The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Wright Hassall LLP is a second tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP has an active and wide-ranging practice, regularly handling complex deals with an international element. It acted for Valco Capital Partners (the private equity arm of Hilco) in the sale of Litho Supplies UK. Denby Pottery and HSBC are also clients. Robert Lee and Mark Lewis are recommended for corporate matters, along with the ‘very knowledgeable’ Christine Jackson on the commercial side.

Within Licensing, Wright Hassall LLP is a second tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP’s Andrew Potts has broad experience in licensing and gaming matters. Clients include West Bromwich Albion FC, Coventry Rugby Club and National Motorcyle Museum. As well as its work for licensees, the team also acts for the police and local authorities on licensing issues.

Within Commercial litigation: Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP’s five-partner practice is highly rated. The team is acting in a £2.4m claim for Daventry and District Housing Association in a ten-day trial in the High Court, and also acted in two substantial arbitrations and had three cases in the Court of Appeal in 2011. Consultant Andrew Spooner is ‘very experienced and very calm’, and practice head Sarah Perry is also recommended. Active clients include Tumble Tots UK and British Showjumping.

Within Debt recovery, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP advises diverse clients including finance houses and credit unions, with Sarah Perry and Phil Wilding the key contacts. The team provides the full spectrum of advice from recovery of debt prior to any legal action to debt recovery overseas. Gill Payne has left the firm.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, tier 4

Andrew Harris heads the team at Wright Hassall LLP. He advises on the full spectrum of insolvency issues, and has particular expertise in advising on the appointment of insolvency practitioners. Clients include Cranfield Business Recovery and MB Insolvency.

Within Employment, tier 4

Wright Hassall LLP has some excellent clients, including Orbit, Capgemini and Trident Reach. Ian Besant is recommended for his employment tribunal expertise, and Suki Harrar is recommended for her TUPE work; both are ‘extremely knowledgeable’. A developing area is advice on the Agency Workers’ Regulations.

Within Clinical negligence: claimant, Wright Hassall LLP is a third tier firm,

At Wright Hassall LLP, Jeanette Whyman ‘makes things simple for the client’. She is known for her experience in obstetric and gynaecological cases and neurological cases following brain and/or nerve injury following surgery.

Within Professional negligence, Wright Hassall LLP is a third tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP acts for lenders and sport professionals, and has been involved in a number of cases involving negligent investment advice. Sarah Perry is the primary contact.

Within Agriculture and estates, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘hands-on’ Paul Rice heads the team at Wright Hassall LLP. Its recent work includes advising an elderly spinster farmer (as the sole survivor of a farming partnership) on the rationalisation of her landholding and farming business; and renegotiating a succession tenancy for a fifth-generation tenanted farm. Clients include NFU Mutual (Midlands), Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

Within Charities, Wright Hassall LLP is a second tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP’s Mark Lewis has a well-established reputation, and provides ‘sound advice’. Active clients include Henry Doubleday Research Association and The Myton Hospice.

Within Family: Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Wright Hassall LLP is a third tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP has an ‘excellent reputation’, with particular expertise in private applications relating to children. Its client base is drawn from landowners, farmers, senior professionals and business people. Peter Lowe heads the team.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Wright Hassall LLP is a third tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP advises on the full spectrum of issues, from estate planning to complex trust issues. The ‘tenacious’ Martin Oliver is recommended for contentious probate. John Rouse is another key contact.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP’s work is ‘on a par with the big London firms’. It is acting for Chase Commercial on the redevelopment of a large site in Bromsgrove, and is providing ongoing advice to BMW and JC Decaux (UK). It has niche expertise in advising science parks. The ‘commercially astute’ Nick Abell heads the team, which includes the ‘first-class’ Humphrey Halford; David Slade, who ‘gets the deal done’; and Eleanor Deady, who joined from Cobbetts LLP.

Within Construction, tier 4

Wright Hassall LLP acts for a range of specialist contractors, including contractors specialising in mechanical and electrical works, and has particular expertise in groundworks. Philip Harris heads the practice, which counts Futures Housing Group, Coventry Construction and Ashe Construction as clients.

Within Planning Planning

Within Property litigation Property litigation

Within Social housing, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP provides ‘succinct and reliable advice’. The team acted for Newfiled Housing and Spire Homes on their conversion to charitable status, while West Mercia Housing Group and The Spectrum Group are also clients. Carol Matthews is ‘pragmatic’; Claire Waring is an ‘excellent negotiator’; and associate Rachel Gwynne is one to watch.

Within Intellectual property Intellectual property

Within IT and telecoms, Wright Hassall LLP is a second tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP has the ‘accurate’ Justin Byrne, who is a consultant, and the ‘incredibly responsive’ Lindsay Ellis. The team has advised on a broad range of major outsourcing and technology contracts, and recently advised a leading supplier on a complex multi-vendor global outsourcing deal.

Within Sport, Wright Hassall LLP is a first tier firm,

Wright Hassall LLP has an ‘extensive team of experts who are effective and efficient’. It represents a number of governing bodies, including British Showjumping, British Dressage, Archery GB and Bowls England. Practice head Stuart Cutting’s advice is ‘always thorough and practical’, and the ‘very experienced and supportive’ Richard Lane is also recommended

Within Transport , Wright Hassall LLP is a second tier firm,

Lindsay Ellis heads the team at Wright Hassall LLP, and provides ‘excellent all-round advice’. The team acts for some well-known logistics providers, including Maxi Haulage.