The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Birmingham, tier 4

Shakespeares’ ‘highly responsive’ team predominantly advises on deals in the £1m-£10m bracket. It acted for BWT on its acquisition of Culligan International (UK), while other clients include Iris Software, Alliance Surgical and Copey. Duncan James heads the department.

Within Commercial litigation: Birmingham, Shakespeares is a third tier firm,

Shakespeares advises on the full gamut of disputes, from franchising cases to product liability claims, with Mark Beesley heading the three-partner practice. Tim Lawrence is ‘very proactive and accessible’, and Sundeep Ladwa is ‘very sensitive to clients’ specific requirements’. Clients include SVA and Birmingham City University.

Within Debt recovery , Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares recently added Metsec and RSK Group to its client base, joining RBS Invoice Finance and Clearprime, and has been increasingly active in statutory demands and winding up petitions. Associate Jason Morris is the primary contact.

Within Banking and finance , Shakespeares is a third tier firm,

Vicki Simpson heads the team at Shakespeares, and has considerable experience in property financing. Major clients include West Bromwich Commercial and Islamic Bank of Britain. The practice also covers corporate banking and LPA receiverships.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery , tier 4

The team at Shakespeares has seen some significant changes at a senior level; Carrick Lindsay and Robin Koolhoven left to set up their own practices, while Andrew Taylor joined from Irwin Mitchell LLP. Taylor is complimented for his ‘thorough advice’ and ‘ability to see the bigger picture’. Active clients include KPMG, Mazars and Islamic Bank of Britain.

Within Employment, Shakespeares is a third tier firm,

Shakespeares’ team acts for clients such as Red Bull and Birmingham City University, and gained further strength through the firm’s merger with Needham & James. The team defended a manufacturing company in tribunal against claims of unfair dismissal, equal pay, and sex and disability discrimination. Simon Gilmour is the key contact.

Within Personal injury: defendant, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Julia Holden’s nine-partner team at Shakespeares regularly handles claims worth over £1m, and acts for a number of the largest insurers. Steven Warburton provides ‘personal attention, added value, and understanding’.

Within Regional review,

Shakespeare Putsman expanded through mergers with Needham & James and Nottingham-based Berryman; the firm is now known as Shakespeares.

Within Agriculture and estates, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares, created by the merger of Shakespeare Putsman and Needham & James, is ‘consistently good – knowledgeable, market-oriented and expert in its business’. The team advised a major landed estate on the grant of a long-term farm business tenancy. Peter Snodgrass is ‘a very good operator’.

Within Family: Birmingham, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares ‘provides a prompt, methodical and economic service to clients’. Kevin Harris-James and assistant Emma Gibson are ‘highly competent, dedicated solicitors’, and Christine McVay, who joined from Barcan Woodward Solicitors, rates as an ‘efficient and careful lawyer who develops creative solutions’.

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

Shakespeares’ Clare Laird focuses on tax planning for high-net-worth individuals, while Anne Tromans has extensive experience in advising private clients on onshore and offshore matters in Bermuda. The team was strengthened by the firm’s merger with Needham & James, which brought Finula Allen on board.

Within Commercial property: Birmingham, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares’ 11-partner practice has the ‘well-known and respected’ Kevin Nagle at the helm. The practice advised CEVA Logistics on the sale and leaseback of a site, and advised Cannock Developments on the acquisition of a hotel premises. Clients include large-scale operators and developers, and a number of organisations in the care home sector. Major clients include Barratt Homes and Wesleyan. Rob Adey is another key contact.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in the West Midlands, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares’ lead partners are Janet James and Richard Cox. The team represents National Grid, and has experience in renewable energy projects. It is also active in landlord and tenant matters.

Within Construction, tier 4

Shakespeares is acting for Sandwell and Dudley Councils in the drafting of two framework agreements for highways works, and has also been active on the contentious side. Quantum Care and Feltham Construction are also clients. Ian Yule is recommended.

Within Property litigation, Shakespeares is a third tier firm,

At Shakespeares, head of department Mark English is well regarded and shows ‘great attention to procedural detail’, and the ‘knowledgeable’ Susan Archer is the other contact partner. Crest Nicholson Developments and Wincanton are clients.

Within Social housing Social housing

Within Intellectual property, Shakespeares is a third tier firm,

Shakespeares delivers ‘value for money’ and ‘advice that is clear and unambiguous’. It advised Cambridge Weight Plan on the development of a new brand and the policing of third-party infringers. Nick Briggs ‘makes litigation painless’.

Within IT and telecoms, Shakespeares is a second tier firm,

Shakespeares continued to act for longstanding clients such as Logica, while gaining significant resources in the East Midlands through the merger with Berryman and winning impressive new clients such as LG. The ‘commercial’ Andrew Hartshorn is ‘astute, and very experienced in IT/outsourcing’.