The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Newcastle, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway advised Sage on the £21m acquisition of construction software specialist Tekton, and also acted on the sale of Tile It All to Travis Perkins. Martin Hulls heads the team. 2008 saw the promotion of Richard Butts to partner; clients describe him as ‘always available, very technically able and truly commercial‘.

Within Corporate tax, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway acted as sole tax advisers to Northern Recruitment Group on its de-listing from the London Stock Exchange, and also advised NorthStar Equity Investments on the tax aspects of various investments. Paul Christian is recommended for his expertise in tax exit planning and restructuring.

Within Crime, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

Stephen Graham leads the team at Ward Hadaway, where highlights included representing art gallery the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art against a private prosecution brought by a religious pressure group. The team remains active in motoring and regulatory defence work. Clients value the ‘high level of knowledge demonstrated‘.

Within Licensing, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

The practice at Ward Hadaway, under Stephen Graham, boasts an enviable clients list that includes the Malmaison Group and English Heritage.

Within Commercial litigation: Newcastle, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway’s team continues its role for Persimmon Homes in a long-running judicial review case, with 2008 seeing a High Court appeal for the client. Ian Collinson heads the team and is recommended for his wide experience in civil disputes. The ‘extremely efficient and diligent‘ Paula Myers jointly leads the private wealth disputes team, and is singled out for her ‘practical approach‘.

Within Debt recovery, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

At Ward Hadaway, clients single out Pauline Appleyard for her ‘exemplary work‘, and the ‘high quality‘ Emma Hutchinson. Clients include mobile phone companies and recruitment consultants.

Within Banking and finance, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway’s practice head Julie Harrison continues to demonstrate a ‘wealth of experience‘. The team has an ‘excellent reputation‘ and recently handled overdraft-related instructions for the Co-operative Bank and Bank of Scotland. Additional instructions include acting for Barclays on a £25m warchest facility to Northumbria Estates Ltd.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery , Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Highlights for the ‘helpful and supportive‘ Ward Hadaway team include advising the directors of Bede plc in the run-up to the company’s administration. Jim James leads the team and has extensive experience advising lenders, companies, individuals and creditors.

Within Employment, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

2008 saw the appointment of Ward Hadaway to Orange’s national legal panel in addition to the team’s winning of several new regional NHS clients. The sizeable team includes Bernard Hodgson and Joe Thornhill, who are recommended for ‘excellent advice with practical applications‘. Notable instructions include acting for a large public sector client on a high-profile discrimination claim. Clients praise the ‘quality of service, response times and legal knowledge‘.

Within Health and safety, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

Ward Hadaway acts for corporate clients in HSE investigations. Stephen Graham is recommended, and has been joined by new recruit James Thompson.

Within Pensions, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

The team at Ward Hadaway expanded to ten fee-earners in 2008 and is led by experienced practitioner Tushar Bhate. It advised Barratt Developments on the group’s pension restructuring, and Darlington Building Society continues to instruct the practice.

Within Clinical negligence - defendant, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

Valued by clients for its ‘fully committed service and ethos‘, Ward Hadaway ensures that ‘clients’ needs are met and advice is available at all times‘. The practice advises numerous local NHS trusts, including several Foundation Trusts, in addition to others up and down the UK. Jeffrey Keeble is recommended for his ‘extremely impressive‘ service. Nicola Richardson is also a name to note.

Within Personal injury - claimant, Ward Hadaway is a third tier firm,

Roger O’Donnell heads the Ward Hadaway practice, which is recommended for its bulk RTA work.

Within Personal injury - defendant, Ward Hadaway is a third tier firm,

Notable clients of the ‘very proactive‘ team at Ward Hadaway include many local NHS organisations and English Heritage. Clients assert that the offering is ‘tactically sound and represents value for money‘. Jeffrey Keeble and Kathryn Myers are recommended.

Within Agriculture and estates , Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Notable instructions for Ward Hadaway include acting for a prominent farming family on the £1.3m purchase of Ryehill Farm. Clients praise the ‘first-class team with a personal touch‘, singling out Chris Hewitt and William Green for their ‘excellent depth of knowledge‘ and ‘solid grasp of title matters‘. Clients include the Lake District National Park.

Within Charities , Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway’s practice is headed by Colin Hewitt, who has experience in establishing charities and has recently been involved in a number of significant mergers and de-mergers. The team advises corporate charities, and the Arts Council of England also continues to instruct the practice.

Within Family, Ward Hadaway is a third tier firm,

The ‘very efficient‘ Ward Hadaway team has seen instructions on High Court cases involving assets over £6m, and boasts a discreet practice dealing with children and guardians in care proceedings. Jonathan Flower is recommended.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway offers expertise in succession planning for businesses and landed clients. Clients ‘unhesitatingly recommend‘ Andrew Facer and Alison Hall.

Within Energy, Ward Hadaway is a third tier firm,

Sector clients at Ward Hadaway include Windpower Ltd and Helius Energy. Cross-practice instructions involving the firm’s agriculture and estates team are frequent.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI), Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway advised Tees Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust on its £74m PPP project to build a 312-bed mental health facility in Middlesbrough. On the private sector side, the team acted for waste management company Shanks Group on a number of PFI waste projects. Melanie Pears is recommended.

Within Public sector, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

The ‘exemplary‘ Ward Hadaway continues its impressive role as adviser to the five Tees Valley Local Authorities. Melanie Pears is recommended for education and local government instructions, and is involved in the Hartlepool Borough Council BSF Scheme and Nottingham City BSF programme. Guy Morgan is noted for his advice to NHS Sheffield on a multimillion-pound improvement scheme.

Within Commercial property: Newcastle, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Acting exclusively for Aldi in the North, Ward Hadaway has seen instructions from the supermarket client on site purchases and land acquisitions to expand existing stores. Simon Priestley leads the healthcare property offering, which was instructed by North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust on the creation of a new hospital in Hartlepool. New client wins include Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. Practice head Malcolm Lloyd is also recommended.

Within Construction , Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Notable instructions for Ward Hadaway include advising North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust on its Momentum project, a £450m development that will include a new hospital. Ralph Wrighton is recommended for advice on brownfield site and regeneration projects.

Within Environment, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

With ‘considerable depth of experience‘, Ward Hadaway advised Shanks Waste Management on a multimillion-pound corporate disposal involving contaminated land and permitting issues. Stephen Campbell is recommended for his experience on both sides of the regulatory regime. New client wins include Tesco.

Within Planning, Ward Hadaway is a first tier firm,

Ward Hadaway has been active advising Persimmon Coatham on the proposed £88m regeneration development at Coatham, and longstanding client Northumbrian Water on a range of CPOs. Neil Robson leads the practice, and acts for the Duke of Northumberland among others.

Within Intellectual property and information technology, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway has a strong reputation for advising public sector clients in IT and ICT matters; clients include Nottingham City Council and Cumbria NHS Trusts. On the IP side it advised Pregis Rigid Packaging Ltd, one of the UK’s largest food packaging manufacturers, on the successful opposition of a design infringement claim. Alex Shiel is recommended.

Within Media and entertainment , Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Clients of Ward Hadaway assert that the team ‘delivers excellent response times and is technically savvy with appropriate commerciality built in‘. It advised Sage (UK) on its sponsorship of the television programme The Krypton Factor. Other clients include a film production company and computer games and animation companies. Alex Shiel is recommended.

Within Regional review, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway opened its first out-of-region office in Leeds in June 2008. Following on from Dickinson Dees LLP and Watson Burton LLP, the firm is the third to break out of the Newcastle market and look south to Yorkshire. This expansion south is not limited to the top-tier firms; BHP Law opened in Halifax in April 2008 through its merger with local firm Clarksons.

Within Transport, Ward Hadaway is a second tier firm,

Ward Hadaway continues to receive transport-related instructions with an emphasis on tourism projects, from tour operators, travel companies and hotel groups. Notable work includes advising Nexus on the £22m revamp to the Haymarket station in Newcastle city centre. Melanie Pears leads the team.