Forster Dean Solicitors in St Helens

Our St Helens office is at 9 Hardshaw Street, in the middle of town, a couple of minutes from the Church Square shops and within easy walking distance of both St Helens Central and St Helens Junction connections.

We advise people across St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Haydock, Rainhill, Rainford, Eccleston, Thatto Heath, Sutton, Billinge and Parr on conveyancing, family and divorce law, employment law, wills and probate, and personal injury.

Call 0151 422 0982.

Conveyancing in St Helens

Conveyancing is the work we are asked for most often in this town, and there is a specific local reason to use a solicitor who knows the area.

St Helens sits on the Lancashire coalfield. Sutton Manor, Bold, Clock Face, Parkside and Ravenhead all worked within living memory, and large parts of the borough sit over former workings. A coal mining search is standard here, and interpreting what comes back — shallow workings, mine entries, ground stability, whether a lender will want more — is a routine part of St Helens conveyancing and an unfamiliar one for a firm based elsewhere. Add glass industry sites, former colliery land now built over, and search turnaround at St Helens Borough Council, and local experience earns its keep.

We handle:

• sales and purchases, freehold and leasehold
• first-time buyer purchases, including Stamp Duty Land Tax relief up to £300,000 with partial relief to £500,000
• new build purchases with fixed exchange deadlines
• remortgages and transfers of equity
• shared ownership and Right to Buy
• buy-to-let purchases, where the 5% additional property surcharge applies

You will get a written quote with our fee and every disbursement listed separately, and a named conveyancer you can actually ring.

Family law and divorce

Family law solicitors are searched for in St Helens almost as often as conveyancers, and for good reason — it is the area where people most need someone local.

Divorce.The process is no-fault: no allegations, no blame, and a fixed timetable of a minimum 20 weeks to the conditional order and a further six weeks to the final order. The divorce ends the marriage; it does not settle the finances. We deal with the financial side — the house, the pensions, the savings, the debts — and put it into a consent order so that it is binding and cannot be reopened years later.

Children.Arrangements for where children live and how time is shared, whether agreed between you or resolved through the court where agreement is not possible. We also advise on relocation, and on grandparents’ applications.

Protection. Non-molestation orders and occupation orders where there has been domestic abuse, including urgent applications.

Unmarried couples.There is no such thing as common law marriage. If you own or occupy a home together without being married, your position on separation is governed by property and trusts law, not family law, and it is far better addressed early.

Cohabitation, pre-nuptial and separation agreements are all available if you want certainty in advance.

Employment law

St Helens has seen significant change in its major employers over the years, and redundancy and restructuring work is a regular part of what we do.

We advise employees on unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal, redundancy consultation and selection, discrimination, disciplinaries and grievances, and settlement agreements — where the employer normally pays your legal costs, because the agreement is not binding without independent advice.

Two dates worth knowing: from 1 October 2026 the time limit for most tribunal claims extends from three months to six, and for dismissals from 1 January 2027the unfair dismissal qualifying period falls from two years to six months.

We also act for employers on contracts, handbooks, fair process, redundancy programmes and tribunal defence.

Wills, probate and Lasting Powers of Attorney

Making a willis straightforward and prevents a great deal of difficulty. Without one, the intestacy rules apply: a spouse takes personal possessions, the first £322,000 and half of the rest, with children taking the balance — and an unmarried partner inherits nothing, whatever the length of the relationship. Stepchildren inherit nothing unless adopted.

Lasting Powers of Attorney.One covers property and financial affairs, the other health and welfare. Most people need both — families regularly find they can pay a care home bill but have no authority over which care home it is. Registration is £92 per LPA and takes roughly 8 to 10 weeks. Without one, a Court of Protection deputyship application costs £432 plus a £100 assessment fee, carries annual supervision from £35 to £320, and takes months.

Probate and estate administration, including estates with property, business interests or a disputed will.

What happens when you get in touch

You ring 0151 422 0982, or email, and we arrange a time — at Hardshaw Street, or by phone or video if that is easier. At a first appointment we want to understand the situation before talking about process: what has happened, what you want the outcome to be, and what the timescales are.

You will leave knowing three things: whether you have a case or a problem worth pursuing, what the realistic options are, and what it is likely to cost. If we do not think a course of action is worth the money, we will say so.

It helps to bring whatever paperwork you have. For an employment matter, your contract, any letters about the process and anything in writing from your employer. For a property matter, the memorandum of sale and your mortgage offer or agreement in principle. For a family matter, a rough picture of the assets, the mortgage and the pensions. For a will, a list of what you own and who you would like to benefit. None of it is essential at the first meeting — we would rather see you without paperwork than not see you.

Areas we cover from St Helens

St Helens town centre, Eccleston, Windle, Dentons Green, Thatto Heath, Sutton, Sutton Manor, Bold, Clock Face, Parr, Blackbrook, Haydock, Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Rainhill, Rainford, Billinge, Garswood, Moss Bank and Carr Mill.

Forster Dean Solicitors, 9 Hardshaw Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1QX Phone: 0151 422 0982 Email: enquiries@forsterdean.co.uk

Do I need a coal mining search in St Helens?

In most of the borough, yes — it is standard practice given the area’s mining history, and your lender will usually require it. We will tell you what the result means for your purchase in plain terms.

Can you help if I have already started divorce proceedings myself?

Yes. It is common for people to start the divorce online and then need advice on the financial settlement, which is the part that matters most.

How quickly can you see me?

Call 0151 422 0982 and we will arrange an appointment at the Hardshaw Street office, or by phone or video if that is easier.

Do you cover Newton-le-Willows and Haydock?

Yes — both, along with Earlestown, Rainhill and Rainford.