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The 2024 Legal 500 results have been announced and once again the South West offices of national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP have ranked highly with both practice areas and individual lawyers named.

The offices, in Bristol and Taunton, were named in the top tier of the prestigious guide in nine practice areas: debt recovery; employment; personal injury (claimant); professional negligence; family; personal tax, trusts and probate; commercial property; property litigation; and sport.

The guide, which ranks the UK’s top lawyers and firms, recommended the Bristol and Taunton offices in a further 20 practice areas.

Clarke Willmott South West partners Alex Jakubowski and Neil Baker, along with two other Clarke Willmott lawyers, are named in the elite ‘Hall of Fame’ list, the Legal 500’s guide to outstanding lawyers nationwide.

Meanwhile ten South West lawyers were named as ‘Leading Individuals’: Philip Roberts – debt recovery; Lee Hart – personal injury: claimant; Alex Jakubowski – professional negligence; Gareth Schofield – family; Philip Brown – commercial property; Graham McIntyre – property litigation; Tim Copplestone – (technology, media and telecoms) sport; Esther Woolford – commercial litigation; Marguarita Tyne – clinical negligence: claimant; and Caroline Waller – planning.

Six were named as Rising stars: James Edmondson – personal injury: claimant; Laura Robbetts – Property litigation; Ed Halden – Commercial litigation; Stephanie Bishop – Insolvency & corporate recovery; Polly Ridgway – Agriculture and estates; Jade Lyus – Planning.

And a further six were named as Next Generation Partners: Sarah Manley – Commercial property; Naomi Cunningham – Property litigation; David Stedman – Commercial litigation; Laura Mackain-Bremner – Commercial litigation; Tim Copplestone – Employment; Bonita Walters – Contentious trusts and probate.

Clarke Willmott LLP Chief Executive, Peter Swinburn, said: “We are delighted with our numerous rankings in the Legal 500 guide and especially pleased to receive Top Tier rankings in no less than nine practice areas across the firm.

The Legal 500 is a well-respected and prestigious industry guides, one that both industry insiders and clients use as a measure of quality and professional legal services. Rankings are partly based on client feedback which is a great indication of the esteem in which we are held.

The recognition reflects the time we invest in developing relationships with our clients, our high level of service and our straightforward approach.”

Nationally, Clarke Willmott received Top Tier rankings in nine practice areas and recommendations in 46 practice areas. Four Clarke Willmott lawyers are named in the ‘Hall of Fame’, 18 are named as ‘leading individuals’, 9 as ‘next generation’ lawyers and 10 as ‘rising stars’. A total of 119 lawyers are recommended in the guide.

The Legal 500 series is widely acknowledged as the world’s largest legal guide. It is an independent guide and firms and individuals are recommended purely on merit.

Clarke Willmott LLP is one of the UK’s leading law firms with offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton. Clarke Willmott provides support on a broad range of legal services to individuals and businesses, with a focus on the most involved and complex matters. The firm is this year celebrating its 135th anniversary.

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Peter Swinburn

Chief Executive

Southampton and London
Peter is Clarke Willmott’s CEO and is responsible for the day to day management of the firm, chairs its executive board and define and implement the firm’s strategy.
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