Finding the Best Solicitors in Elgin Moray

It’s not possible for us to take on as a client everyone who gets in touch with us at Grigor & Young / Moray Claims.

Why we might not be able to help you directly

• As a relatively small, local firm we may not have capacity to take on the work at the time you contact us. It could be that you need something done urgently and we cannot commit the necessary resources to it at short notice and in the face of an early deadline.

• Another reason we may not be able to take on your case it that it could be in an area of law which we do not cover (e.g. criminal law).

• A different type of problem arises where you have a dispute with another person and they are already a client of Grigor & Young. We would not be able to represent either you or them in relation to that particular matter due to the conflict of interest.

What alternative options are there for you?

Where we cannot help you directly, we are often asked to suggest other Solicitors and Estate Agents in Elgin and we are glad to do so.

We covered this question in a 2014 article on this website.

It’s interesting to see how the legal landscape in Elgin has changed over the intervening period. Some practices have ceased to trade, usually because they have amalgamated with another firm of solicitors, and one or two new businesses have appeared.

The alphabetical list below details some of the well-regarded firms and lawyers in the Elgin area.

We hope this will help you in your quest in finding the best solicitors in Elgin to meet your present needs.

Allan Black & McCaskie

This firm, currently headed by 4 partners, was established in Elgin in the late 19th century. It offers property and estate agency services as well as a range of legal services. The area of practice covered include Civil and Criminal Court work (including Legal Aid), Family Law, Commercial Law and Property Purchase and Sale.

AM Employment Law

A business established in 2019, solicitor Adelle Morris offers specialist Employment Law advice across the full range of employment law topics.

Lesley Clark & Co. Ltd

Services provided include Property Purchase and Sale and Civil Court matters (including legal aid).

Cockburns

This is another long-established firm which also has offices in Grantown-on-Spey and Forres. They cover a wide range of property and legal services, including Civil and Criminal Court work, Property Sales and Purchases, Wills and Executries.

Grant Smith Law Practice

This firm has several offices across the North East of Scotland and they have subsumed the former Cruickshank Law Practice in securing their Elgin presence. Locally, they have traditionally specialised in Criminal Defence – up to the highest Court levels – but the larger firm context means they also offer services in Civil Court matters (including Family Law and Personal Injury), Property Purchase and Sales, Wills and Executries. Legal aid is available.

Harper Macleod LLP

This is a large, national law firm, with offices across Scotland, which has moved into Elgin from 2019 following its merger with long-established local firm, Wink & Mackenzie. Locally, they provide a full range of legal services, including: Conveyancing; Wills & Trusts; Executries, Family Law and a wide range of other litigation matters; and Commercial law.

James McKay Solicitors

Founded by a former Procurator Fiscal at Elgin, this firm specialises in Criminal Defence work and provides a full range of services for criminal court cases at all levels of court procedure (Summary / Solemn). The option of Legal aid is available.

Stewart & McIsaac

This is a long-established Elgin firm offering a range legal services with a focus on Property Purchase and Sale, and Private Client work. The firm has no Court Department.

Choosing your solicitor

We hope the information above will give you a good start if you’re considering your options for instructing a solicitor in Elgin.

Various studies over the years have tended to emphasise proven specialist knowledge on the part of a solicitor as an important element in choosing your solicitor.

In Scotland, solicitors can demonstrate expertise and experience in a particular area of law through Specialist Accreditation by the Law Society of Scotland or other professional bodies (such as STEP (“The Society of Trust and Executry Practitioners”) or APIL (“The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers”).

The Law Society of Scotland’s website allows you to search for solicitors based on the type of case you have and accredited specialisms of solicitor.

But other factors can be relevant too –

• Convenience: is the solicitor near your home or workplace? Will you be able to meet with them face-to-face, if necessary?
• Personal recommendation: you can get help from relatives or friends – or from online reviews – in identifying a suitable solicitor.
• Availability: how quickly does the solicitor respond to your initial enquiry and how much capacity do they have to progress the matter for you as swiftly as possible?

We hope you will find you can meet most, if not all, of these criteria in your case and that your experience will help to enhance the reputation of all solicitors’ firms across the whole of Moray.