National law firm Clarke Willmott has again been recognised as a Top Tier firm in the latest Legal 500 guide, which ranks the UK’s top lawyers and firms.
Clarke Willmott received the top ranking possible for eight of its specialist practice areas and in total was ranked in 51 practice areas across all seven of its regional offices.
There was an improved ranking in Finance – Banking & Finance: Wales this year and new rankings for Private Client – Personal Tax, Trust and Probate: South East and Employment – Health & Safety: South West. Clarke Willmott was also ranked in the ‘Firms to Watch’ category for Real Estate – Property Litigation and Planning and Environment, both in the North West.
Individually, Clarke Willmott’s lawyers received a total of 131 recommendations, of which seven were improvements from last year and 59 were new recommendations for the 2027 edition – up from 41.
The prestigious Hall of Fame list again included mention of Clarke Willmott’s Rich Eldridge (Banking and Finance), Alex Jakubowski (Commercial Litigation) and Fraser MacRae (Social Housing: Finance).
An impressive 29 lawyers were also singled out for praise in the elite ‘Leading Partners’ list, the Legal 500’s guide to outstanding lawyers nationwide, six more than last year’s figure.
A further 12 lawyers were named in the ‘Next Generation Partner’ category and another eight in the ‘Leading Associates’ category.
Clarke Willmott CEO, Peter Swinburn, said: “The Legal 500 is an important independent benchmark of quality and service in our profession and this year’s outcome is a clear reflection of the outstanding talent, commitment and professionalism of our lawyers across every department.
“Our progress is not only a testament to the depth of expertise within the firm, but also to the trust and confidence that our clients continue to place in us. We are particularly proud to see recognition across such a wide range of practice areas, which speaks to both the breadth and consistency of the services we deliver.
“To see sizeable increases in the total number of recommendations and in the number of ‘Leading Partners’ is significant and something we are very proud of. Our people are at the heart of what we do, continuing to strive for excellence in meeting the evolving needs of our clients.
“All of this is against a healthy financial backdrop which saw our revenues increase to over £68 million for 2026. Compared to many of our mid-sized competitors, we have an enviable financial position that increases our strategic flexibility to support both investment and growth.”
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.
Explore our regional Legal 500 2027 announcements for office-specific highlights from Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and the South West.
