Record number of Harrison Drury lawyers recognised in prestigious Legal 500

Lancashire law firm Harrison Drury has had a record number of its people recognised in an influential annual guide to the UK’s top legal firms and lawyers.

The firm has 28 ‘Recommended Lawyers’ in the 2024 edition of the prestigious Legal 500 publication, up from 22 last year. 

Harrison Drury’s family law and licensing specialisms have been recognised by the Legal 500 for the first time, joining the dispute resolution, commercial property, corporate and commercial, insolvency, and property litigation teams which have all been established in the list for several years.

As well as its 28 recommended lawyers, three of the firm’s experts have gained the coveted ‘Leading Individual’ status, with Simon England from the commercial property team, Malcolm Ireland from the licensing team, and James Robbins from the insolvency team all achieving the ranking.

Hannah Hughes from the commercial property team has been ranked as a Next Generation Partner, while Helen Griffin (dispute resolution) and Samantha Faud (licensing) have retained their Rising Star status.

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.

John Chesworth, executive chairman at Harrison Drury, said: “We’re very proud to have had even more of our people recognised by the Legal 500 this time and it marks a fifth year of continuous improvement in terms of both individuals and specialisms being ranked.

“Each year we must prove that not only do we have the experience and expertise within our chosen legal areas, but also that we’ve gained outstanding results for our clients and offered them the highest levels of advice and service. We’re incredibly thankful to our clients for their support in helping us to achieve this.”

In Harrison Drury’s 2024 Legal 500 directory listing, the firm’s dispute resolution team is said to demonstrate “remarkable people skills” and an “extraordinary capability rarely seen outside of large city practices to strategize on large complex problems”.

The commercial property team is praised for its “strong reputation” and its “consistently high value workload” and “cross-border capabilities.”

The corporate and commercial team is described as “going above and beyond, leaving nothing to chance”, while also gaining plaudits for its “transparency, responsiveness and legal knowledge”.

Meanwhile, Harrison Drury’s insolvency and corporate recovery team “takes time to understand the needs of the case, working parameters and desired outcomes” demonstrating “a wealth of knowledge both of legalities and real-world processes”.

The property litigation team is praised for its “capable, professional and experienced lawyers who are easy to communicate with” and its “pragmatic and sound commercial advice presented in a friendly, plain-speaking manner.”

The family team is noted for its experience in handling complex cases, including those involving farms and family wealth. The team receives praise for being “extremely factual but at the same time very understanding” and for being “committed to finding the best outcome for the children, with a child-centric approach at the core”.

Finally, the firm’s licensing team is recognised as being “a very friendly and helpful team who go the extra mile to provide a unique and quality service” which brings with it a “vast amount of industry experience relevant to our needs.”

The firm’s ‘Recommended Lawyers’ in the Legal 500 are:

Dispute resolution - Nick Booth, Sean Gibbs, Matthew Astley, Helen Griffin

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

Corporate and commercial - Jack Stephenson, David Edwards

Insolvency - James Robbins, Peter Barlow

Property litigation - Colin Fenny, Joseph Mitchell, Alex Walmsley, Zoe Taylor

Licensing - Malcolm Ireland and Samantha Faud

Family law - John Osborne, Janine Hutson, Emma Panchal, Rebecca Patience