Barr Ellison LLP > Cambridge, England > Firm Profile

Barr Ellison LLP
The Concourse (PO Box 196
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road
CAMBRIDGE
CB2 0QQ
England

Insurance > Personal injury and clinical negligence: claimant Tier 1

The catastrophic personal injury practice at Barr Ellison LLP in Cambridge has ‘a highly professional, very friendly and approachable team‘, and clients remark upon its ‘real deep speciality, especially in traumatic brain injury claims, with a great personal service‘. Working from offices in the city centre and at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the team handles high-value injury claims and a growing amount of Court of Protection work. Practice head Emma Truin is ‘loved and trusted by clients, and shows great experience, skill, and compassion‘. Associates Mark Copley, who is ‘a very punchy litigator, willing to take on difficult cases‘, and Lucy Spraggons, who works on catastrophic brain, orthopaedic and spinal injury claims, are highly recommended.

Practice head(s):

Emma Truin

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘The personal injury team is excellent; real deep speciality, especially in traumatic brain injury claims, with a great personal service.’

‘Emma Truin: the team lead. Her clients love and trust her; great experience, skill, and compassion.’

‘Mark Copley is a very punchy litigator, willing to take on difficult cases.’

‘Excellent Cambridge-based team who have offices in the City and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Local knowledge very strong. Close collaboration in terms of recommendations for clients.’

‘Emma Truin and Mark Copley are exceptional. They are always trying to do the best for their clients. Emma is also the managing partner.’

‘Barr Ellison are highly professional, and a very friendly, approachable team.’

‘The team know their clients very well, and build solid rapport with both clients and those professionals working around them.’

‘Mark Copley is a very able solicitor who has a comprehensive grip on a case and will achieve the best possible result for the client.’

Private client > Family Tier 2

‘I cannot praise the company highly enough‘, says one client of Barr Ellison LLP in Cambridge, where lead partner Sarah Martin and associate Karen Anker are ‘friendly, understanding, competent, and get the job done to the best possible result'. The ‘calm, measured and clearly experienced' Anker is a specialist family and wealth protection lawyer who frequently handles mid-range financial claims on divorce. The ‘experienced, knowledgeable and thoroughly professional' Martin acts for numerous high-net-worth individuals, academics, and entrepreneurs.

Practice head(s):

Sarah Martin

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘I cannot praise the company highly enough. Their staff are friendly, understanding, competent, and get the job done to the best possible result. I have recommended Barr Ellison on numerous occasions as they sort the case out – even with a single letter – while the client’s solicitor is dawdling behind unable to get a conclusion.’

‘Karen Anker was amazing. Kind, friendly, and dealt with a difficult case that she hadn’t come across before. Her guidance was excellent and she got on with the case and had it sorted. I highly recommend her and her team.’

‘Sarah Martin is a very experienced, knowledgeable and thoroughly professional solicitor who inspires confidence. She is very aware of the cost of proceedings and endeavours to keep costs within her estimates.’

‘Karen Anker at Barr Ellison made every meeting and contact easy to understand and by being honest and thoughtful at every step, guided me to a position where I was prepared for the outcome and where I felt completely supported with clear expertise and experience, but also in a way that didn’t promise anything that couldn’t be achieved.’

‘Karen Anker is not only highly skilled and experienced, but she isn’t afraid to say when she disagrees, and more importantly, she explains why in a calm, measured and clearly experienced way. She made every effort to be the complete voice of reason and to help me focus on the important aspects of the case without making me feel like my opinion wasn’t being heard.’

‘Amazing support, advice and care on all requirements. Karen Anker was helpful and very patient through my difficult time and sensitive matters.’

‘The practice is very well organised and always prompt to respond. It adapted quickly and efficiently to cope with the additional technological challenges of Covid-19 and lockdown.’

‘Sarah Martin was very good at advising me on the issues and practicalities of my divorce settlement.’

Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate: Cambridge Tier 2

The personal wealth practice at Barr Ellison LLP acts for a diverse client base that includes world-renowned academics, high-net-worth individuals and business owners. Practice head Emma Parsons ‘leads the private client team with enthusiasm and passion’. Associate Chris Jones ‘always brings a calm approach, coupled with an intelligent and sympathetic manner’. ‘Knowledgeable, friendly and polite’ legal executive Courtney Searle and ‘courteous, understanding’ consultant Francis Durrant have significant roles in the practice. The firm also has an office at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Practice head(s):

Emma Parsons

Other key lawyers:

Chris Jones; Denise Green; Francis Durrant; Courtney Searle; Serap Karaoglan

Testimonials

‘The support has been very personal, dealing with individuals who respond promptly and building a genuine relationship of trust.’

‘Emma Parsons leads the team with enthusiasm and passion. Clients are engaged in an approachable manner which is underpinned by excellent technical knowledge. There is focus on communication and on keeping all relevant parties updated throughout on progress. This maintains confidence in delivery even when matters have a high degree of complexity.’

‘Chris Jones and Denise Green have both been extremely approachable and seem extremely competent in their particular spheres of expertise.’

‘Chris Jones has been an absolute rock. I have no doubt that the whole team made sure that the tax due was handled properly and any areas that we were able to claim any tax allowances were made correctly. I couldn’t have been in better hands.’

‘Chris Jones delivered an excellent service. I had grown quite anxious about this process and had delayed the matter by some years. I appreciated his patience with my conversation which was garrulous driven by anxiety. They helped us achieve clarity about our intentions and what we needed.’

‘I was impressed by the team’s efficiency, thoroughness and organisation, all of which contributed to a very good experience from my side. Francis Durrant and Chris Jones were both very good at making complex issues seem simple, and communicating clearly the salient points of the documents we were dealing with. They were both courteous, understanding and extremely good at their jobs.’

‘Courtney Searle was very knowledgeable.’

‘In my view, Barr Ellison LLP is the premier law firm in Cambridge. The solicitors have the required level of professional skill and responsiveness, and all of the associates and support staff whom I have met have been cheerful, friendly and prepared to listen and understand the issues which have brought us to them.’

Real estate > Commercial property: Cambridge Tier 3

Barr Ellison LLP continues to build its presence in the Cambridge market, with experienced partner and practice head Kelly Peck building capacity in the practice’s junior ranks. The group is known for ‘exceptional communication, a pragmatic approach to risk, and clear willingness to signal when a term is unacceptable‘. The ‘calm and efficient‘ Peck manages numerous property portfolios, as well as handling commercial acquisitions and refinancing projects. Associate Lucy Harrison is the key contact for the firm’s Cambridge University College clients.

Practice head(s):

Kelly Peck

Other key lawyers:

Lucy Harrison; Joshua Smart; Elizabeth Deyong

Testimonials

‘Unlike other practices we have interacted with on commercial property Barr Ellison just picked up the brief and progressed matters without unnecessary artificial complication’

‘Kelly Peck immediately comprehended our requirements in an unusual option/lease agreement and her expertise was always evident. Our wordings were demanding but they were incorporated succinctly and with professionalism. We felt comfortable with her acting for us.’

‘Exceptional communications; pragmatic approach to risk; clear willingness to signal when a term is unacceptable; informal contacts with opposite numbers tht are productive rather than confrontational’

‘Kelly Peck was exceptional. Her communication and calm under pressure was fantastic as we navigated the purchase of some land.’

‘They have always been incredibly responsive and skillful across a multitude of different buildings and complex challenges. We find them to be a hugely competent and social engaged, but also very approachable firm which always meets our needs.’

‘We worked for a long time with Elizabeth Deyong who was absolutely pre-eminent in her field in this region. Lucy Harrison worked alongside her and has learnt from the best, becoming our go-to person for all our property work. We value her efficiency, strong work ethic, commitment as well as generosity.’

‘Friendly and motivated team. Very impressed with their speed of execution.’

‘Kelly Peck and her team – motivated, friendly and very responsive. Good at problem solving and quick to execute.’

Work highlights

A Cambridge law firm serving East Anglia, we have been trusted legal advisors to successful people and businesses since 1874. We promote our clients’ interests throughout East Anglia. Going beyond great service, we identify opportunities and empower our clients to take advantage of them.

The firm is celebrating its 150th anniversary by supporting the Arthur Rank Hospice throughout 2024. The Arthur Rank has played an important part in our city by caring for thousands of people over the past 40 years.

Catastrophic personal injury: Barr Ellison Law deals with all the needs of our personal injury clients and their families in one place, including Court of Protection, personal injury trusts, wills, family and property. Its dedicated personal injury team comprises knowledgeable, experienced lawyers with empathy and decades of specialist expertise focused on complex and catastrophic injury work. The team specialises in brain injury, spinal injury, amputations and other catastrophic injuries.

Barr Ellison has an office within Addenbrooke’s Hospital to ensure we are immediately approachable for clients and their families in all areas of law.  The team is extremely well connected locally having excellent relationships with key contacts for its clients eg medics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and case managers and therapists, enabling the provision of a caring, bespoke and individual service for its clients and their families.

There is a strong focus on rehabilitation. The types of cases include multiple catastrophic brain injury (child and adult), spinal injury, psychological injury and amputation cases, for example making a settlement of £10.7m for a young woman who suffered a brain injury as a result of a road traffic collision. The team has obtained significant interim payments under the Rehab and Serious Injury Codes to secure specially adapted accommodation for their clients. The team has decades of experience dealing with complex paediatric cases and recently secured a £7m settlement for a child who sustained a traumatic brain injury.

View our Personal Injury Guides here.

Personal wealth: wills, trusts, IHT and estate planning: The firm’s personal wealth practice is recognised for its strength and reach throughout East Anglia, acting for world-renowned academics, high-net-worth individuals and business owners, as well as advising Cambridge colleges on private client matters. The firm is ‘extremely efficient and quick to deal with the work’ and clients enthusiastically recommend partner Emma Parsons, who shows ‘professionalism, good humour and energy’.

View our Personal Wealth Guides.

Property services: Barr Ellison Law has built a solid reputation over decades and hundreds of years in all areas of property.

We work with our clients to achieve enhanced value for their land through property development. The firm acts in many large and small scale developments, assisting clients throughout the development process from property sale or acquisition through to planning agreements, joint venture agreements, overage agreements and infrastructure issues. ‘Barr Ellison reigns supreme in the property development world in East Anglia.’ (Business Weekly)

Barr Ellison also provides specialist commercial property services through its team of bright enthusiastic lawyers. Our lawyers have a proper understanding of commercial risk. We think like you because we have years of experience working alongside clients to get deals done.

In residential property we have a vastly experienced team who take the major hassles off our clients’ hands.

Family, divorce and wealth protection: Advice and outstanding guidance from experienced, committed family lawyers.  Our specialist family solicitors deal exclusively with all aspects of family law. We have outstanding knowledge in this field with over 50 years combined experience in our team. Our focus is to achieve the best possible outcome for you, providing advice that is comprehensive and effective.

View our Family Law Guides.

Companies and businesses: ‘Among the top law firms in East Anglia for business and corporate services.‘ (Business Weekly)

Legal support specialists to owner-managed and corporate business in East Anglia, we provide cost effective solutions for businesses. Our clients range from start-ups to long established companies.

Litigation and dispute resolution: We pursue and defend cases from the County Court to the Court of Appeal, resolving disputes by considering the options with you and guiding you through the process.

Department Name Email Telephone
Personal Injury Partner Emma Truin e.truin@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417200
Commercial Property Partner Kelly Peck k.peck@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417267
Family, Divorce and Wealth Protection Partner Sarah Martin s.martin@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417250
Personal Wealth Partner Emma Parsons e.parsons@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417240
Litigation Partner Robert Curry r.curry@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417200
Residential Property Partner Tracey Laflin t.laflin@barrellison.co.uk 01223 417200
Photo Name Position Profile
Mark Copley photo Mark Copley Catastrophic Personal Injury Lawyer
Charlotte Dixon photo Charlotte Dixon Charlotte supports the firm’s first class catastrophic personal injury team which focuses…
Lucy Spraggons photo Lucy Spraggons Personal Injury Lawyer
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Headway
Law Society of England and Wales
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA)
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)