Philip, a Chartered Legal Executive, specialises in advising parents and carers of disabled and vulnerable individuals with planning for the future. He has been practising law for over 25 years in Norfolk, then East Sussex and is ranked as a leading expert by prestigious publications Chambers UK and Legal 500.
Getting to know each and every family he works with, Philip regularly speaks at and holds legal clinics and seminars on behalf of many local and national charities including Mencap, RETT, Age UK and The Carers Centre. Philip was voted The Law Society’s Legal Executive of the Year 2011, Pro Bono Legal Executive of the Year in 2009/10 and is also Chair of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Sussex branch.
Philip has recently passed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients, launched in 2014 this respected qualification has only been undertaken by a small group of professionals, making Philip and Katherine the first lawyers in the country to hold this certification. He also holds a number of additional specialist qualifications, including the Association of Lifetime Lawyers Older Client Care in Practice Award.
Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2024 reports:““Philip is fantastic. He is professional, understanding, caring and knowledgeable and never makes you feel silly for asking questions.”
Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2023 reports:“Philip has such a unique and expansive breadth of knowledge, compassion and professionalism in the area of disability. He is irreplaceable. I cannot praise or recommend him highly enough.”
Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2022 reports: “Philip Warford is “an excellent practitioner and expert within the field of vulnerable persons,” says a source. An interviewee notes that Warford is “highly professional, approachable, and has the ability to focus on what needs to be done rather than noise that might be presented,” adding: “He is able to deal with complex matters.”
The Legal 500 2025 reports: “Philip Warford truly is an outstanding lawyer. It is very rare to find someone with all the qualities he has. He is highly professional, discreet, and exceptionally empathetic and incredibly knowledgeable in his field. You feel you are in very safe and knowledgeable hands with him and having him advocating for you provides a reassurance which is immeasurable. He is very easy to talk to and approach with any issue and also can refer to services out of his field which relate to the needs of families. He is passionate about making a difference not only to individual families, but to the disabled community as a whole. I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
The Legal 500 2024 reports: “This team offers an exceptional service to both private clients, and professionals who advise private clients, and has a particular expertise in advising vulnerable persons and those with learning disabilities. Advice is given on time and is cost effective.”
The Legal 500 2023 reports ‘What makes the practice unique is their sector focus. The firm concentrates on providing legal services to assist the disabled and vulnerable and they are good at it. They have a deeper knowledge of their field than other practitioners I have met.’
The Legal 500 2022 reports that Philip is “excellent at putting vulnerable people at ease.”
“Philip Warford is “an excellent practitioner and
expert within the field of vulnerable persons,”
If you were not a lawyer what job would you do?
Criminal psychologist. I find studying human behaviour really interesting, particularly in a criminal context when you can profile an offender.
If you were given a day off work where would we find you?
If I could click my fingers and be there, a remote beach with no wifi connection. In the real world, probably at the gym.
What can you do that no one else in the office can do?
The human flag. I set myself the goal of achieving something new each year after my 50th birthday and this was set on my 51st birthday. My next goal is training to walk on my hands.
If you could go back in history to a specific date or time, what would it be?
I’d go back to the moment when my grandmother saw a moving picture on a TV for the first time. I was told that she used to look around the TV to find out where the voices were coming from.
Where in the world would you most like to visit?
The Great Barrier Reef before we do too much damage to it, and to swim there in a shark tank.