History of J W Hughes
J W Hughes & Co is well established Law Firm based in North Wales which was founded in 1903 in Conwy.
J W Hughes & Co was founded in 1903 by John William Hughes and the firm was based at Red Lion House in Conwy. John practised alone until his daughter, Agnes Twiston Hughes, joined him in 1923. She was the first female solicitor to qualify in Wales!
Agnes Hughes was well known and respected in the local community. In 1949 Agnes became the sole principal of J W Hughes & Co and was later joined by Barry Clive Kentish. Agnes practiced law until 1961 when she retired. In 1976, the practice moved to new premises at Bank House, Lancaster Square, Conwy, and Barry Kentish was joined as a partner by Peter Shields. This remains the firm’s Conwy office to this day.
Following Barry Kentish’s retirement, Peter Shields was joined by Donald Roberts and later, Alun Thomas joined the practice. The firm also had offices in Penmaenmawr and Llandudno Junction. In 1991, J W Hughes & Co took over the Llandudno firm of Cooper Cummings, and Cathy Cooper became a partner. The firm moved to its present offices at 27 Augusta Street, Llandudno in 1992. Sadly, in 1993 Peter died at the young age of 43 but left a lasting legacy of care and commitment to clients, which endures to the present day. Cathy Cooper has since retired.
Graham Parry, Philip Kentish (the son of Barry Kentish), Alun Thomas, Nicholas Passey, and Phillip Watters all became partners in the firm. Phillip Watters left the practice in 2015 and Alun Thomas retired in 2018. Nicholas Passey retired in 2026. Today, Graham Parry and Philip Kentish remain the firm’s partners. They have been joined by Joseph Hendron, Rhys Lewis and Alaw Pari. We have a growing number of young solicitors and paralegals who the partners are currently training to ensure the future of the firm is built on our principles of legal excellence, care, and integrity.