Johnson Astills

Overview

Johnson Astills is a regional full-service law firm headquartered in Leicester with a second office in Loughborough, serving clients across Leicestershire, the East Midlands and via online conveyancing across the UK. The firm was created by the 2013 merger of Emery Johnson (founded 1995) and Astills (founded 1947) and rebranded as Johnson Astills as it approached its 25th anniversary; it combines a long local heritage with modern, specialist teams in crime, family, conveyancing, wills & probate and regulatory work. The firm emphasises specialist divisional teams, Law Society accreditations and Lexcel-accredited practice management, and promotes community engagement and accessible fixed-fee options alongside legal-aid and private work.

• Headquarters: Leicester, 1 New Walk Place
• Founded: 1995 (Emery Johnson)
• Offices: 2

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Family Law
• Public Law
• Criminal Law
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Professional Negligence
• White Collar Crime
• Fraud & Investigations

Geographic Focus: Primary strength across Leicestershire and the East Midlands with two local offices in Leicester and Loughborough. The firm serves local individuals and families, represents clients in regional courts (Magistrates', County, Family and Crown Courts) and offers online conveyancing services to clients anywhere in the UK; it also acts on agency court work for other (non-Leicestershire) solicitors at short notice.

Training Contract

The firm runs annual summer work experience placements (graduates) and operates a training & recruitment process for junior hires; the careers page states that training contract applications are currently closed. No detailed public seat-rotation structure, seat lengths or formal allocation process for a training contract are published on the firm's website.

• Academic Requirements: Work Experience placements: open exclusively to University Graduates who have not previously taken advantage of a Johnson Astills placement; the firm is unable to offer work experience placements to students studying for GCSE, B-TEC or A-Level qualifications.

Apply on the Johnson Astills website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Johnson Astills Looks For

Key Competencies

• Highly motivated
• Loyal
• Conscientious
• Client-focused
• Good communicator
• Team player
• Empathy when dealing with vulnerable clients
• Practical problem-solving

Evidence Signals

• Previous work experience or placements (especially the firm’s summer placements)
• Practical client-facing experience (volunteering, pro bono or legal-advice clinics)
• Advocacy or police-station representation experience for criminal roles
• Experience or interest in family/care work, mediation or collaborative law
• Language skills (e.g., French/German) for client-facing roles

Benefits & Wellbeing

Awards & Recognition

• Law Society Children Law Accreditation
• Law Society Family Law Advanced Accreditation
• Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS)
• Law Society Criminal Litigation Accreditation
• Lexcel legal practice quality mark
• Senior Solicitor of the Year (Leicestershire Law Society) — Isabel Wilson (2019)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The firm states it is an inclusive, supportive firm that will identify and meet the needs of clients with accessibility or neurodivergent needs; team members hold various professional memberships and Dementia Friends status.

• Neurodiversity Celebration Week awareness and reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent clients
• Languages in House (team members able to speak additional languages including French; staff diversity training)
• Family Team clinic in conjunction with Living without Abuse providing initial legal advice to survivors of domestic abuse
• Longstanding membership of the Coercive Police Powers Scrutiny Group (Race Equality Centre)
• Charity of the Year programme (The Carpenters Arms 2025/2026) and other local charity initiatives (Wishes for Kids, Toys on the Table, Warning Zone)

Pro Bono

Johnson Astills runs community-oriented pro bono and low-cost initiatives including a clinic with Living without Abuse for survivors of domestic abuse, volunteering and fundraising for local charities, and legal-aid work across care and criminal law matters. The firm also engages in mentoring and educational outreach with local schools and universities.

Innovation

The firm adopted remote-working technology and remote hearings during the pandemic and offers an online conveyancing product allowing clients to manage residential property matters remotely.

• Online conveyancing service
• Use of remote/virtual hearings and video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep courts and client contact operational

Quick Application Angles

• Highlight local commitment: reference the firm’s Leicester/Loughborough focus, Law Society accreditations (Children Law, Criminal Litigation, CQS) and Lexcel accreditation to show you understand their client-centred, specialist approach.
• If applying to the Family or Care teams, mention experience or interest in mediation/child-inclusive mediation and working with vulnerable clients; reference the firm’s Family Team and public-law expertise.
• For property/conveyancing roles, note the firm’s online conveyancing offering and fixed-fee approach — emphasise efficiency, clear client communication and experience with residential transactions.
• If applying for criminal roles, reference police-station or duty-solicitor experience and familiarity with paperwork-heavy benefit-fraud or regulatory prosecutions — the firm’s Criminal Team handles police interviews, DWP interviews and Crown Court advocacy.
• Mention community involvement or charity work (e.g., The Carpenters Arms, Warning Zone) to align with the firm’s visible local CSR and pro-bono activity.