Taits Solicitors & Estate Agents

Taits legal practice and estate agency is located in a prominent building in a corner of Kelso’s famous Square, with a further office in Jedburgh High Street.
The firm has three solicitors – Bruce Lees, Dorothy Amos and Jenna Mays – all of whom have considerable experience in private client practice.

Our Approach & Values

To provide the best service to our clients it is important that we know about their personal and business circumstances. That’s why we like to take the time to find out all about you. From your point of view it is better that you contact us sooner rather than later to talk things through. From experience, this approach allows us to achieve better results for our clients, and to identify and help prevent other problems arising.

This provides better long term value to our clients many of whom, along with their families, have been represented by the firm for generations. f the issue you bring to us is not something we can deal with, we will try to put you in contact with someone who can help you.

We encourage prospective clients and clients to contact us sooner rather than later to talk things through, please don’t hesistate to call us on 01573 224311 (Kelso Office) 01835 344911 (Jedburgh Office)

Our History

James Tait of Langrigg was born at Edenside in Kelso in 1816. For a Scotsman born in the early part of the 19th Century, he had a remarkably long life, dying in October 1899 aged 83. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh and having chosen law as his profession, he served his apprenticeship with his uncle in Edinburgh before being admitted to the Society of Writers to the Signet in 1839. In 1842 he moved back to Kelso to set up in business and to be the Agent for the National Bank. As was common at the time, he had the dual title of Bank Agent and Solicitor.

He was joined in the legal business by his son David W B Tait in 1880 and for nearly 100 years the firm was known by the name, Messrs James & David W B Tait. The firm shortened its name to Taits, WS in 1988. Father and son were very prominent in Victorian and then Edwardian Kelso with leading roles in the commercial life of the town. In 1849 James Tait married Elizabeth, the daughter of James Stormonth Darling, also a solicitor in Kelso at the time, but despite this close family connection the two firms of James & David W B Tait and P & J Stormonth Darling remained separate legal practices in the town.