The Legal 500

Blake Lapthorn is one of the UK’s leading full-service law firms, providing the full range of legal services needed by companies and organisations, with an industry-focused approach through its specialist sector groups. The firm also provides key services for individuals and families.

The firm: More than 350 lawyers and other specialists deliver these services, based across key locations in London and southern England. Combining legal expertise with a strong commercial approach, the firm delivers results for its clients, whether they are multinational companies, owner-managed businesses, government agencies, charities or private individuals. The firm’s size and locations give it the breadth of experience and the depth of resources to provide the highest levels of service and the capacity to handle large and complex projects. As well as the full range of corporate and commercial services, Blake Lapthorn is focused on a number of sectors including development and construction, retail, leisure, hospitality, travel and tourism, financial and insurance, charities, public sector, regulatory and private individuals. This enables the firm to provide tailored advice built on a thorough understanding of the issues faced by a particular area.

Blake Lapthorn also has strong international links through its affiliation with TAGLaw, a global alliance of independent law firms; technology law association, Euro IT Counsel; and the international network of aviation law firms, L2B Aviation.

Types of work undertaken: The firm’s core practice areas are corporate and commercial services, real estate, litigation and dispute resolution, and private client.

Corporate and commercial: the firm has a strong reputation for its corporate finance work, handling all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, MBOs, MBIs, disposals, banking and asset finance, as well as employment and pensions, IP and IT. Expertise also includes aviation and transport, construction, outsourcing, tax, publishing and public procurement.

Litigation and dispute resolution: one of the leading firms in the South, specialising in all areas including litigation, arbitration (domestic and international) and alternative dispute resolution. The firm’s cases are regularly heard in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Specialist teams cover construction and engineering, property, IP, IT, licensing, environmental law, business regulatory, insolvency and business recovery, debt recovery, professional negligence, disciplinary law and travel law. The firm’s professional regulatory and clinical negligence teams have national reputations.

Real estate: the team is one of the largest in the South of England, and provides high-quality advice to clients ranging from property companies, developers and institutional investors to leisure and retail occupiers, entrepreneurs and charities, as well as a growing body of local and central government clients. The work of the real estate team is underpinned by the firm’s planning, environment, tax and banking groups. There is also an agriculture and estates team advising on all property issues, as well as a specialist equine law unit.

Private client: the firm offers its clients the full range of private client advice, including inheritance and tax planning, wills and probate, matrimonial and family, personal injury (including personal injury trusts), clinical negligence and drivers defence. The firm also has an experienced French team that provides services regarding French estates, divorce issues involving French real estate assets and the preparation of French wills.

Other offices: Southampton, Oxford, London, Portsmouth

Number of UK partners 97
Number of other UK fee-earners 253