Walker Morris LLP > Leeds, England > Firm Profile

‘Walker Morris brings a high quality and pragmatic service at a very reasonable cost to clients. Easy to work with for outside counsel.’

‘Debbie Jackson is a commercial and pragmatic adviser. She gives straight forward, clear advice.’

‘Walker Morris punches well above its weight. The team has an ability to assist U.S. clients with their inbound investments and take a very practical approach to all issues uncovered en route.’

‘Daniel O’Gorman, Oliver Duke and Jo Stephenson are stand-out corporate partners.’

‘Walker Morris offers a multidisciplinary service from a single site. They focus on providing sound commercial advice and a partner-led service. They consistently achieve results and have great client care.’

‘Jo Stephenson is a highly regarded trusted adviser in the sector. She always delivers a professional service that goes above and beyond and is actively involved in each transaction she works on, adding great value. Her attention to detail, technical knowledge and focus on client care are second to none.’

‘Commercial approach to billing and abortive fees. Genuine interest in the work and our business. Exceptional responsiveness and availability. Safe pair of hands.’

‘Easy going, calm under pressure and really exceptional and pragmatic advice. Willing to stick their neck out and make a suggestion or propose a decision, rather than defer to the client to take all the risk.’

‘Sarah Ward is an excellent lawyer who responds quickly and gives practical, actionable advice on competition law matters.’

‘My experience of the WM competition team is that it provides city quality competition advice, relevant to our sector, and is commercial in its outlook.’

‘We enjoy working with Walker Morris. Sarah Ward is a key contact and can provide city level advice at regional fee rates.’

‘Sarah Ward provides practical and insightful advice and is a “go to” lawyer for us in this area.’

‘Astute commercial litigation practice able to advise on a range of commercial disputes from inception through to mediation/adjudication.’

‘Nick McQueen – excellent judgement on merits and risks and good letter drafting skills.’

‘The Walker Morris team have been a constant point of contact for us throughout a number of very technical and complex disputes. They have consistently been available to offer support, advice and guidance whenever needed, frequently on short notice and outside of normal working hours. This has been invaluable given the time difference between the various jurisdictions involved (UK, US and China), allowing us to make real progress in short timescales.

‘Not only does the team have impressive technical knowledge and legal skills, but they offer practical, commercial advice that is easily accessible to us and our global legal teams. It has been a real team effort and the support of Walker Morris has made all the difference in ensuring we achieve the best possible result in incredibly challenging circumstances. The right advisors have been available to provide the advice we need, whenever we need it. We have lawyers instructed worldwide, but the Walker Morris team have been the focal point, driving things forward for us. It can sometime be daunting instructing foreign lawyers, but the entire process, from the start to date has been effortless and consistent with Walker Morris.’

‘Gwendoline Davies, Partner and head of the Commercial Dispute Resolution team at Walker Morris. Gwendoline is a highly skilled, impressive and pragmatic lawyer who has been constantly available in fluid circumstances, despite the various jurisdictions involved in the dispute matters. Gwendoline clearly has vast technical knowledge and an impressive legal skillset, but the main thing we’ve needed throughout the process is practical commercial advice and that is exactly what we receive every time we pick up the phone to Gwendoline. We have, throughout this entire process, felt in the best and most capable of hands with Gwendoline, who is constantly live to all considerations and engages with the complexities of difficult and unusual circumstances. Gwendoline has also worked closely with our third party advisors (in UK, US and China), providing crucial input on issues that form part of a wider piece of work, ensuring we receive the highest levels of service.

‘Stuart Ponting is a partner in the Regulatory and Compliance team at Walker Morris – Stuart has worked with both our US and Chinese advisors to ensure we effectively demonstrate compliance with UK specific product safety legislation in particular relating to personal protective equipment supplied to the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stuart’s expertise as a consumer safety lawyer has allowed us to respond efficiently and effectively to requests from the Department of Health and Social Care’s technical assurance team. Also, his understanding of the complexities of medical device regulation together with his experience as a defence advocate ensures his sound legal and commercial advice is consistently of the highest quality.’

‘This is a really commercially astute practice with pragmatic commercial and disputes advice that works really well with in-house teams to deliver advice that the client wants.’

‘Shout out to Nick McQueen – an excellent lawyer and person. His friendly and direct communication style puts the client at ease. Strategic advice is supported by excellent experience and commercial knowledge.’

‘They offer a very good mix of making us know we are a valued client and also having a breadth of services on offer. It has been refreshing to work with the team who always look to be innovative in their approach and champion diversity across their team and the industry.’

‘We absolutely adore working with Lucy Gordon. To sum it up simply, she gets us. She really understands what makes us tick as a business and has a great rapport with many of our employees. We really like the way Lucy applies the relevant employment law but with a very commercial interpretation alongside.’

‘The employment team have a wide range of skills and experience in all areas of employment disputes and an enviable client base. The cases are always very thoroughly investigated at an early stage to keep costs in check. The team ensure that all paperwork is immaculately presented and user friendly.’

‘We appreciate the firm for its diversity, quality of work, and speedy responses.‘

‘Charlotte Smith is high-quality and knowledgeable, providing advice that is well thought out, confident, and speedy.‘

‘It’s the team’s approach to dealing with complex employment-related issues that stands out: the relationship is very collaborative, the team adapt their style to the culture of the organisation they are advising, and in some ways we go through the highs and lows together. The more junior members of the team join our calls to get exposure to the conversations, which is a great way of building rapport and learning our business.’

‘Charlotte Smith has a wealth of knowledge in complex employment law and has a unique ability to present the guidance so that it’s easily understandable. Charlotte always asks what we are looking for as an outcome and presents us with options.’

‘The team is very responsive, pragmatic, and outcome focused, and takes its time to understand our business and business challenges.’

‘Stuart Ponting is very good. Thoughtful and strategic in his approach, of course protecting the interests of his client, but pragmatic and straight-forward to deal with.’

‘This is the strongest H&S team I have ever worked with. They have an excellent level of legal knowledge, superb attention to detail, and an appetite to fiercely support their clients.’

‘Stuart Ponting has a first-class legal mind and cuts through any case to the heart of the issues.’

‘Very strong health and safety team which is good at dealing with regulators.’

‘Stuart Ponting is outstanding. Amazing knowledge and knows how to handle regulators.’

‘Fantastic team to work with keeping you updated and included at every step in the process.’

‘Stuart Ponting is capable of considering all potential situations and outcomes and can understand complex technical matters with very little explanation.’

‘WM are a unique practice as they are a single office firm with a concentration of talented, high calibre lawyers.’

‘Philip Scott is a stand-out member of the practice for me. He provides a partner-led service that benefits from an experienced, calm and assured approach. It is clear that he is focused on the development of his team too.’

‘The team have depth and a range of knowledge to help with issues beyond just the banking documents, whether that be exit route advice for the bank, contact review or advice on IP, they have someone to help.’

‘Laura Lister is a first-class banking lawyer: bright, attentive, responsive, personable and gives clear advice.’

‘The Walker Morris team has expert knowledge of complex finance and real estate structures. The workout and recoveries team work closely with the banking team to ensure that all transactions are analysed from the “worst case” scenario to best protect their clients.’

‘James Crellin – responsive and has excellent technical banking knowledge and communication skills. James can manage all types of financings to deliver an excellent and cost effective product.’

‘The WM team have a real can-do attitude – they combine protecting their clients’ interests with a focus on delivering within the required timescales. I love the fact that, unlike some other firms, with WM you deal with the senior, experienced people who take hands-on responsibility for the work; they understand the issues and negotiate hard on your behalf.’

‘Philip Scott and Laura Lister are completely committed to their clients – doing whatever is required to get a transaction over the line. Laura Lister is brilliant at co-ordinating multiple parties in complex transactions and bringing all the threads together.’

‘Very hands-on involvement from the partners down; really good tacticians and technical knowledge of insolvency; brilliant at responding and drafting and advisory services really solid.’

‘The insolvency team is close knit and comprises outstanding individuals, with the confidence and ability to deliver on heavyweight and challenging insolvency litigation.’ 

‘Straight talking, no nonsense, sound advice from good people.’

‘Claire Askew is an exceptional lawyer. She understands all aspects of her practice and you can rely on her to provide you with sound commercial advice in an easy to understand way.’ 

‘The team at Walker Morris are adept at dealing with fast paced, complex situations. They invariably grasp the commercials quickly and use their experience and expertise to provide easy-to-digest and robust advice to their clients.’

‘Gawain Moore and Oliver Wheeler go above and beyond to support their clients. Based on my experience of working with them both, it is unsurprising that they were integral to the first creditor-led restructuring plan in the country.’

‘Excellent service. Colleagues used to London firms were very impressed and refreshed by ease of access and direct approach.’ 

‘Claire Askew can be relied upon to provide top quality, clear advice in a timely manner with an appropriate degree of commerciality.’

‘Friendly and effective delivery of advice, and practicable (no fence sitting).‘

‘High quality and easily understood; clear directions.’

‘Brilliant team of lawyers who are a delight to work with.’

‘WM have a clear understanding of LG and its complexities and have been able to apply our requirements when dealing with complex negotiations and contracts. The Team involved in the project were excellent at deciphering the key issues for the Local Authority and explaining the implications clearly – picking up extra requests for work which would better aid understanding and confidence.’

‘David Kilduff and Adam Bertram were keen to ensure that, as the client, I had all the support required to seek decisions from cabinet on complex issues and contractual arrangements with 3rd party organisations.’

‘The Local Government team at Walker Morris have been excellent to work with. We needed specialised knowledge for the sectors we work in and this team have been able to provide exactly that.’

‘WM has been very collaborative and proactive if the input from a different team within WM is needed. There is a seamless organisation of calls and inputs from these teams, still coordinated by the Local Government team so that as a client we are still only dealing with the one primary team on a project.’

‘Within this team we work mainly with 2 individuals who have stood out – Ben Sheppard (Partner) and Adam Bertram (Associate). Adam and Ben have excellent communication skills. This is helpful when trying to get projects completed or understanding when a comprehensive response will be completed. They are both very good at communicating thoughts and insights effectively and in a way which is understandable for a non-lawyer.’

‘The level of expertise and attention to detail is excellent. What is really impressive however is the real understanding of the client’s needs and requirements and the advice and support provided to achieve appropriate outcomes. Customer care is paramount and one feels that one’s matter is in safe hands and that the Team is fully engaged and committed. This goes beyond the provision of clear legal and procedural advice and encompasses wider support for the project.’

‘David Kilduff led the external adviser team and played a key role in delivering the project. All the lawyers involved were excellent but David’s commitment, expertise, support for the client’s officers and members, problem solving and suggestions at critical stages played a large part in ensuring delivery. One cannot praise highly enough how much David’s impressive knowledge and calm demeanour instilled confidence during a complex and often challenging project.’

‘Very client-focused and work with us as part of the team rather than just a conventional outside counsel relationship.’

‘Walker Morris are extremely client focused and definitely in the business of providing solutions rather than problems. By far the best legal practice I have worked with. Their development experience is second to none, and they always work with us to derive practicable solutions.’

‘Austin Judson is by far the best Real Estate Solicitor I have ever worked with. Austin continuously approaches challenges with a positive, collaborative, practical angle. This approach, linked with his intelligence and experience, has been a significant contribution to our projects. George Bacon’s experience and practical approach is also outstanding.’

‘The team at Walker Morris are laser-focused and always there for our business, whether it’s a small job or a large, multi-faceted instruction. The constant communication without having to chase them is something that makes them stand out to me.’

‘We have worked with Walker Morris for over ten years and never been let down. We have engaged them across a variety of teams, primarily their property department. They are all highly personable, attentive and never fail to deliver or provide succinct advice. We consistently recommend them to our peers and clients.’

‘Very knowledgeable in their field of expertise, which generally means that disputes are avoided as they get the legal side correct at the onset, which leads to fewer problems towards the end of the process.’

‘Excellent, hands-on lawyers, who are enthusiastic, approachable, hard-working, and commercially minded.’

‘Jules Harbage is very enthusiastic and really seems to enjoy getting to grips with the hardest cases; he is also very calm and approachable, Carly Thorpe is diligent, hard-working and a pleasure to work with. Tom Peel is down to earth and extremely sharp. Paul Hargreaves is excellent at client management and gets to the heart of what matters.’

‘The team is excellent. They cover a broad range of clients, so they are able to see all angles of a case. They also have great trial experience (which few solicitors have).’

‘Tom Peel is calm, very intelligent and very analytical. Paul Hargreaves is tenacious and gives his all for clients.’

‘My experience of this team is that they are fast, diligent, and really good at getting things done without having to be chased. We have had some great help from them on a very tricky project, and they have stuck to the task, showing great dynamism to help us solve the problems encountered.’

‘Carly Thorpe is very knowledgeable and delivers an excellent client focused service.’

‘The Walker Morris construction team are always available to give practical legal advice when called upon. Their key construction staff have a huge range of expertise, which we can readily call on. They are adept at developing strategies for successful outcomes, and can be flexible in their approach to changing situations. I have found their particular strengths to be in the areas of time and cost claims, fire safety and adjudication. They have also always dealt efficiently with non-contentious work.’

‘The team are very experienced, and have the ability to offer a rounded level of advice from site acquisitions through to S106 and any planning issues through the development process. Their uniqueness comes from the strength of their professionals and from their ability to consistently offer this rounded advice.’

‘All the team members I have worked with on a regular basis (Chris Slater, Richard Sagar, Rob Moore, Josh Kitson) are on hand and available to answer queries and provide advice at short notice. The right level of advice is given depending on circumstance.’

‘This is a very strong planning team.’

‘Rob Moore is exceptional for his ability to get on top of and hold the details of a case at his fingertip. He is an excellent strategist too, as well as being personable.’

‘Rob Moore is really one of the best.’

‘Walker Morris has an excellent reputation in this field and are renowned for their quality of work and proven success rate. They have a forensic approach which leaves no stone unturned!’

‘I have worked with Richard Sagar and Rob Moore. They are very professional, but also approachable, and they tell you how it is! They know their profession inside out, are very thorough, and get to the heart of issues directly. They are very honest in their assessment of the likely chances of a project’s success.’

‘We have worked with Walker Morris for over 15 years, and they have a very strong and deep legal knowledge base of property litigation. Their ability to take a step back and look at it from a client’s perspective is their most outstanding attribute.’

‘Martin McKeague goes out of his way to ensure that we are looked after properly within his firm. His own breadth and depth of legal knowledge in this field is quite remarkable, but his ability to weigh up the benefit to the client is where he stands out. He is pragmatic with his approach to matters and gives the client a proper sense of security when representing.’

‘Strong leadership and a real sense of an empowered team working together to create results.’

‘Dedication, calm under pressure, good grasp of a wide horizon of relevant legal issues and well presented advice.’

‘Lewis Couth is the standout. He is very good indeed. Very shrewd, conscientious and knowledgeable. He’s also always a pleasure to deal with. David Manda is excellent, too.’

‘A superb team of extremely experienced property litigators.’

‘Martin McKeague is an extremely experienced solicitor who thinks of every angle. One of the best in the market. Lewis Couth is a new generation of lawyer. Brilliant to work with, insightful and with great commercial common sense. A superstar in the making. Asia Munir is a hard-working and effective associate.’

‘I’ve been very happy with the team at Walker Morris and found them to be knowledgeable and professional. We now count on them as a partner and consider them part of our extended team.’

‘Walker Morris is one of the best, if not the best, solicitor teams working within sport, especially football. Their industry knowledge of football is second to none, and they take on a wide variety of work, from transactional to litigation, in the sector.’

‘David Hinchliffe is one of the star lawyers in the UK working in football. I would rely on his judgment more than just about anyone else. He is extremely well-connected and brings in, or thinks up, excellent cases.’

‘A very experienced team steeped in the issues affecting sport clients.’

‘David Hinchliffe: Hugely experienced, very savvy, warm-hearted. India Swall: already a star. Switched on, clever, astute.’

‘Rob Payne and his team have taken the time to really understand our business and how we operate. As a result, the advice we receive is meaningful, commercially minded and allows us to quickly make a decision regarding next steps. We are immensely grateful to have built such a good relationship with Rob and his team and have no doubt that it is greatly improved our in house service to our business.’

‘The team are experienced and reliable to work with.’

‘Rob Payne is as good as it gets. His grasp of the technical knowledge required is second to none, and he is able to distil that knowledge into sound, commercially minded advice to the benefit of his clients. Ashley Neville is a rising star and will no doubt make a fantastic partner in the future.’

‘The team is helpful and pragmatic.’

‘Ellen McLean and Rob Payne are always available to discuss matters it is helpful and a valuable outlet to our team.’

‘Huge amount of experience in banking litigation. Excellent partners and a really strong pipeline of talented associates. Always a pleasure to work with.’

‘Rob Payne is an excellent partner with experience, legal knowledge and determination to get results.’

‘Walker Morris’s banking litigation practice is one of the strongest regional practices I know. They have excellent links to a number of high street banks and as a result are very experienced in the range of banking and financial claims likely to arise.’

‘Highly knowledgeable and experienced, particularly in complex transactions and negotiations.’

‘Great breadth of knowledge and skills in the team. Very easy to get hold of and work with.’

‘Their Pensions Breakfast Seminars in Leeds are well-known for being innovative, fun, and engaging.’

‘Jo Ratcliffe is down-to-earth, warm and engaging, and easy to work with. Jo is has a huge depth of knowledge and experience and I would want her on my team on any difficult negotiations.‘

‘Friendly and very knowledgeable. Gave practicable advice at all times.’

‘Good attention to detail.‘

‘I would highly recommend Walker Morris given their professionalism, excellent quality of service, speed of delivery and value for work done.’

‘Adam Bertram and Ben Sheppard are very thorough, efficient and have excellent knowledge of project and finance documentation. Their ability to deliver high quality work on a short notice (in case of a change to project deadline) is most impressive. The team is very responsive to requests and always provides a constructive solution within a short time frame.’

‘Exceptional client care, collaborative approach and are fully invested in our needs.’

‘Commercial understanding combined with straight talking no nonsense approach to dealing with sometimes complex issues. Turnaround for items of work is also exceptional.’

‘Great team with great experience in the sector.’

‘In depth knowledge, excellent approach, pragmatic. Feel well looked after.’

‘The team not only know their sector, but are very client focused, delivering advice that is practical, precise and punctual. The infrastructure and energy practice has been our port of call for most of our difficult queries. There is a real sense they want to help their clients achieve success.’

‘Judith Pike and Jake Smith are both phenomenal and are the key support team on all property related matters. They both really care about their clients achieving the desired commercial outcome but finely balance this with protecting our position as much as possible. The rest of the team are also brilliant, and highly responsive. There is a strong collaborative approach to their work.’

‘Everything about Walker Morris is a joy. They are quick to respond, support us and are always helpful.’

‘They have always been knowledgeable, reliable and helpful.’

‘Very, responsive, personable, professional and practical.’

‘Walker Morris has gone over and above helping our client and myself navigate the legal and contractual process for a project that has been specifically difficult.’

‘They just provided the assurance that you need sometimes when we have difficult problems to overcome.’

‘I worked primarily with Alex Jones and I would recommend him without hesitation or reservation. Knowledge is key, and his interpretation in legal terms for our difficult situations always gives us confidence when we are dealing with delicate situations that could cause significant financial issues to the trust.’

‘They have supported us through many projects and are always very clear with their direction and instructions. To a non-legal person their support through the process has been invaluable. Their response times are excellent and they are always on hand to offer support.’

‘The team provides user-friendly, practical advice. It conducts a thorough assessment of the issues at hand before focusing on the most relevant aspects for the client.’

‘Walker Morris offers a multidisciplinary service from a single site. They focus on providing sound, commercial advice and a partner-led service. They consistently achieve results and offer great client care.’

‘Jo Stephenson is a highly regarded trusted adviser in the sector. She always delivers a professional service that goes above and beyond and is actively involved in each transaction she works on, adding great value. Her attention to detail, technical knowledge and focus on client care are second to none.’

‘Karl Anders is an extremely cool-headed, intelligent, efficient, and experienced solicitor who is great to work with. Deborah Brown is very experienced, bright, hard-working, and also great to work with.’

‘In recent years I have worked predominantly with Alan Harper. I find that his analysis and strategy is consistently pitched just right – a fine balance of assertiveness, cunningness, and reason – which time and time again gets an early result for his clients.’

‘Practical advice with a commercial focus.’

‘Knowledgeable and approachable.’

‘The Walker Morris team are extremely responsive and make themselves available at any time, for any situation that arises. They are highly approachable and able to explain issues in layman’s terms, so we are always clear on actions required.’

‘Alan Harper is our key contact for IP matters. He is very approachable and will invest time and effort into ensuring that we get the best outcome in any circumstance. His advice is measured and fair. He has taken the time to really understand our business, which makes a major difference in our interactions.’

‘The team is responsive and provides helpful input across a variety of areas of IP law.’

‘Alan Harper has a good understanding of cross-border IP issues and differences between jurisdictions. He draws on his contentious experience when providing transactional advice, which helps make his input more focused.’

‘There is always someone who can help you. If they do not have someone in their practice that can help, then they also work with many other overseas teams that they can draw on.’

‘They are always helpful and get back to you quickly. They work with us on projects which are new to us, but that they specialise in, so they explain things so we can understand them. Very friendly and also professional.’

‘Always popping up in a range of sports cases, particularly football. A really good bunch of people.’

‘David Hinchliffe is the go-to person when it comes to takeovers in football. Hugely knowledgeable, well-known, very much liked. A treat to work with him.’

‘India Swall is a great associate. Deals brilliantly with cases and clients. Very bright, great drafting. Works at a level way above expectations for someone of her PQE.’

‘Top level sports law firm. Their incredible roster of loyal clients – especially Premier League and Championship football clubs – really says it all. They know the sports law world inside out and back to front, and always fight hard for the best results.’

‘Clients love and trust David Hinchliffe, with good reason. He understands their commercial needs and always fights their corner, he’s extremely well-connected, has seen it all, and knows the best way through any issue or dispute. India Swall is an excellent up-and-coming associate, with calm, poise and ability beyond her years. Always a complete pleasure to work with. Capably and dependably manages every aspect of major and high profile High Court and sports arbitration work. One to watch.’

‘Perhaps the firm with the best understanding of and connections in elite level football in the UK.’

‘David Hinchliffe is one of the best connected and most experienced lawyers operating in the sector.’

‘Their absolute strength is that no other firm is as deep in the industry as them. They know the industry better than anyone. Stephen Morris and David Hinchliffe are absolute sector specialists.’