Law firm Harrison Drury has more teams recognised by prestigious Legal 500

By Harrison Drury

03 Oct 2024

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Lancashire law firm Harrison Drury has grown its presence within an independent annual guide to the UK’s top law firms and lawyers, with more of its services and specialists being ranked than ever before.

The firm’s corporate and commercial, licensing, commercial litigation, commercial property, property litigation, insolvency, and family law teams have all been ranked again in the prestigious Legal 500, with the corporate team moving up a tier.

In addition, Harrison Drury has also been ranked as a ‘Firm to Watch’ for its specialisms in construction law, agriculture and estates, and employment law.

A total of 42 Harrison Drury solicitors have been individually recognised as leaders in their fields with Simon England (real estate), Malcolm Ireland (licensing), James Robbins (insolvency) and David Vayro (construction) identified as ‘Leading Partners’. 

Emma Butterworth (employment) and Hannah Hughes (real estate) have been listed as ‘Next Generation Partners’, while Samantha Faud (licensing), Helen Griffin (litigation), Lara Watts and Lucy Benton (real estate) have been noted as ‘Leading Associates’.

John Chesworth, executive chairman at Harrison Drury, said: “It’s fantastic to see the investment we’ve made in people leading to success for our clients, which in turn has resulted in further recognition by the Legal 500.

“Our strategy of recruiting highly-specialist lawyers and continuing to diversify our offering to meet the needs of our clients has been key to our success. Our construction law, agriculture and employment teams being highlighted in the Legal 500 for the first time is clear evidence of this. 

“It’s also pleasing to see us moving up the rankings for our corporate specialism, thanks in part to our expansion into the Manchester market and recruitment of leading specialists in mergers and acquisitions.”

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 over three decades. 

To be included, firms undergo rigorous analysis which includes interviews and feedback from clients and professional peers which is reviewed by a panel of experts.

The firm’s full list of ‘Recommended Lawyers’ and other ranked individuals in the Legal 500 is:

Corporate and commercial – Mark Traynor, Jack Stephenson, Richard Life, Kerry Southworth, Timothy Grover

Licensing - Malcolm Ireland and Samantha Faud

Commercial litigation - Nick Booth, Sean Gibbs, Helen Griffin, Martin Stafford

Commercial property - Simon England, Naomi Fell, Hannah Hughes, Lara Watts, Wendy Newbury, Lucy Benton, Nicola Beneduce, Danielle Leeming, Lucy Beachell, Jackie Bate, Amanda Marwood, Jane Fillis

Insolvency and corporate recovery - James Robbins, Peter Barlow

Property litigation - Colin Fenny, Ros Monk, Alex Walmsley, Zoe Taylor, Joseph Mitchell, Luke Holden

Family law - John Osborne, Rebecca Patience, Emma Panchal, Jenna Atkinson

Construction – David Vayro, Katherine Sibley

Agriculture and estates – Joseph Mitchell

Employment – Roger Spence, Jamie Campbell, David Carmichael, Emma Butterworth

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