
Mention interest in legal tech or process improvement (e.g., secure document handling) — Dutton Gregory promotes the Digital Vault and is modernising practice management systems.
Point to local community engagement or voluntary experience — the firm values CSR, charity fundraising and local sponsorship (Julia’s House, Teddy Rocks Festival, regional awards).