About Us

Gwynne Hughes Solicitors was founded in 1943 by the late John Gwynne Hughes, Solicitor. At that time, the firm occupied premises jointly with the Aberaeron Rural District Council at 1 North Road, Aberaeron. The present premises were purchased in 1952.

J. Denys Gwynne Hughes joined the Practice as an articled clerk in September 1959 and took over the running of the Practice in February 1969 on the retirement of his late father. The late John Gwynne Hughes had been clerk to the Aberaeron Urban District Council until 1969. On Local Government reorganisation in 1974, J. Denys Gwynne Hughes was appointed Clerk to Aberaeron Town Council.

After taking over the Practice, J. Denys Gwynne Hughes continued in the tradition of growth and success. In September 1996, his son, John David Gwynne Hughes joined the Practice, taking the business into the third generation, bringing further stability and a fresh outlook for the future. John became a Partner in the firm in April 2000. 

In 2005, Barry Gawthorpe joined the practice as an Assistant Solicitor. Barry is a very experienced solicitor with many years of legal experience in respect of contentious matters, including expertise in Employment law issues, Family and Criminal Law 

On 1st October 2006, the firm expanded by merging with the firm of Mary R Rishko, a sole practitioner of over 30 years legal experience.

Several changes were made to the structure of the firm in 2015. J. Denys Gwynne Hughes semi-retired and continued to practice as a consultant solicitor at the firm on a two day week basis, with his son and business Partner, John Gwynne Hughes, taking over the practice as Senior Partner. Barry Gawthorpe joined as a Partner and the firm has continued to develop.  Sadly, J. Denys Gwynne Hughes passed away in March, 2016.

This is a private rural legal Practice with a wide geographical catchment area, stretching from Cardigan in the South to Aberystwyth in the North and inland to Newcastle Emlyn, Llandysul, Lampeter and Tregaron.   Given the reduction in public transport we are also happy to assist in any way we can by providing home appointments and, hospital/care home appointments can also be accommodated. 

We specialise in many legal areas and we pride ourselves on continually developing training requirements to meet our clients’ needs.  Conveyancing, Probate and Wills and Family law are just some areas we advise on. 

In January 2012 the practice gained the Lexcel Accreditation. Lexcel is the Law Society's legal practice quality mark for excellence in legal practice management and excellence in client care. It provides a flexible, supportive management framework to help practices develop consistent operational efficiencies and client services, manage risk effectively, reduce costs and promote profitability.

We are also a member of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme – the Law Society’s accreditation for excellence in Conveyancing practice.  Many Lenders now insist that legal firms have this award before allowing them to act on conveyancing matters. 

Many changes have been made recently at Gwynne Hughes to develop the firm and bring it into the future.  We pride ourselves on providing a high standard of client care during what can be some very difficult times.  At the conclusion of every case, we send out client feedback questionnaires to ensure that the high standard of work we provide continues. 

If you require any advice or assistance with any legal matters please contact us and we will endeavour to help you as best we can.