Two East Lancashire law firms have been named in the Legal 500 - an independent and definitive guide to lawyers.
Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall Solicitors (WHN), which has offices across East Lancashire, and Clitheroe law firm Harrison Drury, are celebrating success after strengthening their presence in the ‘prestigious’ independent guide to the UK’s top legal firms and solicitors.
WHN Solicitors, which has eight offices across East Lancashire has been named in the 2023 edition of Legal 500 for the second year running, retaining its place in the North West region rankings for both commercial litigation, and corporate and commercial law, while securing an additional accolade for its property litigation work.
And for the fourth year in a row, Harrison Drury has placed in the edition, this time for five of its specialisms – commercial property, commercial litigation, property litigation, corporate and commercial law, and insolvency.
The influential Legal 500 publication singled out five WHN specialists for their success, including Michael Shroot and Sara Beaumont who have been cited for their specialist dispute resolution and commercial litigation expertise.
Daniel Long was listed as a recommended lawyer, with Eleanor Longworth making her first appearance in the guide as a rising star due to her ‘huge depth of knowledge about every element of property litigation’.
Corporate and commercial law specialist Paul Matthews, who also appeared in the 2022 guide, has been recognised for his ‘experience with share and asset sales and acquisitions, shareholder and partnership agreements, and company reconstructions’.
Chief executive at WHN Solicitors, Michael Shroot, said: “Being named in the prestigious Legal 500 is an incredible endorsement of the quality of our work and team members.
“It is a huge honour and true testament to the strength and depth of our specialists’ expertise here at WHN.
“Thank you to all of our valued clients and professional contacts for giving us the opportunity to look after their legal needs and for participating in the independent and rigorous research process on our behalf which helped secure these Legal 500 listings. A huge well done to everyone involved.”
In the last 12 months, WHN has received national praise by Chambers and Partners in its 2022 guide to the UK’s leading lawyers, while the firm was recognised as the best professional services firm in Lancashire by the Red Rose Awards in June.
Harrison Drury saw 18 of its staff named in the guide as recommended lawyers.
Malcolm Ireland, partner and head of the firm’s leisure and licensing team is cited as a leading individual for licensing while the firm is also noted as a firm to watch for its licensing specialism – a new category in the 2023 Legal 500 listings.
For the second year in a row, Helen Griffin, from Harrison Drury’s commercial litigation team, has been named as a rising star, while Samantha Faud, who joined the firm earlier this year, is also listed as a rising star for licensing.
Executive chairman at Harrison Drury, John Chesworth, said: “This is the fourth year running we’ve been listed in the Legal 500 and each year we are gaining more recognition for both our specialisms and the quality of our individuals.
“It shows just how established we have become for these specialisms and the quality of the advice and projects we are delivering for our clients. It important to say that it’s not just the lawyers named in the Legal 500 that make us successful – all our lawyers and support staff play a vital role.
“We also could not have achieved any of this without the support of our clients and the wider professional community that recommend us for the Legal 500 and act as referees for our submission – a huge thank you to them.”
The Legal 500 has acted as a guide to clients on the best law firms, lawyers, solicitors and barristers in over 150 jurisdictions around the world for more than three decades.
To be included in the Legal 500, firms undergo rigorous analysis which includes interviews and feedback from clients and professional peers which is reviewed by a panel of experts.
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