The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Cambridge: , Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP has the largest regional practice, with a team including Tom Pickthorn, Claire Clarke, Brian Marshall and Zickie Lim, and is ‘proactive, and realistic in its estimates’. The firm advised Xaar plc on raising £15m for expansion; new client FSU Investments on its offer for AIM-listed SDI Group; and Eastern European brewing group StarBev on restructuring after its $3bn acquisition. One to watch, associate Stephen Hamilton is ‘responsive, and has a “can-do” attitude and a good rapport with clients’. The recent hire of Anthony McGurk from Eversheds LLP is a major coup for the firm.

Within Corporate and commercial: Norwich, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s team ‘makes a real effort’, and features James Hunter, who has ‘excellent experience, and is pragmatic, commercial and very accessible’; Terry Gould, who ‘provides excellent commercial advice’; corporate finance expert Nick Fischl; and Craig Hodgson. Clients include First Property Group and Adnams.

Within Corporate tax, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP has the region’s only dedicated corporate tax team, featuring Ted Powell, Christopher Townsend and Matthew Short. It recently advised on deals worth over £180m for Railway Pension Trustee Company, while other clients include Acacia Capital Partners.

Within EU and competition, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP has ‘very good specialist lawyers who are knowledgeable, responsive, and reliable, and have strong customer focus’. Recent work for Raith Pickup includes advising the MoD on a £1bn procurement contract; clients of Kevin Calder are ‘very impressed by his high standard of knowledge’; and Greg Gibson ‘takes time to understand clients’ requirements, and is flexible and creative in finding solutions’.

Within Crime, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Ian Mayers’s team at Mills & Reeve LLP handles white-collar and regulatory crime matters. Examples include trading standards investigations and advice to corporates accused of failing to identify fleet car drivers.

Within Licensing, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP is ‘very professional, knowledgeable, and good value for money’. Harriet Wells recently advised Vauxhall Holiday Park on its licence review, and Holkham Hall Estate on two new licence applications.

Within Commercial litigation: Cambridge, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Graeme Menzies and Jamie Wheatley are the core of a ‘capable and competent, pragmatic’ team at Mills & Reeve LLP that advises Aveva and The Environment Agency, among others.

Within Commercial litigation: Norwich, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Alive to the difficulties of any case and how best to get around them’, Mills & Reeve LLP’s Rachel Higgs handled a £90m breach of warranty and fraud claim for SPC (Norwich) Ltd; a £50m claim against an accountancy firm; and a £2.3m breach of contract dispute. The University of East Anglia and Archant Ltd are prominent clients.

Within Banking and finance, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

William Roles and Laura Holdaway at Mills & Reeve LLP ‘balance technical expertise with commercial awareness’, and Ian Benson (‘good quality without City prices’) and Zak Virgin are also recommended. Recent work includes advising the FSA on a £100m credit facility.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP has strong sector expertise in areas such as agribusiness, construction, energy and healthcare. Jamie Wheatley advised Deloitte LLP as administrator of Great Leighs racecourse.

Within Employment, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP lost Ian Mather to Mills & Reeve LLP, but Simon Tytherleigh retains key relationships with the likes of Royal Mail. Owen Warnock is nationally recognised for his experience in age and disability discrimination; Constanze Hewson (‘responsive, pragmatic’) leads an international HRPG projects team; and Tracy Yates excels in immigration.

Within Health and safety, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Ian Mayers provides ‘sound, pragmatic advice based on years of experience’. He is advising on HSE investigations for a major regulator following an employee’s fatal accident, and the board of an arts school after a student suffered a catastrophic injury.

Within Pensions, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Noted for in-depth knowledge and good value, Mills & Reeve LLP’s Harry Scott advises pension schemes across the UK including Cambridge Colleges Federation Pension Scheme.

Within Clinical negligence: defendant, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Stephen King, a trained mediator, is noted for his personal and efficient approach in claims ranging from cosmetic surgery to missed spinal fractures.

Within Personal injury: claimant, tier 5

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Sarah Garrood is ‘very polite, and gives constructive advice’. She recently recovered compensation for injury caused by faulty installation of a gas fire.

Within Personal injury: defendant, Mills & Reeve LLP is a second tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Sarah Garrood defends NHS trusts and large corporates, often in claims that are within their insurance excess or where the insurers cannot be traced. She has been increasingly active in mesothelioma, asbestosis and noise-induced-hearing-loss claims.

Within Professional negligence, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP has a national defence practice in which the Norwich office plays a key role. Stephen King, Guy Hodgson and Kelly Richards, who has returned from secondment, are part of a team that advises on complex, high-value matters for the likes of Aon Claims Solutions, BRIT and Countrywide Surveyors.

Within Regional review Regional heavyweights

Within Agriculture and estates, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP is ‘good at coming up with different ways to tackle a problem’. Michael Aubrey (‘excellent on acquisitions, land law and strategy’), Sally Graham and Amanda Tagg (‘very good on difficult issues’) are supported by others including Chris Belcher, who excels on tax issues for landed estates.

Within Bloodstock, Mills & Reeve LLP is a second tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Charles Staveley advises owners and breeders, and recently completed the purchase of Hesmonds Stud in West Sussex for an overseas investor.

Within Charities, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

At Mills & Reeve LLP, tax and governance specialist Ted Powell and trust law expert Peter Furnivall combine with Andrew Wood, who focuses on governance issues for universities and Oxbridge colleges.

Within Family, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

An ‘insightful strategic thinker’, Caitlin Jenkins leads at Mills & Reeve LLP, which has ‘easily the leading family practice in the area’. Nick Stone is ‘patient, tenacious, and has a sense of humour and fair play’; and Roger Bamber, an ‘acknowledged patriarch of family law in East Anglia’, stands out for his ‘technical skill and personal service’. Rising star Hannah Wilson is ‘calm and pragmatic, and can think outside the box’, with notable experience in high-value ancillary relief.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate: Cambridge, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP ‘keeps clients well informed’. Paul Solon is ‘solution orientated, with deep experience in international trust planning’, and recently advised on a £100m trust fund in Bermuda. Chris Belcher’s clients include the Burleigh Estate.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate: Norwich, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP is appreciated for its ‘superb, attentive, professional’ service. Justin Ripman has ‘an excellent grasp of detail and an ability to explain it in layman’s language’; Gregory Laming is ‘proactive and client focused’; and David Catchpole is notable as the region’s only lawyer dedicated purely to contentious probate.

Within Project finance and PFI, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP ‘outranks all other firms’ in this area, with a ‘first-class legal team in all respects’. Excellent negotiator Raith Pickup and Jason Poole ‘provide straightforward analysis in a commercial context’. The firm stands out for its work on student accommodation developments, and also advises the MoD on a range of projects.

Within Education, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Gary Attle’s team at Mills & Reeve LLP is ‘totally professional, first rate in every respect’, and ‘excellent, both technically and on issues that cross traditional boundaries of legal expertise’. Clients include the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, King’s College London, and the University of Westminster.

Within Health, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP is an ‘acknowledged healthcare specialist well known in the sector’. Gill Thomas, Bridget Archibald and Stuart Craig are ‘all excellent lawyers – negotiation skills are a key strength’. Its strong team of associates includes David Stead, who is noted for his ‘sound advice on difficult projects’ including bespoke property arrangements; and Julie Jordan, who delivers ‘wide-ranging, well-considered advice’ on commercial and governance issues.

Within Local government, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP is ‘very swift, and its advice takes the broad view’. Beverley Firth is ‘user friendly, with excellent judgment, and dedicated’; Nick Finlayson-Brown ‘tends to neither waste time nor waffle’; and Christine de Ferrars Green is ‘very approachable and pragmatic’. First class for property, town planning and regeneration matters, the team advises Norwich County Council, Suffolk County Council and many London boroughs.

Within Commercial property: Cambridge, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s advice is ‘always appropriate and understandable to a non-lawyer’. Michelle Cookson, Nick Finlayson-Brown, Christine de Ferrars Green, Charles Staveley (‘particularly strong, always direct and proactive’) and Tim Allsop (‘skilful in negotiations’) are key figures in the team, whose recent work includes the CB1 development in Cambridge and the Addenbrooke’s Hospital 2020 project. The firm also advised O&H Properties on a 6,900-home development with land values over £20m.

Within Commercial property: Norwich, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

At Mills & Reeve LLP, ‘service levels are high, response times short, and value for money is better than most City firms’. Tim Ryan garners praise for his work with local and national clients, and recently assisted on the letting of Baskerville House in Birmingham to the Office for Legal Complaints. Caroline Dean advised Colney Innovations on a £5m project in the Norwich Research Park expansion.

Within Construction, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP delivers a ‘first-class City service at a regional price’. Ron Plascow and contentious specialist Ed Callaghan ‘never fail to impress’; and Stuart Thompson ‘provides sound advice and excellent service’. The team advised the British Library in relation to its £20m newspaper storage building.

Within Environment, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Rebecca Carriage is noted for her quick, effective and commercial approach, and acts for clients such as Trinity College Cambridge and the Mineral Products Association. Advice on the Mining Waste Directive, for companies such as CBI Minerals Group, is a key strand of the practice.

Within Planning, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s David Brock is chair of the Law Society’s Planning and Environment Law Committee. He recently advised on complex s106 negotiations for the CB1 development, and also on an application for a 65MW energy-from-waste facility in Bedford.

Within Property litigation, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s ‘real specialist knowledge is of Magic Circle calibre’. James Falkner is ‘absolutely first rate, a pleasure to work with’. ‘Unflappable, and one of the best prop lit solicitors in the country’, Richard Hanson has joined from Eversheds LLP.

Within Biotechnology, Mills & Reeve LLP is a second tier firm,

‘Much more competitive than its City rivals’, Mills & Reeve LLP’s life sciences team features Isabel Napper (‘a true gem’), Alasdair Poore and Zickie Lim, and stands out for its expertise in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. It assisted on 30 funding deals in 2010, totalling over £28m.

Within Intellectual property, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘exemplary’ team at Mills & Reeve LLP ‘knows this area of law very well and applies its knowledge in a commercial and professional manner’. Alasdair Poore, Isabel Napper and Kevin Calder count Aveva and Bupa as clients. The ‘incisive, prompt, and personable’ Richard Plaistowe is one to watch.

Within IT and telecoms, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

With one of the largest technology teams outside London, Mills & Reeve LLP provides an ‘exemplary service focused on results, and has an impeccable level of knowledge’. Kevin Calder

Within Media and entertainment, Mills & Reeve LLP is a first tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP’s Terry Gould and Gillie Scoular have in-house experience in publishing companies, and the firm maintains a number of clients in the publishing sector, including Archant, the UK’s largest independently owned media and publishing company.

Within Sport, Mills & Reeve LLP is a second tier firm,

Mills & Reeve LLP counts Norwich City FC as a client for regulatory, licensing and commercial issues, and advises an engineering systems supplier to Formula 1.