We have had another successful year in the Legal 500, with 24 of our solicitors receiving recognition in the rankings for 2022.
The Legal 500 lists and ranks solicitors and law firms throughout the country based on their merits and feedback from peers, clients and other contacts that have been involved in projects.
Three our specialists have been recognised as Leading Individuals, and not for the first time.
Simon Wallwork, Corporate & Commercial, is recognised for the third consecutive year. Ken Salmon and Mark Heptinstall, Construction & Engineering and Family respectively, both received recognition for the fourth time.
We’re also thrilled to congratulate a further four individuals that have achieved recognition as Next Generation Partners for their exceptional work in the legal profession:
- Patricia Robinson, Family
- Hannah Al-Shaghana, Commercial Property
- Matthew Grellier, Construction & Engineering
- Jay Lafinhan, Commercial Property
The accolade is a first for Jay this year, while Patricia, Hannah and Matthew all carry the title over from previous years.
Rising through the ranks is our Corporate and Commercial (Manchester) team, which has bettered last year’s ranking to achieve Tier 3 status, with Associate Partner Janet Robinson being ranked for the first time.
Diverse expertise was also evident from singular commendations across multiple practice areas. Three departments were awarded Tier 2 status: Family, Commercial Property, and Health.
Our top-ranking Family team is responsible for handling a variety of matters, including representing high-net-worth individuals in court proceedings and arbitrations, and complex case work involving cross-border assets and complicated financial arrangements.
Head of Department Mark Heptinstall, who had had previously been recognised by the Legal 500 for being “a brilliant legal mind”, was extolled again this year as “highly experienced”. Phillip Rhodes, Partner and Resolution-accredited mediator in the Family team, was also commended as “another name to note”.
Within the Property team, of which two members were recognised as Next Generation Partners, Partner and Head of Residential Property Zara Banday was praised as having a “broad range of expertise”.
Finally, special mention was given to our Health team, whose experience spans the development of federations, the creation of super-partnerships and more. The specialism is headed up by Partner Nicky Collins, who was recognised in particular for “her work for GP practices”.
Chris Bishop, Managing Partner, says:
“We are very proud of every individual that has achieved recognition in the Legal 500, and of course of the entire team that pulls together every single day to support the great work we do for our clients, each other and our community. As these honours show, our firm is bursting with legal talent that I expect will only continue to flourish as we further expand our team in the near future and beyond.”