The Legal 500

Clarion is one of the outstanding legal practices in Leeds. It provides a full range of services for businesses including commercial property, intellectual property, employment, corporate and commercial work, as well as dispute resolution, corporate recovery and business crime and regulatory matters, together with a range of high quality private client services.

The firm: Clarion has a refreshing approach to doing business with its clients. Clarion understands that everyone needs advisers who understand their needs and talk their language. It has brought together a team of experienced, talented and committed professionals who are passionate about providing the highest possible service for businesses and individuals alike. It is the energy and vision of the people at Clarion that are at the heart of its offering. The firm is now widely recognised as one of the most dynamic and innovative in the region.

Clarion places real importance on providing a partner led service with a hands-on approach. It is proud to develop long-lasting relationships with its clients and to offer them all the services they will require, both in the short and long term.

The Clarion approach focuses on a genuine desire to understand its clients’ issues and objectives in order to provide effective, bespoke legal advice.

Types of work undertaken: Corporate and commercial, which includes intellectual property as well as corporate finance and commercial expertise; property, including commercial and residential teams; dispute resolution, in a full range of areas for businesses and individuals; corporate recovery and insolvency, for institutions, companies and individuals; private client, including estate planning and probate; family, advising on the full range of matrimonial and family issues; business crime and regulatory, handling advice on regulatory issues alongside one of the major criminal defence practices in the North of England; employment, providing the best solution for clients across the full range of employment issues; costs and litigation funding, providing advice and costing services to lawyers, insurers, litigation funders and individuals; and debt recovery, acting for commercial and consumer organisations as well as local authorities in the UK.

Multi-disciplinary teams concentrate on specific industry sectors. These include sports and media, where the firm has acted for household-name sports clubs and governing bodies for a number of years, as well as providing expertise in media and the arts that is unique in the region. Brand and innovation expertise includes advice to brand owners and inventors on protection and exploitation of key assets. Financial services advice includes acting for established financial institutions, as well as up-and-coming lenders and data managers. Leisure and entertainment expertise covers the entire spectrum of licensing and other work in this sector, while third-sector activities cover charities and not-for-profit enterprises. Business finance and turnaround experience includes corporate finance, banking and property. Retail is also an area of expertise, while the built environment team handles environment as well as licensing and real estate matters. The motor industry team has acted for years for household name clients.

Clarion intends to expand at a measured rate by attracting further high-quality fee earners and substantial clients. Its main objective is to uphold its core values and provide outstanding service.

Breakdown of work %
Corporate and commercial  19
Corporate recovery 14
Business crime and regulatory  15
Dispute resolution  16
Property  13
Private client 7
Employment 6
Family 6
Intellectual property 4

Number of UK partners 19
Number of other UK fee-earners 64