Telford RankedIndependent rankings of local services in Telford
Assessment · employment solicitors round employment-solicitors-2026-09

FBC Manby Bowdler review

Ranked 2 of 4 in Employment solicitors in Telford

Best for: costed tribunal guidance for both sides

Active

Trading as FBC Manby Bowdler (Midlands) Limited · Routh House, Hall Park Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4NJ · Service area: Telford, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton

FBC Manby Bowdler in short

FBC Manby Bowdler is a full-service firm with a Telford office at Routh House, where employment work for businesses and employees sits alongside property, wills and business teams. Both sides of a tribunal claim are costed in published guides, and employees are offered a fixed-fee one-hour consultation. The firm is on the solicitors register with Lexcel and Conveyancing Quality marks stated on its site.

The employment pages cover businesses and employees separately. Employers get contracts, defence guides and fixed-cost projects with HR packages, while employees get dismissal advice, claim guides and that fixed-fee opening consultation. The Telford office sits at Routh House on Hall Park Way, with further offices reaching Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. Both pages link through to the cost guides, so the route from problem to price is short.

Customer evidence on record is Google alone, at 4.7 from 25 reviews. That is a warm headline on a small single source, with less depth to test than the larger review books elsewhere in the round. Read the reviews themselves beside the cost guides before deciding.

In our view costed guides for each side and a regulated Telford office count in its favour. FBC Manby Bowdler suits anyone who wants employment costs set out before they instruct, in our judgement. What counts against it is paperwork, with no insurance details on the pages checked, beside a young company record.

FBC Manby Bowdler reviews and ratings on other sites

Every public rating we hold for FBC Manby Bowdler, with the source, scale, count and the date we read it. These are customers' ratings, not ours.
SourceRatingReviewsRead on
Google4.7 out of 525

Our verdict

Our judgement: FBC Manby Bowdler suits anyone who wants employment advice with both sides of a tribunal claim costed up front [4] [5]. The record supports it: an SRA listing with a Telford office and 4.7 from 25 Google reviews [6] [8]. The gap is paperwork — no published insurance details.

Score summary

Scored on the home trades rubric v2.0. Insufficient evidence takes the neutral value and is not shown as a low mark.

Composite score
69.3 / 100

Customer evidence C1 · weight 30%

66

Google 4.7 out of 5 from 25 reviews [8].

Qualifications and accreditations C2 · weight 25%

80

Lexcel and Conveyancing Quality Scheme membership is listed on the business's own website [1]. Solicitors Regulation Authority registration is on the issuing register [6].

First-hand responsiveness C3 · weight 15%

Insufficient evidence

Insufficient evidence

Trading history C4 · weight 10%

80

On the Companies House record since 2024 [7].

Insurance and safeguards C5 · weight 10%

Insufficient evidence

Insufficient evidence

Pricing transparency C6 · weight 5%

90

Defending a claim is costed at £5,000 to £10,000 for a simple case, £10,000 to £20,000 medium and £20,000 or more high, plus VAT and a £1,500 hearing day [4]. Bringing a claim runs £5,000 to £10,000 simple, £10,000 to £15,000 medium and £15,000 to £30,000 or more [5].

Website and service information C7 · weight 5%

90

The site runs employment pages for businesses and employees [2] [3], lists offices including Telford with phone and enquiry routes [1], and links both pages to cost guides and a fixed-fee consultation [4] [5].

Industry qualifications

Sourced from the issuing registers, the business's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade and Which? Trusted Traders, on the date shown.

Strengths

  • Both sides of a tribunal claim are costed: defending runs £5,000 to £20,000 or more by complexity, and bringing a claim £5,000 to £30,000 or more, all plus VAT [4] [5].

  • Employees get a fixed-fee one-hour consultation with written confirmation of the advice, and businesses get fixed-cost projects and HR packages [2] [3].

  • The firm is on the SRA register with a Telford office, and the site states Lexcel and Conveyancing Quality accreditation [1] [6].

Limitations

  • The Google evidence is a single source at 4.7 from 25 reviews, seen 4 September 2026 [8].

  • No insurance details are published on the pages checked.

Response from the business

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Verified customer reviews

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Questions about FBC Manby Bowdler

Is FBC Manby Bowdler any good for employment issues?

On the evidence, yes where you want both sides costed: it publishes tribunal bands for bringing and defending claims plus a fixed-fee employee consultation, with SRA registration behind the team. Google shows 4.7 from 25 reviews. Read the full review and check your band against the guides.

Is FBC Manby Bowdler on the SRA register?

Yes. The firm appears on the SRA register as FBC Manby Bowdler (Midlands) Limited, firm 8008738, with an office in Telford [6]. Its site also states Lexcel and Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation [1]. Match the details on the register before you instruct.

What does FBC Manby Bowdler charge for tribunal claims?

Defending a claim is costed at £5,000 to £10,000 for a simple case, £10,000 to £20,000 for medium complexity and £20,000 or more for high complexity, plus VAT with a £1,500 hearing day [4]. Bringing a claim runs £5,000 to £10,000 simple, £10,000 to £15,000 medium and £15,000 to £30,000 or more [5]. Ask for your band and the VAT-inclusive total before you agree anything.

Where does FBC Manby Bowdler work?

From its Telford office at Routh House on Hall Park Way, serving Telford, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton among its wider offices [1]. Phone and enquiry-form routes are listed for first contact [1]. Send your postcode with the enquiry to confirm you are covered.

How is FBC Manby Bowdler ranked?

It sits in our September employment round with three other Telford firms. The scorecard on this page shows how it scores on reviews, regulation, history, pricing and website detail. Read the full review and its sources before you decide. All scores, strengths and limits sit beside dated evidence on this page.

How do I get a quote from FBC Manby Bowdler?

Start on its published cost guides, which price defending and bringing a claim across three bands each, then use the phone or enquiry form for your own band. Employees can open with the fixed-fee one-hour consultation, with the amount given on enquiry and the advice confirmed afterwards. Ask for the VAT-inclusive total for your band with disbursements listed before you agree anything.

What do the reviews say about FBC Manby Bowdler?

The only public source on record is Google, at 4.7 from 25 reviews, a warm headline on a small base. That signals satisfied clients but leaves less to test than the larger review books in this round, so read the reviews themselves beside the cost guides. If you are a past client, the review form on this page takes your account.

How does FBC Manby Bowdler compare with the others in this round?

It sits second in our September employment table, running the leaders close on costed guides for both sides with a fixed-fee opening consultation for employees. mfg Solicitors leads it on tabulated detail for each side, while Lanyon Bowdler and Martin Kaye Solicitors offer wider-team cover at cooler ratings. Weigh its guides against a shorter trading history than the rest.

Others assessed for this trade

  1. mfg Solicitors69.9 / 100Ranked 1. Best for tabulated tribunal fees for both sides.
  2. Lanyon Bowdler66.8 / 100Ranked 3. Best for employer and employee tribunal advice.
  3. Martin Kaye Solicitors61.9 / 100Ranked 4. Best for one firm for staff and business needs.

Sources

  1. FBC Manby Bowdler homepage — services and accreditations Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  2. FBC Manby Bowdler employment law page — services for businesses Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  3. FBC Manby Bowdler employment law page — services for employees Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  4. FBC Manby Bowdler cost guide — defending unfair or wrongful dismissal Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  5. FBC Manby Bowdler cost guide — bringing an unfair or wrongful dismissal claim Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  6. SRA register — FBC MANBY BOWDLER (MIDLANDS) LIMITED (8008738) Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  7. Companies House — FBC MANBY BOWDLER (MIDLANDS) LIMITED (15790384) Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  8. Google Maps listing — FBC Manby Bowdler, Telford Retrieved 4 September 2026.

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