The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Norwich, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, Peter Sheppard is ‘excellent, and acts as if he is a member of the client’s team’, and Paul Warman ‘works hard in the client’s best interest’. Warman advised Norwich City FC on rescheduling complex debt finance arrangements.

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Within Crime, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

‘Superb at every level’, Leathes Prior has Tim Cary, who provides ‘absolutely brilliant advice to his clients’. The firm recently advised on a fraud probe in the oil and gas sector.

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Within Licensing, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

The ‘outstanding’ Tim Cary at Leathes Prior advised Caistor Hall Hotel on several licensing matters in 2011, including an application to be an adult entertainment centre. Other clients include Anglia Restaurants and J&P Retail.

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Within Commercial litigation: Norwich, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s ‘honest, straightforward and extremely accomplished team’ includes Mike Barlow, who is ‘a leading light for his knowledge and ability’. Darren Bowen is also recommended. Clients include AgChem Access and Rooflite.

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Within Debt recovery, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, ‘responses are prompt, advice is sound and the team is honest and straightforward’. Darren Bowen advises Orange Fox Electrical and MAG Group.

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Within Banking and finance, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Leathes Prior benefits from Paul Warman’s niche banking expertise. The firm is on the Lloyds Banking Group panel.

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Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Adam McCaw’s team at Leathes Prior ‘has good strength and is practical, technical, and calm in a crisis’. Clients include Parker Andrews and Ensors.

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Within Employment, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s team is ‘very strong’, with Dan Chapman and Katie Franklin singled out as ‘extremely quick, thorough and efficient’. The firm advised Ashford Commercial in the defence of a class action by trade unions.

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Within Health and safety, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, the ‘extremely thorough’ Tim Cary leads a team praised for its ‘ease of access to partner-led advice, and strong focus on customer service’. Highlights included Environment Agency investigations into potential breaches of packaging, waste and import regulations.

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Within Personal injury: claimant, tier 5

At Leathes Prior, versatile litigator Tim Cary, Polly Langford and David Richards handle high-value claims for psychiatric damage, loss of earnings and brain injury.

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Within Agriculture and estates, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s ‘confident and pragmatic approach’ stems from the vast experience of Robert Sibley, William Riley, Darren Bowen and Paul Oldershaw. AgChem Access is a key client.

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Within Charities, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s team ‘responds quickly and gives good support’ to clients including the Foundation for Environmental Education. William Riley, Hazel Gill and Tessa Bonser are ‘always very helpful and thoughtful, with great awareness and understanding’. Paul Warman stands out on governance issues.

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Within Family, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s Alisdair Douglas ‘has a full grasp of what needs to be done’. His team is ‘easy to deal with, polite and courteous’ on all aspects of divorce, civil partnerships and Children Act matters.

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Within Personal tax, trusts and probate: Norwich, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, ‘terrific listener’ Hazel Gill’s ‘knowledge, efficiency and people skills are admirable’. Clients include The Great Hospital charity.

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Within Education, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Mike Barlow’s team at Leathes Prior provides ‘exemplary service and extremely quick responses’, and acts for clients such as Norwich School and Langley School. ‘Expert employment lawyer’ Dan Chapman, Martin Plowman and the ‘exceptionally personable’ Polly Langford stand out.

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Within Health, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Peter Sheppard’s newly formed health team at Leathes Prior is ‘genuine and enthusiastic’, and advised NES Holdings on multimillion-pound contracts to supply medical services to hospitals.

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Within Commercial property: Norwich, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s ‘always approachable and prompt’ team is ‘very good value’, with Robert Sibley and the ‘timely and professional’ Chris Hoxley singled out. It acted on the expansion of Bathstore.com’s national network of retail units.

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Within Property litigation, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s Darren Bowen is praised for his ‘attention to detail’. He and Eleanor Russell advised Dereham Town Council in a boundary dispute.

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Within Social housing, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior has a strong client base including housing associations and local regeneration trusts. Robert Sibley’s clients include Saffron Housing Trust.

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Within Intellectual property, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, Mike Barlow, franchising expert Jonathan Chadd and Kitty Rosser advise on trade mark registration for Ascertiva Group and Brandbank.

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Within IT and telecoms, Leathes Prior is a third tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s Mike Barlow and Kitty Rosser act for the clients such as online retailer Glo Grow and website creator Designtec. It acted on the software licensing and sales documentation for the launch of Verticool’s new tablet computer.

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Within Sport, Leathes Prior is a first tier firm,

At Leathes Prior, the ‘highly organised’ Dan Chapman advises Norwich City FC, the British Horseracing Authority and a well-known name in Formula 1 on contracts, employment issues and disputes.

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Within Transport, Leathes Prior is a second tier firm,

Leathes Prior’s Tim Cary, a national specialist in clamping, and David Richards are advisers to the BBC’s Watchdog on transport issues. Fowler Welch Coolchain is a key client.

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