The Legal 500

Based in the north east of England, Browell Smith & Co Solicitors is a leading law firm, acting for a wealth of clients both locally and nationally.

The firm: The firm was established in 1995 with the intention of serving the trade unions, its members and local communities. Browell Smith & Co specialises in claims relating to personal injury, asbestos-related diseases, road traffic accidents and industrial/occupational diseases on behalf of claimants.

The firm also has an excellent reputation in handling cases relating to clinical negligence, employment law, family law, wills, trusts and probate, conveyancing and remortgaging and care home fee advice.

The firm is extremely proud of its success, and the formidable reputation it has built up as a key player in the legal field.

The firm has nine offices throughout the northern region and the UK. Philip Browell, senior partner of the firm commented, ‘we see having a multitude of branch offices as a way of enhancing the first class legal services we already are proud to provide to people of the region and indeed the UK.’

Browell went on to explain that the firm’s development continues in the personal injury and industrial disease fields, where it acts both for trade union clients and their members, as well as for the general public. In particular, the National Union of Mineworkers, the GMB, NUM (COSA), NACODS and the National Association of Councillors.

Types of work undertaken: Personal injury: the firm’s litigation department, under the guidance of partners Philip Davison and Kate Virica accommodates an ever-increasing volume of new instructions. All types of personal injury work including road traffic accidents and accidents at work, at home, or on the street are carried out.

Clinical negligence: the firm offers expert advice in this field. The department is headed by Dr Nicholas Wilkes who is a medically qualified clinical negligence specialist solicitor and member of the AVMA referral panel. More recently, Dr Wilkes has been joined by Clare O’Leary, who is also a specialist clinical negligence solicitor and member of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel.

Occupational diseases: cases involving asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques and pleural thickening are areas of particular expertise that the firm deals with, with associate Dawn Bagley and the industrial disease teams undertaking the work.

Matrimonial and childcare: Derek Pack, an experienced family lawyer, is one of only 15 lawyers in the region able to offer collaborative law – a means of resolving matters arising out of breakdown of relationships without going to court. Derek Pack is also a trained family mediator. The department continues to assist clients with all family law-related matters including divorce, children issues, financial settlement and civil partnerships.

Conveyancing: although the property market has consolidated, conveyancing and remortgaging work within the firm continues to progress under the guidance of partners Rodger Wilkinson and Derek Pack. The firm deals with all aspects of conveyancing including home sales and purchases, remortgages, transfer of equity, right-to-buy and buy-to-let.

Employment: the firm’s employment department continues to provide clients with advice and where appropriate, tribunal representation for all employment law-related problems.

Wills, trusts and probate: the firm’s wills, trusts and probate department, under the guidance of associate Stephen Browell, deals with matters relating to wills, trusts, probate, lasting powers of attorney, care home fee advice and administration of estates. The department also offers free advice surgeries on a whole range of probate-related matters, from many of the branch offices, where no appointment is necessary. Log on the firm’s website at www.browells.co.uk for more details.

Senior partner Philip Browell concluded by adding, ‘We are planning significant further development of the firm during the next 12 months.’

Breakdown of work %
Personal injury 80
Private client 20

Number of UK partners 6
Number of other UK fee-earners 60