We're celebrating our 140th birthday

In the same year that the Statue of Liberty was unveiled, Karl Benz patented the first car, and Coca-Cola was served for the first time, local solicitor, Robert Wilkinson, founded his Halifax-based law firm. 140 years later, Wilkinson Woodward has become one of the region’s most established and trusted legal practices.

19^th and 20^th century growth

Over a history spanning seven monarchs and stretching from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, the firm has evolved considerably.

Fifty years after opening the practice, in May 1936, Robert Wilkinson was succeeded by another local solicitor, Gordon Woodward, and when Harry Ludlam arrived, two months later, the firm became known as Wilkinson Woodward & Ludlam.

While the practice continued to grow after 1936, several of the company’s employees had to put their legal careers on hold while they served the country as part of the war effort.

From 1965 to 1966, Harry Ludlam, who was a highly respected local figure and town councillor, served as Mayor of Halifax. His son, David, joined him at the firm, where he remained until the mid-1980s. Following David’s departure, the firm became known by its current name, Wilkinson Woodward.

21^st century expansion

Since the arrival of the new millennium, we have seen considerable expansion.

We opened our Kirklees office at Market Street, Huddersfield, in 2000, and in 2012, merged with the Huddersfield law firm, Norcliffe and Co. The Kirklees branch has since relocated to premises in Queen Street.

Further expansion in Calderdale included a merger with Halifax based Boocock’s estate agents and solicitors in 2001 and Brighouse-based Bearders solicitors 2013. The latter saw the opening of Wilkinson Woodward’s Brighouse branch, following the takeover of Bearders’ offices in King Street. In 2025, the branch moved into new offices in Commercial Street.

A community-focused law firm

As the world changed significantly over the last 140 years, our focus on serving the local communities of Calderdale and Huddersfield has remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, our services have continued to evolve to meet the needs of our clients. Today, across our Halifax, Huddersfield and Brighouse branches, our teams of over thirty lawyers and fifty support people remain dedicated to providing the best possible legal advice.

The firm has always been keen ‘to give back’ to the local communities it serves, establishing ties with many charities including Overgate Hospice, Kirkwood Hospice, Next Step Trust, and RSPCA, to name but a few. It has also been eager to support team members with their own charitable activities, such as sponsored walks/runs, football/rugby shirts and events, amongst many other things.

Managing Director, Laura Kurowski, who has been with the firm for 20 years, said, “I’m extremely proud to be a part of Wilkinson Woodward. We have continuously served local families and businesses across three different centuries - the equivalent of six generations. And, while the past 140 years have seen the practice expand and develop into a successful modern law firm, we have always remained determined to support the local communities in which we work.”

“It’s fair to say this year’s anniversary is a significant milestone, but we are already looking to the future, with lots of exciting news and events to come in 2026.”

Our highly qualified legal experts offer specialisms ranging from family law and mediation to employment law, personal injury, commercial law, conveyancing, wills, trusts and estates.