Phillips Law

Overview

Phillips Law is a regionally-focused, full-service Hampshire law firm with a c.40-year heritage. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Basingstoke, the firm operates offices in Basingstoke, Farnborough and Yateley and provides corporate, commercial, property, employment, family, private client and dispute resolution advice to businesses and individuals across Hampshire and beyond. The firm emphasises practical, commercially minded advice, close client relationships and community engagement (sponsorships, school outreach and charity partnerships) as differentiators.

• Headquarters: Basingstoke, Town Gate (38 London Street)
• Founded: 1986
• Trainees: 2 (generally recruit two trainee solicitors every year)
• Offices: 3

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Corporate & M&A
• Commercial Contracts
• Real Estate
• Employment
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Family Law
• Private Client & Wealth
• Immigration
• Intellectual Property
• Tax
• Technology & Digital

Geographic Focus: Strong local and regional focus across Basingstoke and north Hampshire with clients across the county; expanding presence in Farnborough and Yateley following the acquisition of Davies Blunden & Evans. The firm acts for owner-managed businesses, local corporates, investors, lenders and private individuals and supports matters across England while retaining a community and regional emphasis.

Training Contract

Small trainee intake (generally two trainees per year). Trainees rotate through multiple teams to gain hands-on experience and client contact; training is delivered within a director-led model where partners and legal directors provide supervision and mentoring. The firm emphasises practical responsibility, client-facing experience and the ability to shape a career in specialist areas. Recent trainee hires have been placed in Family and Wills, Trusts & Probate teams (examples noted).

• Trainee Intake: 2 per year

Seat Options

• Family
• Wills, Trusts and Probate
• Corporate and Commercial
• Commercial Property
• Employment
• Dispute Resolution
• Residential Property / Conveyancing
• Land Law
• Landlord & Tenant
• Notary Public
• Mediation
• Franchise Law
• Business Immigration

Mentorship

Trainees work within director-led teams and are supported by partners and legal directors; the firm describes close supervision, access to time and resources to develop, and on-the-job mentoring/supervision. Trainees are expected to receive structured support from supervising lawyers and practical guidance from senior fee-earners.

Apply on the Phillips Law website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Phillips Law Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Client-focused communication and relationship skills
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Attention to detail
• Resilience and ability to manage competing priorities
• Practical problem-solving
• Adaptability and willingness to 'break the mould' and suggest improvements
• Strong written and verbal skills
• Ethical approach and professionalism

Evidence Signals

• Direct client-facing experience or paralegal experience
• Experience in regional practice or working with owner-managed businesses
• Commercial internships or placements demonstrating commercial awareness
• Community engagement or local volunteering (reflecting the firm’s local focus)
• Experience using legal systems/tech or CRM familiarity (HubSpot exposure helpful)
• Relevant PQE/experience for senior hires (specified years PQE shown on job adverts)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Company pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Private medical insurance
• Group life assurance scheme
• Discretionary bonus
• Parking (where applicable)
• Regular social events
• Running and walking club
• Weekly fruit
• Free entry into the Basingstoke Half Marathon (firm is headline sponsor)
• Access to modern legal IT systems and technology
• Supportive director-led training and development

Wellbeing

Running and walking club; charity and wellbeing events (eg 40-hour treadmill challenge); regular social activities and initiatives to support staff engagement.

Awards & Recognition

• Law Society Excellence Awards – Medium Law Firm of the Year (2021)
• Inspire Business Awards – Business of the Year (2023)
• Inspire Business Awards – Winner of Winners (2023)
• Hampshire Law Society Awards – Junior Lawyer of the Year (Kelly Geter) (2026); Phillips Law also recognised as a runner-up in its category (2026)
• Featured in The Legal 500 (ranked practice areas include: Private client - Family: Hampshire (Tier 2); Personal tax, trusts & probate: Hampshire (Tier 2); Commercial property: Hampshire (Tier 3); Corporate & commercial: Hampshire (Tier 3); Employment: Hampshire (Tier 3); Commercial litigation: Hampshire (Tier 4))

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Phillips describes itself as an equal opportunities employer and publishes an Equality & Diversity Questionnaire (2025). The firm invites applications from all suitably qualified candidates and operates a Candidate Privacy Notice for recruitment data.

• Equality & Diversity Questionnaire Data 2025
• Inspiring Ambition initiative (school and community outreach)
• School visits and local education engagement (Testbourne School)
• Charity of the Year (The Pink Place cancer charity, 2025)
• Sponsorship of local community events (A Place To Be Proud Of Awards; Farnborough Half Marathon partnership)

Innovation

Phillips promotes a practical approach to technology and process improvement: the firm highlights early adoption of legal IT systems, Cyber Essentials accreditation for cyber security, and use of a CRM (HubSpot) to support BD activity. The firm integrates technology into client service and business development, and the Business Development Manager role is explicitly charged with championing CRM data and alignment of BD activity.

• Cyber Essentials accreditation
• Early adoption of legal-focused IT systems to improve efficiency
• Use of HubSpot CRM for business development
• Pioneering mediation services in north Hampshire

Quick Application Angles

• Highlight local and community connection — reference the firm’s long-standing Hampshire base, school outreach (Testbourne School) or charity partnerships (The Pink Place) to show cultural fit with their regional, community-focused approach.
• For corporate/commercial roles, cite practical commercial experience and give examples of running deals for owner-managed businesses; mention interest in IT/SaaS contracts if applying to the corporate/IT team.
• If applying to property teams, reference experience on landlord & tenant, development or site assembly work — Phillips is actively recruiting senior commercial property/developments hires and values demonstrable sector experience.
• Mention the firm’s values verbatim (for example: 'Pull in the same direction', 'Tell it like it is', 'Deliver on your goals') and give concrete examples from your experience that show you live those values.
• For BD/operations roles, demonstrate CRM experience (HubSpot desirable), event/sponsorship planning and the ability to influence partners in a partner-led environment.