The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Elsewhere in the North West, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP recently advised local client Chester Zoo on the Chester Superzoo project.

Within Corporate and commercial: Liverpool, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP’s deals included the reorganisation of the WF Group and subsequent disposal of Woodward Foodservices Limited. Practice head Mike Jones is highly recommended, and has particular expertise in joint venture work. The team features several well-known names in the market, including Glyn Dale-Jones. Kathy Holuba and Roger Pointon have been promoted to partner.

Within Corporate and commercial: Manchester , Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has attracted a large number of new clients including Rapid Realisations Fund. On the private equity side, deal highlights included the acquisition of Crown Paints from Akzo Nobel. Darryl Cooke leads the Manchester team and specialises in private equity transactions. Jane O’Sullivan is also recommended.

Within Corporate tax, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

At Hill Dickinson LLP, Saad Ahmed is noted as ‘good at communicating the tax issues on warranties in non-technical language to ensure all members of the team understand‘. The ‘efficient and competent‘ team provided tax advice to the management in the MBO of Crown Paints.

Within Crime, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

At Hill Dickinson LLP, practice head Jack McGarva is ‘experienced, with a good reputation‘. ‘The quality of service is outstanding‘, and ‘the team deals with cases efficiently and intelligently‘. Clients also recommend fraud expert Edward de la Billière. Recent standout cases include acting for a chain of estate agents in relation to an alleged mortgage fraud.

Within Commercial litigation: Elsewhere in the North West, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP’s Iain Campbell recently successfully defended a claim for breach of warranty following the £2m sale of a client’s hotel business. In other highlights, the team advised a university on the position of a subsidiary training company in financial difficulties.

Within Commercial litigation: Liverpool , Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has been reappointed to the Barclays Bank litigation panel, and has received instructions relating to banking disputes, civil fraud, breach of contract and professional negligence claims. Jonathan Berkson heads the team.

Within Commercial litigation: Manchester , Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Geraldine Ryan heads Hill Dickinson LLP’s commercial litigation practice in Manchester. Andrew Bogle, who focuses on contentious probate, is ‘very much on top of his cases, easy to deal with and practical in outlook‘.

Within Debt recovery, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP acts for clients such as Barclays Bank, Moneysupermarket.com and NHS Pensions Scheme. Jonathan Berkson is the key partner.

Within Banking and finance, tier 4

Hill Dickinson LLP’s ‘excellent‘ and ‘pragmatic‘ practice is making ‘real headway‘ in the North West, thanks to a series of bank panel appointments, including Lloyds TSB’s large corporate (general) and corporate finance panel and HSBC’s commercial panel. It may not have the strength in depth of the top tier firms, but it is ‘competitive‘ on fees and is more ‘commercially orientated‘ than other practices of a similar size. It features the ‘pragmatic‘ and ‘proactive‘ Patrick Keown and new arrival Elaine Charrôt.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Manchester partner Susan Kelly is national head of Hammonds LLP’s ‘focused‘, ‘efficient‘ and ‘results-oriented‘ department. She has an excellent standing in the North West, where in 2008 she advised the management of David McLean (Holdings) on pre-administration options and the subsequent MBO of sections of its business from administration. Jeremy Reilly has joined Hill Dickinson LLP.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

After a series of partner arrivals and departures, Hill Dickinson LLP was buoyed by the arrival of licensed insolvency practitioner Jeremy Reilly from Hammonds LLP in 2008. With the contentious abilities of Geraldine Ryan and Helen Rooney’s promotion to partner, the department now has an impressive senior echelon, known for its broad representation of local corporates.

Within Employment, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP assists supply chain and clients in the logistics sector, as well as healthcare clients. The group has recently handled a high number of disputes. Michael Morrison heads the team, which is spread across the firm’s Manchester, Liverpool and Chester offices. Adrian Fryer recently joined from Lees Lloyd Whitley.

Within Health and safety, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP’s Simon Parrington is ‘highly skilled and experienced in the field‘, and ‘meticulous in his preparation of prosecution files, well known, and respected in the courts‘.

Within Pensions, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Andrew Ashley-Taylor heads Hill Dickinson LLP’s pensions team, which regularly represents pension fund trustees.

Within Clinical negligence - defendant , Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has been reappointed to the panel of key client the National Health Service Litigation Authority, and also acts for 45 NHS trusts. Practice head Richard Watson recently successfully defended a £6m cerebral palsy claim at trial.

Within Personal injury - defendant, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP continued to defend the claim on behalf of Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) and its insurers, relating to limitation on child-abuse cases, resulting in a successful judgment in January 2009. Jason Spencer heads the insurance practice, and has developed a specialism in child abuse and stress claims. Peter Oakes advises insurers, corporates and financial institutions on fraudulent claims and activities.

Within Professional negligence, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has a ‘strong, pro-active team who provide good technical advice at a reasonable cost‘. It is ‘particularly strong on construction-related risks‘, and practice head Ruth Lawrence ‘stands head and shoulders above others in this area‘. Christopher Stanton is a ‘first-rate lawyer who displays both judgement and legal and technical skill in his work‘. In 2008, the group was successful in its tender for the reduced Norwich Union Professional Indemnity panel.

Within Regional review, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has strength across both Liverpool and Manchester. In the Manchester office a Far East business team was established, including new arrival Edward de la Billière . The firm assisted with the acquisition of Crown Paints, from Akzo Nobel

Within Agriculture and estates, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Robin Jones leads Hill Dickinson LLP’s practice.

Within Charities, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has gained a significant number of instructions as a result of the firm’s involvement as official lawyers to Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008. Richard Paton has recently advised schools and major charities. Paul Baker heads the team.

Within Family, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has recently assisted clients with pre-marital and co-habitation agreements. Paula Milburn is the lead partner.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Carol Mason leads Halliwells’ private client practice, which specialises in tax planning, trust creation and probate cases. The team was bolstered by the arrival of Elizabeth Hassall from Hill Dickinson LLP in 2008.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP advises wealthy individuals such as business owners, landowners, farmers and high-profile individuals in the world of entertainment and sport. Mike Quinn has recently been advising a UK non-domiciled client on the changes to the remittance bases of taxation.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI), Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Stephen Lansdown is the lead partner at Hill Dickinson LLP. The team assists a number of public sector clients including Blackpool Victoria Hospital and the University of Liverpool.

Within Education , Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has a primary and secondary education team, as well as a higher education team. Iain Campbell is a key partner.

Within Health , Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

At Hill Dickinson LLP, location head and property specialist Lawford Martin is ‘sensible, and down to earth, with a pragmatic problem-solving approach‘. The team acts for a large number of NHS trusts, foundation trusts, PCTS and Strategic Health Authorities. Sharon Wilson is the key partner in the mental health team, and Allan Mowat regularly handles NHS work.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in the North West, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP was appointed as sole legal adviser to Chester Zoo’s £225m Natural Vision project in 2008. Robin Jones and Brent Williams are ‘knowledgeable‘ and ‘commercial‘, and clients highlight the team’s ‘clarity of thought‘ and solutions-oriented approach.

Within Commercial property: Liverpool, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has ‘strength in depth‘ and ‘excellence‘, and is active in the retail sector. The ‘responsive‘ and ‘value-for-money‘ team represented supermarket chain Iceland on its acquisition of 52 Woolworth stores nationwide, and also acted for Somerfield on a series of disposals. The firm is close to key developers such as Peel, as well as public sector institutions, notably health organisations. Pamela Jones and David Swaffield are the department’s senior figures.

Within Commercial property: Manchester, tier 5

Hill Dickinson LLP provides the ‘highest level of professional legal service‘. Investment work remains the primary focus. The team recently advised UPS on its acquisition of a major warehouse in South Yorkshire. Michael Blakey and the ‘proactive‘ Stephen Hindmarsh have excellent reputations. Jonathan Dover joined from Berg Legal in February 2009.

Within Commercial property: Manchester, tier 5

Berg Legal has strong investment credentials despite the recent departure of Jonathan Dover. Gaby Rechnitzer heads the practice, which recently acted on the purchase of an office block in Sidcup for an investment company.

Within Construction, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has assembled a large and impressive team over the last five years, leading to prestigious mandates in and outside the region. It was recently appointed as sole legal advisers to Chester Zoo on the high-profile £225m Natural Vision project and is also representing the developers on the €500m Coliseum development in Bucharest, Romania. David Chinn heads the team, which features the well-respected Michael Woolley and the ‘responsive‘ Alan Pugh.

Within Planning and environment, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

At Hill Dickinson LLP, regulatory and environment partner Denise Dowen is a ‘true leader in her field‘, has ‘first-rate technical knowledge‘, gives ‘clear and concise‘ advice, and is willing ‘to go the extra mile‘ to get the job done. She recently defended Golden Acres against prosecution for breach of packaging regulations. John Holmes heads the nationally renowned planning department.

Within Property litigation, Hill Dickinson LLP is a second tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has one of the largest property litigation practices in the North West. Ralph Bullivant and Craig Walker are recommended; the two have an impressive following of major retail clients including Somerfield and Iceland. Bullivant recently acted for Somerfield in objecting to a CPO promoted by Sheffield City Council.

Within Intellectual property and information technology, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

At Hill Dickinson LLP practice head Philip Woods is an established name in the IP field. Key clients include The Law Society, which the team advises in relation to its trade mark portfolio. On the IT side, Shelley Thomas advises a number of NHS bodies on the implications and application of data protection and freedom of information legislation.

Within Media and entertainment, tier 4

Philip Woods is the lead partner at Hill Dickinson LLP, where clients include the Radio Independent group and Galleon Films.

Within Sport, Hill Dickinson LLP is a third tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP has an impressive and varied list of clients which include Liverpool FC, Robbie Fowler, Select Sports Limited and Rugby Scout. Recent highlights include representing Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez in a libel action against the News of the World. Richard Green is the lead partner.

Within Transport, Hill Dickinson LLP is a first tier firm,

Hill Dickinson LLP’s ‘superb‘ shipping practice includes client favourite Adrian Marsh, whose ‘knowledge in the sector is without equal‘, and practice head John Hulmes. Greg Plunkett assists aviation clients in litigation and well as with non-contentious matters. The team, which operates from Manchester as well as Liverpool, is ‘well respected by clients and peers alike‘.