The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Norwich, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

‘Young and keen with solid, old-fashioned ideals of quality service’, Robert Colman at Howes Percival LLP is ‘commercially aware and technically very good, and has excellent rapport with clients’. His team acted for Norwich Colour Print in its merger with F Crowe & Sons in 2011. Ford Motor Retail and Chalcroft are also clients.

Within Commercial litigation: Norwich, Howes Percival LLP is a first tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP’s three-partner team is led by the ‘consistently thorough and efficient’ Andrew Barnes and includes the well-respected Richard Healey. The firm acted in a major dispute for a national construction company, and advises HMRC in litigation.

Within Banking and finance, Howes Percival LLP is a third tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP provides ‘consistently good, helpful advice at fair rates’. Tessa Haskey is ‘personable, helpful and has excellent knowledge’, and Robert Colman is ‘consistently thorough and efficient’. Clients include Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Howes Percival LLP is a first tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP fields ‘one of the most legally and tactically sharp’ teams, which includes Nick Oliver on the contentious side; John Bradshaw, who has ‘huge technical knowledge’; and Alex Thompson, who has ‘huge talent and a fantastic work ethic’. Highlights included a £40m case for HMRC, and the £100m Asil Nadir bankruptcy.

Within Employment, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP provides ‘excellent all-round advice’, and associate Nicola Butterworth exemplifies the team’s reputation as ‘reliable, fast and tough in negotiation’. Clients include the Retained Firefighters Union and IP Griffins.

Within Regional review, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Norwich-based Howes Percival LLP attracts impressive local work in areas such as commercial property and insolvency, attracting instructions from government departments.

Within Agriculture and estates, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP provides ‘first-class service’, with Jeremy Heal singled out for his ‘combination of technical expertise and solid, practical application’. The team acted on a £10m land purchase, and advises two large Norfolk estates.

Within Charities, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP has ‘outstanding respect for clients’, and counts Paul Bassham Charitable Trust among its roster. Jeremy Heal’s ‘business acumen is extremely good’; the ‘kind and endearing’ Richard Lovett has ‘great expertise’; and Catherine Scott’s ‘excellence comes from a very meticulous mind’.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate: Norwich, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP is ‘absolutely first class’, and advises many multimillion-pound estates. The ‘totally unflappable’ Jeremy Heal, Richard Lovett and Sue Hammett are ‘knowledgeable, client focused, pragmatic and innovative’.

Within Commercial property: Norwich, Howes Percival LLP is a second tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP fields some ‘top players’ locally, notably Tracey Hughes, Alice Liddle and Tessa Haskey, who is ‘meticulous and a delight to deal with’. The firm advised Ford Motor Retail on the nationwide sale and purchase of motor dealerships.

Within Environment, Howes Percival LLP is a third tier firm,

Philip Hunter at Howes Percival LLP defends Environment Agency prosecutions.

Within Planning, Howes Percival LLP is a first tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP’s Trevor Ivory is ‘probably the best planning lawyer in Norwich’ and exemplifies the firm’s ‘accessible approach’. It advised landowner Serruys Property Company in relation to a mixed-use site that includes 700 new residential units.

Within Property litigation, Howes Percival LLP is a third tier firm,

Howes Percival LLP provides ‘excellent service and good value for money’, and defended a £2m freehold enfranchisement claim for Cholmondeley Estate. The ‘professional and diligent’ Steven Boast was joined by the ‘robust, methodical, approachable’ Jamie Kidd from Mayfair firm Forsters LLP.