Barnes Marsland Solicitors: A Brief History

The firm of Barnes Marsland has a long and storied history of providing the local community with expert Legal advice. Barnes Marsland was formed by the merger of Walmsley and Barnes and Marsland and Barber in 1998. Between the two firms, there is over 150 years of combined expertise.

Walmsley & Barnes can trace its' roots back as far as 1892, when Francis Walmsley was admitted as a Solicitor in Liverpool. The practice was set up in 1905 in Broadstairs, firstly above National Westminster Bank and then above Lloyds Bank. In 1912, Benjamin Barnes joined the practice.  In 1922, a second office in Westgate was opened. During the Second World War, the Firm briefly relocated to Brackley but returned to the Kent coast in 1944. 

In 1950, Marco Trefoni Victor de Lucovich was admitted and joined the Firm and in 1952, he became a Partner. In 1959, John David Bell joined the Firm in the same year.  Under Messrs De Lucovich and Bell the Firm flourished and in 1962 a third office in Cliftonville was opened.

On the 1st October 2014 Barnes Marsland took over the firm of Letts & Co and since opening its doors in 1829 the firm evolved through a number of changes.  This latterly involved moving the offices from London to its current office in Blean during the mid 1950's. John Letts, as former sole practitioner, remained as a Consultant until his retirement in March 2017.

The merger of Walmsley & Barnes and Marsland & Barber and the take over of Letts & Co brought together firms with a strong presence in the local community and a shared ethos of putting the interests of our clients first. The combined Firm has invested heavily in cutting edge Information Technology to ensure that Client matters are dealt with efficiently. However, our tradition of providing expert legal advice and a genuine care for our Clients has not been lost.

 Our happy clients...

Friendly, efficient and caring staff whether on the phone or at the reception desk... communication from my Solicitor was excellent with thorough and understandable explanations at all stages of my case.

C.M. - Canterbury

Friendly, efficient and caring staff whether on the phone or at the office. We would like to thank you for all that you have done for us. Without your help we would not have got anywhere. You worked very hard for us. We are very happy with the outcome.

J.B.M. - Margate

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