Legal 500 2013: “Cracking law firm….sorts the wheat from the chaff.”
The 2013 edition of the Legal 500, considered to be the leading independent guide to the legal profession, was released on 25 September with an unprecedented set of results for Leathes Prior.
The rankings show Leathes Prior now have three top tier practice areas, with Immigration and Debt Recovery joining Sport and in addition there are a further 14 areas in the East Anglian second tier, quite an achievement and reflective of the quality and level of service provided. The past 12 months have again proved exciting times for the firm as it continues to grow and excel in delivering legal services through its traditional core commerical and private-client services together with the range of innocative niche specialisms.
Key highlights from the 2013 edition include:
The Sports team, given a first tier ranking, continues to thrive as its boutique offering ‘Full Contact’ has a national following, and is praised for its ‘exceptional customer service’; Dan Chapman is an ‘amazing individual with outstanding knowledge’.
Debt Recovery also excelled with a first tier ranking, Darren Bowen’s team at Leathes Prior is valued for its ‘very attentive service, sound advice, and clear timescales’. Mike Barlow ‘impresses with his tactical and commercial flair’, and the ‘calm, collected, enthusiastic and driven’ David Richards also stands out.
In addition, Immigration receives a first tier ranking largely due to Tim Cary, who regularly sits as a judge in immigration cases, and is ‘excellent, with a robust but considered approach’.
The Corporate and Commerical team is ranked highly, with clients reporting ‘superb responsiveness, care, diligence, integrity and business acumen’ of Leathes Prior’s Paul Warman, Peter Sheppard and ‘rising star’ Richard Guthrie.
Within Commercial Litigation, Leathes Prior’s Mike Barlow is ‘efficient and responsible, providing sensible commercial advice’, and Darren Bowen ‘doesn’t miss any points and gives excellent advice’.
The firm welcomes a new ranking for Education, showing the team going straight into the second tier. The ‘responsive’ Mike Barlow, ‘outstanding’ mediator Martin Plowman and rising star Polly Langford are central to Leathes Prior’s schools team.
Within Intellectual Property, Leathes Prior’s team is built around IP expert Jonathan Chadd, and includes Mike Barlow, who has ‘extensive experience in franchising and licensing’. Rising star Kitty Rosser is also recommended.
Employment rightfully ranks highly, thanks to the ‘effective and efficient’ Dan Chapman who is said to have ‘exceptional knowledge and business acumen’; superbly supported by ‘authoritative and practical’ colleagues who provide ‘consistently good advice’. The firm’s innovative web-based ’employmentor’ service is ‘unrivalled in its value for money’.
Within Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, Leathes Prior delivers ‘outstanding service with coherent advice’. For the administration of high-value estates and trusts, Hazel Gill is ‘second to none for speed and standard of work’. Also recommended are the ‘timely and approachable’ Tessa Bonser and William Riley, who provides ‘advice of the highest quality’.
Within the Regulatory and Defence field, ‘outstanding’ lawyer Tim Cary is a nationally recognised expert. The firm has a nationwide presence for motoring offences through its ‘Traffic Lawyers’ brand. Tim is also described as ‘robust and experienced’ leading a team that is ‘outstanding, and very attentive: they have an intuitive edge’. The practice ranges from minor offences to serious bribery, money laundering and corruption matters.
Within Insolvency and Corporate Recovery, the ‘practical and calm’ Adam McCaw is praised, and in Agriculture and estates, Leathes Prior’s ‘pragmatic’ team draws on the vast experience of Rob Sibley, William Riley, Darren Bowen, Paul Oldershaw and rising star Chris Hoxley.
In the field of Charities and not-for-profit, ‘the level of service is excellent’. William Riley’s team includes Hazel Gill and Tessa Bonser, who are ‘supportive and helpful’.
The firm’s Family team is said to be ‘prompt and proactive, and explains the options clearly’. Alisdair Douglas is ‘very knowledgeable, and guides clients through the process in a caring way’. He is one of Norfolk’s leading lawyers for complex divorce and Children Act matters.
Within Commercial Property Rob Sibley leads a ‘results-driven’ team at Leathes Prior whose standout recent work includes advising on a long-term lease of airport premises, worth £30m over its term. Chris Hoxley is a rising star.