MBH Solicitors

Overview

MBH Solicitors (trading name of McCarthy Bennett Holland Solicitors LLP) is a long-established Wigan firm founded in 1971 that serves individual and business clients across Wigan and the North West. The firm markets itself as a client-focused, modern practice offering fixed-fee options for many matters and free 30-minute initial consultations in Family Law and Private Client work. MBH combines high-volume residential conveyancing and local litigation work with wills, probate and family law expertise and is active in the local community through sponsorship and apprenticeship initiatives.

• Headquarters: Wigan, Wigan Investment Centre
• Founded: 1971
• Lawyers: 4 (ranked lawyers)
• Partners: 6
• Trainees: 3
• Offices: 1

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Family Law
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Private Client & Wealth
• Real Estate
• Employment
• Housing & Social Housing

Geographic Focus: Primarily Wigan and the North West of England. The firm focuses on local residential conveyancing, family law, wills & probate and local dispute resolution, serving individuals, local businesses and landlords in the Wigan borough and surrounding area.

Training Contract

Mentorship

Fee-earners, apprentices and trainees are supervised and mentored by senior partners and named supervisors (individual biographies note supervision by senior partners such as Gillian Lavelle and Caroline Rooks). Apprenticeship and trainee development is supported through on-the-job coaching within the relevant department.

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What MBH Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Strong client service skills
• Organisational ability and caseload management
• Clear written and oral communication
• Teamwork and collaborative approach
• Self-motivation and reliability
• Empathy for a wide range of clients
• Business development and networking willingness
• Competency with Outlook, Word and practice management systems

Evidence Signals

• Relevant fee-earning experience (conveyancing, wills & probate, family or personal injury)
• High-volume caseload experience (e.g., handling 200+ files per year)
• Paralegal or apprenticeship experience within a conveyancing or private client team
• Local/regional knowledge of Wigan/North West market and contacts
• Client-facing roles demonstrating empathy and communication

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Company pension
• Flexitime
• On-site parking
• Work from home options
• Competitive salaries (e.g., Conveyancing Solicitor from from 35,000)
• Private Client Solicitor salary advertised up to up to 40,000)

Wellbeing

Firm vision includes being "a happy place to work"; the firm promotes staff development, internal progression (apprentices to trainees to fee-earners) and local community engagement.

Awards & Recognition

• Gillian Lavelle listed as a Leading Lawyer by Wiselaw
• Sponsor and supporter of the Wigan Borough Business Awards (category sponsor and Charity Fundraiser involvement, 20242026)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment. This means that all applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

• Solicitor Apprenticeship programme
• Work Experience Placements (local schools/colleges)
• Commitment to equal opportunities in employment
• Support for local charities and community initiatives (Wigan Borough Business Awards sponsorship)

Pro Bono

MBH actively supports local charities and community initiatives, including sponsorship of the Wigan Borough Business Awards and the Charity Fundraiser; the firm highlights charitable donations and community support as part of its local engagement. No formal pro bono hours target is published.

Innovation

The firm describes itself as forward-thinking and offers electronic or traditional methods of case management to suit client needs. The website emphasises pragmatic adoption of technology to deliver an efficient service but does not publish specific legal‑tech platforms or innovation programmes.

Quick Application Angles

• Emphasise local knowledge and commitment to Wigan: reference the firms long history (since 1971) and community engagement (Wigan Borough Business Awards sponsorship) to show cultural fit.
• If applying for conveyancing roles, highlight high-volume transaction experience and ability to manage files end-to-end (Caroline Rooks is recorded as working on c.550 cases per year; Dawn Jones c.300), and give concrete examples of file throughput and case management.
• For apprentice/trainee applications, reference the firms apprenticeship pathway and on-the-job learning (cite Georgia Walls apprenticeship progression and her Land Law module result) and provide evidence of reliability, client-facing experience and willingness to combine study with practical work.
• Demonstrate strong client-service examples and empathy in applications (use concrete examples of resolving sensitive matters or managing stressful client contacts).