Legal 500 rankings 2019 revealed for North West region
The commercial and legal centres of the North West, led by Manchester and Liverpool, are continuing to thrive on the back of the booming corporate, commercial and real estate sectors.
The most prominent firms in the region include North West stalwart Brabners, national players such as Weightmans and Hill Dickinson, and international heavyweights with strong roots in the region such as DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, DWF, Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard.
Manchester has recently drawn renewed attention as a result of the arrival of magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Other key markets in the region include Chester, Bolton and Preston.
Rankings for 2019 across the region are as follows:
Manchester
Corporate and commercial law tier 1: Addleshaw Goddard; DLA Piper UK; Eversheds Sutherland (International); Pinsent Masons.
Leading individuals hall of fame: Tom Bridgford (Eversheds Sutherland – International); Craig Chaplin (DWF); Gregg Davison (Pinsent Masons); Rebecca Grisewood (Gateley); Daniel Hall (Eversheds Sutherland – International); Tim Hamilton (Pannone Corporate); Helen Ridge (Pinsent Masons); Jonathan Watkins (DLA Piper UK).
Leading individuals: Michael Birchall (Eversheds Sutherland – International); David Bowcock (Fieldfisher); Lee Brierley (DLA Piper UK); Robert Buckley (Kuit Steinart Levy); Giles Chesher (Squire Patton Boggs); Alistair Cree (Eversheds Sutherland – International); Stephen Devlin (TLT); Ian Gillis (Hill Dickinson); Charles Glaskie (Gateley); Andrew Green (Addleshaw Goddard); Tony Harper (Brabners); Roger Hart (Addleshaw Goddard); Jane Haxby (Squire Patton Boggs); Paul Jefferson (Gateley); James Kerrigan (DLA Piper UK); Caroline Litchfield (Brabners); Yunus Maka (DLA Piper UK); Paul Medlicott (Addleshaw Goddard); Andrew Needham (TLT); Andrew Phillips (DLA Piper UK); Jonathan Robinson (DWF); Frank Shephard (DWF); James Sheridan (Knights); Kieran Toal (Pinsent Masons); Simon Wallwork (Slater Heelis); Darren Warburton (Squire Patton Boggs).
Next generation partners: James Fitzgibbon (Squire Patton Boggs); Adam Kaucher (Irwin Mitchell); Paul Knight (Mills & Reeve); Simon Lewis (Brabners); Amie Norris (Pinsent Masons); Stephen Roberts (Gateley); Lisa Stavropoulos (DWF).
Rising stars: David Booth (DLA Piper UK); George Danczak (Addleshaw Goddard); Jamie Partridge (Eversheds Sutherland – International); Elizabeth Tindall (Eversheds Sutherland – International); Alasdair Weir (Pinsent Masons).
Liverpool
Corporate and commercial law tier 1: Brabners; DLA Piper UK; Hill Dickinson.
Leading individuals: Paul Attwood (DWF); Colin Bell (Brabners); Sarah Bell (DLA Piper UK); Michael Brabner (Brabners); Peter Brook (DLA Piper UK); Jonathan Brown (Hill Dickinson); Rupert Gill (Brabners); Mike Jones (Hill Dickinson); David Maples (Brabners); Matt Noon (Hill Dickinson); Mark O’Connor (O’Connors); Andrew O’Mahony (Brabners); Laurence Pritchard (Weightmans); Mark Rathbone (Brabners); Paul Rimmer (DWF); Sue Russell (Hill Dickinson); John Schorah (Weightmans); Craig Scott (Hill Dickinson); Denise Walker (Glenville Walker & Partners); Nik White (Brabners).
Next generation partners: Ben Cooke (DWF); Michael Murphy (Hill Dickinson).
Rising stars: Graeme Alder (Hill Dickinson); James Cashman (DWF); Paddy Dwyer (DLA Piper UK); Nicola Lomas (Brabners).
Elsewhere in the North West
Corporate and commercial law tier 1: Aaron & Partners; Forbes Solicitors; Gorvins Solicitors; Myerson Solicitors; Napthens; SAS Daniels.
Leading individuals: Edward Barnes (DTM Legal); Andrew Curwen (Gorvins Solicitors); Mohammed Akeel Latif (Myerson Solicitors); Gareth McIntegart (Napthens); Keith Melling (Napthens); Katharine Mellor (Slater Heelis); Jeremy Orrell (SAS Daniels); Stuart Scott-Goldstone (Aaron & Partners).
Next generation partners: Jamie Hawley (Aaron & Partners); Anne Scheland (Hillyer McKeown); Nicola Whittle (Brabners).
Rising stars: David Carr (Napthens); John Pickervance (Forbes Solicitors); Nick Pickup (Forbes Solicitors).
Reacting to the rankings, Shru Morris, chief executive of Napthens, said: “It’s great to see the quality of our work continue to be recognised not just by the guide itself, but by the clients the publishers approach for feedback.
“We’re delighted the advice our lawyers give is so valuable, and we look forward to continuing to make a real difference to businesses and individuals across the region.”
Graeme Orchison, TLT Manchester head, said: “We continue to grow the team in the North West focused on building the scale and depth of our expertise in response to client need.
“It’s great to see that expertise recognised in this year’s rankings and the increasing strength of our offer to the market in the North West and nationally.”
TLT said it has recently bolstered both its corporate and real estate teams in Manchester with the arrival of HRC Law’s five strong corporate team including partners Richard Life and Mark Traynor, and real estate partner Claire Hamilton.
The firm reported revenues of £87.6m for the past financial year, representing 50% growth over the past five years.
Sean Logue, head of partnership at Baines Wilson, said: “To see our key practice areas recognised by this prestigious guide is a reflection of the excellent work carried out firm-wide and testament to the excellent results we achieve on behalf of clients.”
Chris Bishop, managing partner at Slater Heelis, said: “I am particularly pleased this year to see some new faces added to our list of recommended lawyers, including Nicola Deutsch in our property team, Elizabeth Wilkinson in dispute resolution and Jim Tully in corporate and commercial.”
Aaron & Partners senior partner, Nick Clarke, said: “As one of the most renowned directories in the UK legal industry, it’s incredibly gratifying to have so many members of the firm recognised in this year’s Legal 500.
“To see so many individuals maintaining their rankings, as well as several new recommendations and the listings in practice and sector areas improving year-on-year, is something we’re really proud of.
“It’s a testament to the quality of our team to see us ranked alongside much larger Manchester and Liverpool firms.
“Our focus has always been on achieving our clients’ objectives and delivering excellent outcomes for them, and the latest Legal 500 listings reflect that ongoing commitment.”
