The Legal 500

The Stokes Partnership is an innovative law firm, operating in specialist areas of business: litigation, commercial and residential property, corporate, family and private client services.

The firm: The firm’s growth has been continuous since it started in May 1998. It operates a dynamic ‘one site one culture’ philosophy, combined with a strong commercial awareness. It combines first-class technical skills with an innovative hands-on approach. It has a strong network of connections with other professionals, regionally and nationally.

The firm’s personnel are members of the Law Society’s Family Law Panel, Resolution, Solicitors for the Elderly, the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association and Dispute Resolution. The firm’s client base includes regional and national organisations and high-net-worth individuals.

Each practice area is led by a specialist partner or associate, supported by highly skilled and motivated teams.

Its work with building societies and reputation for remortgage work has put it on the national platform of e-conveyancing. Technology, in which there is continuous investment, plays a vital role in the practice and led to its national recognition and award winning.

The firm has an active recruitment programme and offers high-quality, stimulating work in an attractive location.

The firm plays a leading role in the community as a major employer and actively supports and promotes a range of regional and local causes.

Types of work undertaken: The firm provides a balanced and complementary range of legal services. Brendan Pang heads its contentious practice. He specialises in property, insurance and commercial litigation and deals with substantial cases throughout England and Wales.

The commercial property practice, led by Robert Wright, focuses on major land development projects, sales, purchases, leasing and financing of factories, agricultural land and assets, licensed premises, sports facilities, offices and shops.

David Bollington heads up the corporate and commercial practice, dealing with business acquisitions and sales, joint ventures, MBOs, commercial contracts and advice. David’s team specialises in advising professional practices in the medical sector, including GP practices and dentists, architects and vets.

David Stokes leads the family law practice, handling substantial and complex divorce and cohabitation cases and is complemented in his practice by Joanne Butler with her skills and expertise in dealing with all aspects relating to children. The team is supported by Kate Lewis in providing collaborative legal practice.

Its private client practice, led by Melinda Newbery, concentrates on inheritance tax planning, trusts, probate and wills.

Sarah Warren leads the residential property team, they are a substantial provider of services in property dealings, both regionally and nationally, and continue to develop and deliver user-friendly sellers’ packs and title insurance systems.

The specialist lender services unit (trading as Fasttrac Solicitors) is led by Jonathan Stokes and offers a high-quality, fast, efficient, and technologically advanced, conveyancing service to meet all the requirements a client lender may have. The firm (through Fasttrac) was the first firm to connect to the Land Registry’s Business Gateway – the Land Registry platform for supporting business-to-business Land Registry services using XML protocols. In 2010, Fasttrac Solicitors was nominated for the Best Conveyancer category in the prestigious Mortgage Strategy Annual Awards 2010 and for excellence in client service in the Law Society Excellence Awards. It was the runner up in e-commerce in the Somerset Business Awards and aims to emulate this recognition for its service and achievements in 2011. Clients include Coventry Building Society, Dudley Building Society and Teachers Building Society.

Breakdown of work %
Corporate 4
Commercial property 9
Family 17
Lender services 39
Litigation 17
Residential 7
Private client 7

Number of UK partners 4
Number of other UK fee-earners 18