Solicitors in Hockley Heath and Tanworth-in-Arden

Hockley Heath sits directly south of Dorridge on the A3400, straddling the boundary between the Solihull Metropolitan Borough and Stratford-on-Avon District. Tanworth-in-Arden lies a little further south-west, a small Warwickshire village around a green with a Grade I listed parish church and a cluster of listed cottages. Most of what we do for clients in both villages is private-client work — wills, lasting powers of attorney, probate, trusts and inheritance-tax planning — together with rural and equestrian conveyancing, higher-value matrimonial matters and property or estate disputes. The person you meet at your first appointment is the solicitor who runs your matter until the file closes.

Call 0121 270 2700, email info@pearcelegal.co.uk, or book a free initial consultation.

Where we are, and how village clients reach us

Our office is at 2 The Square, Solihull, B91 3RB, roughly fifteen to twenty-five minutes' drive from the two villages:

- From Hockley Heath: around 15 minutes by car straight up the A3400 through Dorridge and Bentley Heath.

- From Tanworth-in-Arden: around 25 minutes via the A3400 or Aspley Heath Lane.

Home visits: for clients who are elderly, unwell, or where it is more practical, we offer home visits by prior arrangement across the villages along the A3400.

Video or telephone: most private-client, conveyancing and family work can be completed without you attending in person if that suits you better.

By train: Dorridge station is on the Chiltern line with regular services to Solihull and Birmingham Moor Street; a short taxi from Dorridge station reaches central Hockley Heath and, less directly, Tanworth-in-Arden.

The nearest public car parks to our office are Mell Square and Touchwood, both under five minutes' walk from The Square.

For a broader view of the firm and our full contact details, see the Solihull office page.

Why village and rural clients along the A3400 instruct Pearce Legal

Hockley Heath and Tanworth-in-Arden share a client profile that is different from the Solihull suburbs, and different again from Olton or Shirley. What we hear from clients in these villages is a mix of the following:

Estate and inheritance-tax planning that reflects the value of the estate. Substantial detached houses along Stratford Road, farms and smallholdings on the surrounding lanes, business interests, pensions and investment portfolios all interact with the residence nil-rate band, business relief, agricultural relief and gifting rules. We advise on structures that fit the family rather than off-the-peg templates.

Wills and lasting powers of attorney that anticipate later life. Older established residents often want a will and LPAs reviewed together, with clear succession planning where family members may be scattered across the country or overseas. We keep the file and review on triggering life events.

Rural and equestrian conveyancing done properly. Paddock title, outbuildings, riding arrangements, restrictive covenants from historic estate breakups, listed-building consent in the Tanworth-in-Arden conservation area and along the A3400 corridor, and the correct SDLT treatment where a property has a mixed residential and agricultural element.

A Solihull firm the villages already know. Many of our clients in Hockley Heath and Tanworth-in-Arden have used us for years — often first for conveyancing, later for wills, later still for probate or a family matter. The relationship is generational rather than transactional.

Home visits and continuity of relationship. For older clients or where mobility is a factor, we come to you. And you deal with the same solicitor from first meeting to final file — no rotating case-handlers, no offshore case-tracking portal.

We are a licensed body (ABS) authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA number 423097, and we carry professional indemnity insurance in excess of the SRA minimum.

Services we provide to clients in Hockley Heath and Tanworth-in-Arden

Wills, lasting powers of attorney and estate planning

Single and mirror wills, more complex wills involving business, farm or equestrian interests, lasting powers of attorney for property and financial affairs and for health and welfare, and coordinated review of wills and LPAs together. We keep the file and review on triggering life events. Fixed fees for standard wills and LPAs; a written estimate for more complex work.
→ Wills, trusts and probate · Making or amending a will · Lasting powers of attorney

Trusts and inheritance tax planning

Lifetime and testamentary trusts, discretionary trusts for adult children or vulnerable beneficiaries, and coordinated planning across the nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band, business relief, agricultural relief and gifting rules. We work alongside your accountant and financial adviser — trusts and tax planning is rarely the work of a solicitor alone, and we prefer to be honest about that.
→ Trusts · Tax planning

Probate and estate administration

Full-service estate administration, grant-only work where the family wants to handle most of the administration themselves, and contested-probate advice where a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 or a challenge to the will is in prospect. Where there is a substantial estate we work through the Inheritance Tax account (IHT400) in detail and advise on the interaction with lifetime gifts and reliefs.
→ Probate · Contesting a will · Court of Protection

Rural and equestrian conveyancing

Sales and purchases of substantial detached houses, listed cottages and conservation-area properties in the Tanworth-in-Arden village core, and rural title including paddocks, stabling, outbuildings and land with access, easement or covenant complications. We handle the planning-history, listed-building-consent, restrictive-covenant and mixed-use SDLT issues these properties throw up rather than treating them as ordinary residential transactions.
→ Conveyancing in Solihull · Conveyancing in Warwick · Conveyancing in Coventry

Family law

Divorce, financial remedy, child arrangements, cohabitation, civil partnership matters and pre- and post-nuptial agreements. In this catchment, family-law matters more often involve pensions, business interests, farm or equestrian assets, second homes and international elements. Wherever appropriate we start with non-court dispute resolution: mediation, collaborative law, arbitration. Hearings, where required, may be listed at the Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre or at Coventry Combined Court depending on the specific matter.
→ Family law · Divorce · Separation agreements · Financial agreements · Child law · Civil partnerships · Cohabitation rights and agreements · Pre- and post-nuptial agreements

Property, boundary and inheritance disputes

Boundary disputes between neighbouring rural properties (common on older village plots where deeds and physical boundaries drifted apart over decades), rights-of-way and easement disputes, restrictive-covenant disputes, and inheritance and 1975 Act claims where an estate distribution is challenged. We advise on litigation risk before proceedings and use pre-action correspondence and mediation to resolve matters early where sensible.
→ Dispute resolution · Contesting a will · Debt recovery

Employment law and settlement agreements

Fixed-fee settlement-agreement advice for senior employees exiting a role, and executive-level advice on restrictive covenants, bonus and equity disputes, discrimination and constructive dismissal. Where we act for family-owned businesses along the A3400 we also advise on employment matters for those businesses.
→ Employment law for employees · Settlement agreements · Employment law for businesses

Personal injury

Road-traffic accidents on the A3400, A34 and M42 corridors, riding and equestrian accidents where a claim against a third party arises, and workplace accidents. Most personal-injury work is conducted on a no-win, no-fee basis; we explain the funding arrangement, the recoverable and non-recoverable costs and the likely time frame at the outset, before you sign anything.
→ Personal injury

For businesses in Hockley Heath and Tanworth-in-Arden

Our commercial team advises rural and small-business clients along the A3400 corridor — including family-owned businesses, farm and equestrian businesses, professional practices and small commercial landlords — on:

- Commercial leases (grant, assignment, renewal, contracting out under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, dilapidations and break clauses)

- Commercial property purchases, sales and small-scale development

- Company formation, shareholders' agreements, family-business succession and franchising

- Commercial contracts, terms and conditions, and debt recovery

- Commercial dispute resolution and employment matters for employers

The area we cover

From our office on The Square, we act for clients along the A3400 corridor south of Dorridge:

- Hockley Heath (village centre, Stratford Road / A3400, Nuthurst Lane, Aspley Heath Lane, Illshaw Heath Road)

- Tanworth-in-Arden (village green, church and listed cottages, Broad Lane, Bates Lane and the surrounding farms)

- Illshaw Heath on the fringe of Hockley Heath

- Earlswood on the northern edge of the catchment, where B94 meets B90 and the Earlswood Lakes area

- Umberslade and the estate lanes around Nuthurst Grange

- Portway and Wood End

Hockley Heath's northern part sits within the Solihull Metropolitan Borough (Dorridge and Hockley Heath ward), administered by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council from Manor Square in Solihull. The rest of Hockley Heath and the whole of Tanworth-in-Arden fall within Stratford-on-Avon District, administered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council from Elizabeth House in Stratford-upon-Avon. That mix matters for anything touching planning, conservation-area consent, listed-building consent or footpath work — we will normally identify the correct authority for you at the outset.

What happens when a village client contacts us

Initial call. A member of our team will take a short summary of the matter and, where appropriate, offer a free 15-minute consultation with the relevant solicitor.

Conflict check and client care. We run standard SRA conflict and ID checks and issue a client-care letter setting out scope, fees, funding options and complaints procedure before any chargeable work begins.

Choice of meeting format. In person at 2 The Square, at your home in the villages by prior arrangement, by video, or by telephone. Home visits are common for older clients or where mobility is a factor.

A named solicitor throughout. One point of contact, a direct dial and email, and written updates at agreed intervals.

If at any point you are unhappy with our service, our internal complaints procedure is set out in the client-care letter. You may also, in defined circumstances, complain to the Legal Ombudsman and, on regulatory matters, to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Frequently asked questions

Will you act for us even though we are in Warwickshire rather than Solihull Borough?
Yes. Our office is on The Square in Solihull, but most of Hockley Heath and all of Tanworth-in-Arden sit in Stratford-on-Avon District, and we act for clients across both sides of the boundary regularly. There is no additional charge for acting for a Warwickshire client and, in most cases, we can be at your home in the same time it takes to reach central Solihull.

Do you handle listed cottages and conservation-area property in the Tanworth-in-Arden village?
Yes. The Tanworth-in-Arden village core includes a Grade I listed parish church and a number of listed cottages around the green. Conveyancing on listed property needs a solicitor who understands listed-building consent, conservation-area constraints, restrictive covenants from historic estate breakups and the specific title issues that older village property throws up. We treat these as specialist transactions.

Do you advise on equestrian and rural property?
Yes. Paddock title, outbuilding consents, riding and stabling arrangements, access rights across neighbouring land and the correct SDLT treatment where a property has a mixed residential and agricultural element are all part of the rural conveyancing work we do around Hockley Heath, Tanworth, Nuthurst and Umberslade.

Do you offer home visits to older or less mobile clients?
Yes. For clients who are elderly, unwell, or where a home visit is simply more practical, we arrange home visits across Hockley Heath, Tanworth-in-Arden and the surrounding villages by prior appointment. Will-signing and LPA-signing appointments in particular are often best done at home.

Where would a family or civil court hearing be listed?
It depends on the specific matter. Family and civil work involving A3400 clients may be listed at the Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre or at Coventry Combined Court. Employment tribunal claims are usually heard at Birmingham Employment Tribunal. We will confirm the correct venue at the outset of the matter.

Speak to a solicitor about a matter in Hockley Heath or Tanworth-in-Arden

Telephone: 0121 270 2700
Email: info@pearcelegal.co.uk
Visit: 2 The Square, Solihull, B91 3RB (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:15)
Or: book a free consultation.

For our full firm overview and other Solihull-area location pages, see Solicitors in Solihull, Solicitors in Knowle and Dorridge and Solicitors in Hampton-in-Arden and Barston.