Aaron & Partners recognised in coveted Legal 500 guide
Aaron & Partners has been ranked as one of the country’s top legal firms after almost 40 of its lawyers were mentioned by name in the new Legal 500 list.
The Shrewsbury-based firm has reinforced its position as one of the very best in Shropshire and the West Midlands, as well as Cheshire and the North West, after the release of the prestigious industry guide recognising the nation’s best professionals.
Among this year’s achievements were the Corporate and Commercial and Dispute Resolution departments being ranked in the top Tier 1 status, with a further 16 practice areas also gaining ‘recommended’ status in the guide.
The 38 lawyers, who are located across offices in Shrewsbury, Chester and Manchester received a combined total of 47 individual rankings in different categories.
Three of the firm's Partners all retained their place on the Legal 500's prestigious Leading Individuals list. They were Stuart Scott-Goldstone, Corporate and Commercial Partner; David Harries, Head of Planning, Energy, Environmental and Regulatory; and John Devoy, Dispute Resolution Partner.
The Next Generation Partner contingent included two lawyers from Aaron & Partners, with Ben Mason, Employment Law Partner, and Corporate & Commercial Partner, Jamie Hawley retaining their places from last year.
Family Law Partner, Simon Mawdsley; Vlad Macdonald-Munteanu, a Senior Associate handling Contested Wills, Trusts & Estates; and Employment Law Solicitor, Debbie Coyne, also kept their positions on the Rising Stars list. The trio were joined by Layla Barke-Jones, a Dispute Resolution Partner, who made the list for the very first time.
Nick Clarke, Senior Partner at Aaron & Partners, said: “The Legal 500 ranking release has become a real highlight in the calendar for us.
“Not only does it offer clients a hugely valuable insight into who the most competent lawyers in the region are, it also provides us with a fantastic benchmark to judge how we compare to the larger firms in the region – and across the UK.
“At Aaron & Partners, we’re always confident our people and teams will be well ranked, and this year has shown once again why that is.
“Looking in detail at the rankings, there are so many extremely positive results and our teams and individuals have done incredibly well.
“Seeing 18 practice areas listed among the top tier and recommended listings is something we can take tremendous pride in.
“Finally, I know I speak on behalf of all our Partners when I say how wonderful it is to read so many glowing testimonials about our staff, the services we provide, and the outcomes delivered. It’s a true testament to everyone’s hard work at the firm – and their commitment and expertise in their respective areas of law.”
Aaron & Partners’ Corporate and Commercial team retained its Tier 1 status, with Stuart Scott-Goldstone commended for continuing to develop the firm’s expertise in the technology, renewable energy and care sectors. The listing added that the group maintains its reputation for handling complex transactions involving owner-managed businesses around the country. The team was highlighted for being “quick to respond, extremely proactive and [giving] clear, concise and commercial advice”.
The other Tier 1 ranking was for the firm’s “highly regarded” Commercial Litigation offering. With the department dealing with shareholder, partnership, transactional and contractual disputes, it was highlighted for its “excellent service [and being] very knowledgeable in commercial finance, mortgages, private contract [and] landlord disputes”.
Aaron & Partners’ Commercial Property team, specialising in residential development, secured lending, renewable energy and agricultural estates, was among those to be ranked in Tier 2. Partner and Head of Real Estate Emma McGlinchey was described as “delivering work to the highest standard”.
Ranked at the same Tier 2 level was the Family team. Described as “experts regarding financial matters concerning relationship breakdown”, Head of the team Richard Barge was highlighted for being a “really incisive, tenacious and good-humoured family lawyer”.
The Employment team, ranked in Tier 3, was highlighted for its frequent work in high-level investigations. Head of Employment Helen Watson; Employment Law Partner Claire Brook; and Senior Associate Debbie Coyne were all singled out for praise – with the latter described as having provided a “truly exceptional personal service”.
The Transport department, which specialises in handling mandates for transport operators as well as advising on regulatory issues and strategic compliance matters, was also listed in Tier 3.
Transport Consultant Tim Culpin was described as an “experienced advocate”, while the team was described in testimonials as the best the author had ever worked with.
In the Contentious Trusts and Probate category, led by Partner James Wallace, Aaron’s was ranked as a Tier 3 firm. Among those highlighted for praise was for Clive Pointon, described as “highly regarded for his work in Court of Protection and LPA disputes, as well as disputes involving inheritance tax problems”.
Senior Associate Vlad Macdonald-Munteanu was also noted for his expertise in farming and agriculture-related disputes. Testimonials described the department as “absolutely brilliant”.
The firm’s Insolvency and Corporate Recovery department was ranked as Tier 4 – and described as providing “strong” services from its Chester office – acting for a mixture of banks, administrators and insolvent corporations. A testimonial praising the department said the team “have a great breadth of knowledge and consistently delivered the work we needed both professionally and on time”.
