Our History

The Oldest Firm in Glasgow

The present firm of Mitchells Roberton came into being on 1st January 1985 through the merger of two firms: Mitchells Johnston Hill & Hoggan and Mackenzie Roberton & Co. Mitchells Johnston Hill & Hoggan came about following  a merger between  Mitchells Johnston & Co. and Hill & Hoggan in 1972, solving the friendly rivalry between the two firms as to which was the oldest law firm in Glasgow.

Both Mitchells Johnston & Co. and Hill & Hoggan, in various guises, could trace their origins as far back as the 1740s, the time of the Second Jacobite Rebellion. Thomas Grahame, a founding practitioner of Mitchells Johnston & Co and James Hill of Hill & Hoggan, were brothers-in-law, having both married daughters of John Robertson, one of Glasgow’s leading lawyers at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

John Robertson had been in practice with his father Robert, who was admitted as a member of the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow in 1686. The Robertsons were related to the Glasgow family of Hutcheson, who founded Hutchesons’ Hospital and Hutchesons’ Grammar School. To this day Mitchells Roberton is firmly associated with these two institutions.

Going back even further than the Second Jacobite Rebellion, in 1715 (during the First Jacobite Rebellion) John Robertson is noted in the records of the city of Glasgow as being the lawyer who was sent to Stirling by the Town Council to report on the progress of the rebels.

Partners from the above firms were active in the business and legal affairs of Glasgow for nearly three centuries. Perhaps the most prominent of these was Robert Grahame, who became the first elected Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1833 after his retiral from what was then known as Grahame and Mitchell.

The third branch of the family, Mackenzie Roberton & Co. is no young upstart either. It came about on 1st July 1896 by the amalgamation of the two firms of Roberton, Low, Roberton & Cross and Mackenzie, Gardner & Alexander. The former firm was founded prior to 1800 by Nathaniel Stevenson, the latter can trace its history to 1803.

More recently, Mitchells Roberton welcomed the following additions to the family: Faulds Gibson Kennedy in 2007; Sutherlands Solicitors (Bearsden) in 2008; John J Smith & Co (Clydebank) and Craxton & Grant (Bridge of Weir) in 2011; we took delivery of Wills, Title Deeds and other documents that Ross Harper held for their clients in 2012; Hugh Grant of Grant Brown Lindsay joined us as a Consultant in 2013; and Donaldson Alexander Russell & Haddow merged with us in 2013. The latter firm was made up of three firms: Donaldson & Alexander, Russel & Duncan and Dickson & Haddow.

Interestingly, the late John Smith, former leader of the Labour Party, worked as a solicitor with Donaldson & Alexander and Baroness Annabel Goldie, former leader of The Scottish Conservative Party, was a Partner in Dickson & Haddow (which then became Donaldson Alexander Russell & Haddow).

The story continued with J E Marr & Co merging with us in 2016; Adie Hunter in 2017; Kerr Barrie in 2017 and most recently in 2022 when Wisharts Law LLP came on board.

All of the above has served to broaden and strengthen all of the services we offer within all of our practice areas.