The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Birmingham, Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

2010 saw Browne Jacobson LLP advise on over 40 corporate deals with an aggregate value in excess of £325m. The ‘very sensible’ Joanne Bligh is recommended for corporate matters, alongside the ‘very responsive’ Richard Nicholas on the commercial side. Significant clients include Metalrax Group, Thorntons and Santander Invoice Finance. Sector strengths include manufacturing, IT and building materials.

Within Corporate tax, tier 4

Browne Jacobson LLP has expertise across corporate tax, property tax and employee/management tax and incentives. Major clients include Alliance Boots and Wilkinsons. Andrew Noble heads the department.

Within EU and competition, Browne Jacobson LLP is a second tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP’s practice is ‘first class’. Matthew Woodford provides ‘sound and commercial advice’, and acts for a number of multinational motor vehicle manufacturers and spare parts producers. The team’s experience includes state aid, public procurement and merger control matters.

Within Banking and finance , Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘experienced’ Paul Ray at Browne Jacobson LLP leads a team that has received increased instructions in refinancing and restructuring matters and also in healthcare work, and is continuing to build its asset-based lending experience. It acted for the vendor on the banking aspects of the £80m sale of Synseal Extrusions. Active clients include AIB and RBS.

Within Employment, tier 5

Browne Jacobson LLP’s team advised on hundreds of equal pay claims against NHS and local authority clients. Iain Patterson ‘gives sound advice that is intelligible to non-lawyers’.

Within Clinical negligence: defendant, Browne Jacobson LLP is a first tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP is on the Medical Protection Society panel, and is representing one of the NHS bodies involved in the Mid Staffordshire Hospital public inquiry. The group continues to make progress in resolving the 550 claims brought against a local NHS trust regarding the misdiagnosis of epilepsy. Sarah White is an NHSLA-nominated partner.

Within Personal injury: defendant, Browne Jacobson LLP is a second tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP’s team is rated for its catastrophic injury expertise. Simon Robinson and associate Paul Cox settled a severe head injury case for £1m, saving up to £3.5m against the potential value, while Cox recovered £825,000 in a case concerning the anti-deprivation principle. Clients include the Motor Insurers Bureau and Chaucer Insurance.

Within Professional negligence Professional negligence

Within Health, Browne Jacobson LLP is a first tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP’s ‘overall level of service runs from good to excellent’. The firm is best known in the health sector for its clinical negligence work, but also regularly handles inquests, general health law, and commercial, property and employment matters for NHS trusts. It advised numerous trusts on Transferring Community Services projects. Oliver Pritchard took over as head of the commercial health team following the departure of Melanie Print.

Within Commercial property: Birmingham, Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP acted for Bradford City Council in its joint venture with a private sector developer on a scheme for the regeneration of the Canal Road Corridor in Bradford, while other clients include Poundland. Victoria Camfield heads the team, and Thomas Howard is rated for his healthcare experience.

Within Construction Construction

Within Property litigation, Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP’s clients include Alliance Boots, UK Mail, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ‘Very practical’ associate Tim Rayner receives many plaudits from clients.

Within Intellectual property, Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

In 2010, Browne Jacobson LLP won new clients such as Thorntons, Bad Company and Codemasters, and advised MACE Group on the second phase of its global rebrand initiative. Declan Cushley ‘provides excellent service, and is commercial and pragmatic’.

Within IT and telecoms, Browne Jacobson LLP is a third tier firm,

Browne Jacobson LLP advised Thorntons on a new outsourcing arrangement, and acts for clients such as Amcor Group, Staffordshire County Council and Mace Group. Richard Nicholas is ‘pragmatic and friendly, and has very good sector knowledge’.