The Legal 500

Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) is a leading national firm of solicitors with offices across the UK offering a wide range of legal services to individuals, institutions, trade unions and membership organisations. In April 2012, RJW joined Australia’s Slater & Gordon Lawyers, the world’s first publicly listed law firm. RJW and Slater & Gordon have similar histories and ethos and the ground-breaking move provides RJW with the resources to help it achieve its objective to become the largest and most trusted provider of personal legal services in the UK.

The firm: Founded in the 1920s with its ten offices across England and Wales and an associated office in Scotland. The firm is committed to delivering exceptional, affordable legal services for individuals, membership organisations, unions and affinity groups, in their personal, employment and business affairs. Initiatives include: becoming the first law firm to have an accredited 24-hour contact centre; creating legal helplines to help members of affinity groups and building the Claims Direct brand.

Types of work undertaken: Personal injury/clinical negligence: the firm handles all types of compensation claims and helps thousands of clients every year find a remedy following an injury or accident. High profile cases include the UK’s largest group action with ‘toxic sofas’, as well as recently assisting clients caught up in the PIP implant scandal and the issues surrounding faulty hip replacements.

The firm also has one of the most successful clinical/medical negligence teams in the country. With specialist expertise not found in many other firms, in cosmetic surgery, orthopaedic and hospital/GP negligence cases for which it has a formidable reputation.

Employment: This department is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading employment teams for claimants and has a reputation for helping to shape the employment law landscape through its work on landmark cases. Its practice is focused on empowering individuals in the workplace by protecting their rights and the rights of those who represent them.

Family law and private client: The family department is one of the largest in the country ensuring that clients will be able to find the right person for their needs. The team offers a diverse range of services covering divorce and separation, civil partnerships and cohabitation matters.

The private client team offer services including wills advice, wealth structuring and tax planning.

Business crime and regulation: Pre-eminent in this field, the team has significant experience of investigations and prosecutions in company compliance, FSA, health and safety, corporate manslaughter, extradition, international investigations and confiscation. It was involved in the ground-breaking settlement with the SFO in the first use of civil recovery powers instead of criminal prosecution.

Professional discipline and regulation: the team has significant experience in advising both regulators and individual professionals on matters of regulation, professional discipline and fitness to practice across a range of industry sectors.

Criminal and misconduct: the firm provides a nationwide service advising and representing clients facing criminal and professional misconduct investigations and proceedings. It is experienced in employment-related criminal investigations and unrivalled in its involvement in high-profile criminal investigations and proceedings.

Media, libel and privacy: The firm has seen a shift away from prolonged litigation and trials to resolution of good claims at an early stage and by mediation. The team remains involved in large-scale litigation and is dedicated to protecting reputations and restoring them when they are damaged.

Sport: the firm is regularly consulted by sports organisations on behalf of their members, including the League Managers Association (LMA) and the Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC). The firm offers specialist advice on contractual disputes, sports injuries, discrimination issues, as well as sponsorship or other commercial disputes.

Group litigation and commercial services: The firm specialises in devising solutions for emerging issues, campaigning on legal matters and improving the legal knowledge of the profession and public. In addition, the firm offers a commercial property and business services department. The firm’s role as one of the major players in the public sector employment field has led it to develop a respected administrative and constitutional law practice.

Other offices: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Sheffield, Wakefield, Edinburgh (associated office).

Breakdown of work %
Personal injury 60
Employment 18
Crime, fraud, professional discipline and regulation 10
Family 6
Property, professional negligence, commercial litigation, general commercial, sport and media 4
Private client 1
Parliamentary and legal affairs 1

Number of UK Partners 53

Number of other UK fee-earners 144