‘High-quality team – more than capable of advising on deals to the same standard as City firms, with the obvious costs benefits. For corporate clients, who need to deliver value in their businesses, the question is becoming why would I not instruct Addleshaw in Manchester on this deal, rather than why would I.’

‘Roger Hart is an exceptional operator.’

‘George Danczak – superb service from him and his team.’

‘Knowledgeable and reliable. Top quality.’

‘A strong knowledge of the process from start to finish with exceptional advice and hand holding throughout the complexities of the various work streams.’

‘Roger Hart and his team were exceptional throughout the entire process. I felt they were always available when needed and their work ethic was amongst the highest I have encountered. In all dealings, they were exceptionally calm, assured, communicating with us at all times in a very professional manner showing real maturity and empathy when required. I would have no hesitation in recommending the firm and the team to other companies contemplating a similar process.’

‘DLA is a global powerhouse, but has not lost its focus on each of its local markets. The corporate and commercial practices in Manchester are led by highly experienced, market leading partners who are client-facing, hands-on transactional lawyers who have the benefit of being able to tap into the technical and worldwide expertise that comes with being a leading global firm. Junior lawyers are well supervised and have good exposure to clients and all fee earners are supported by excellent know-how and training.’

‘Jonathan Watkins is a stand-out transactional lawyer. Very bright and extremely hardworking with a wealth of experience – as a client you are in no doubt that you are in very good hands.’

‘James Kerrigan has a good all round client base with a particular emphasis on private equity where he is a market leader. Andrew Phillips is smart and personable with good interpersonal and client management skills.’

‘Lee Brierley – very experienced and commercially savvy. Understands what is important to clients and finds solutions to difficult issues.’

‘DLA Piper are trusted corporate and commercial legal partners. They are, frankly, a market leading agency who provide pragmatic, and outstanding commercial support, able to draw on relevant expertise seamlessly across its cross-functional legal practice areas.

‘The service was exceptional, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with a team who is utterly down to earth, yet super knowledgeable. When any management team are involved in a deal, it is vital to know you have a safe pair of hands dealing with your legal matters. The DLA team surpassed all expectations. Attention to detail, client-centricity, dedicated team with actual hands-on approach from senior partners at all stages from proposal to deal completion: a much-needed boutique experience, lost by many competitor global law firms. If you are looking for lawyers to act on investment transactions, general M&A, sales and/or on-going portfolio management work, do not look any further because these guys are the A-team.’

‘Andrew Phillips is a total superstar. He is a true leader in his field. He is vastly knowledgeable, remarkably committed, smart and imaginative. He provides a totally down-to-earth approach, backed by vast corporate and commercial experience and expertise that he draws upon.’

‘I find the strength of the team, collectively and individually, to be a great positive.’

‘Daniel Hall – an eye for detail and also the big picture of a transaction. Sees things from the client’s perspective and has a strong commercial sense.’

‘Jamie Partridge has a phenomenal eye for detail and capacity for sustained, high-quality work.’

‘Kuljeet Gill is an incredibly experienced corporate/commercial lawyer with exceptional knowledge and attention to detail and a phenomenal drive, which is invaluable in ensuring deadlines are met and projects completed.’

‘The team know our business extremely well, which means they tailor their advice to our risk appetite. They are responsive and pragmatic.’

‘Giles Chesher’s client relationship management is second to none. He is also an extremely able deal lawyer, with a very effective negotiating style that combines commercial pragmatism with tenacity when required to get the best outcome for his client. He manages cross-border deals seamlessly, bringing in colleagues from various departments to provide specialist advice and translating its impact into practical risks that our business colleagues can assess.’

‘High-quality, timely, practical advice provided throughout the team. Key issues identified early and pragmatic solutions offered.’

‘Responsive, professional and very enjoyable to work with.’

‘Well resourced across all grades of lawyer, good cross disciplinary skills, agile and responsive, client centric’

‘Andrea Cropley is a trusted advisor and valued partner. Highly skilled, has presence and gravitas and a “let’s get this done” attitude.’

‘Darren Ormsby has been an exceptional partner for us, offering sound advice, availability as needed and the expertise we require. Because of Darren, DWF have become our legal partner of choice.’

‘Excellent relationship with partners and ability to tailor the service to the size and scale of the task/deal.’

‘Extremely professional and amiable individuals. Adaptable and flexible in working practices and timeframes.’

‘A strong, flexible team that thinks outside the box and gets to know the client’s business. We like the latter and the fact that we don’t have to explain the logic of why we want to do ‘x’ or ‘y’.’

‘The Gateley team takes a highly engaged and collaborative approach, taking time to understand the context in which their clients operate and adding value accordingly.’

‘We liked that all individuals were contactable throughout the pandemic and that a number actually rang us where government policies impacted on our business.’

‘Excellent all round in corporate and banking – always available and helpful.’

‘Our main points of contact in the corporate and commercial team are Kate Richards and Rebecca Grisewood. In simple terms… they get the job done and don’t engage in ‘point scoring’. They understand that time is precious and that contracts are negotiated. We also like the fact that we can negotiate a fixed price fee at the outset for a piece of work.’

‘We valued their commitment to deliver a very aggressive and demanding program of work.’

‘The team is fantastic in all aspects. They are hugely passionate about the job they do, pragmatic, super knowledgable and dedicated. They are hands down the best legal company we have ever worked with. They get the job and go above and beyond to make sure everything is not only done brilliantly, but also done with passion and care.’

‘Absolutely outstanding, attention to detail, dedication. They deal quickly and pragmatically with any last-minute things that arise, regardless of the time of day or night. Totally dedicated and committed team.’

‘Mark Fitzgibbon’s technical knowledge in respect of the public procurement regime is second to none, and at the same time he is able to offer very practical, commercially sound advice. He is always a real pleasure to work with.’

‘The team assigned to projects works seamlessly so that there is a continuum of service provision, from partner to manager to associate. They anticipate client needs well, look for ways to reduce client workloads, and translate legal “jargon” efficiently to help client understanding of situations/implications and present options. Where direction/opinion is needed, they will offer it without hesitation.’

‘Tom Hall and Arshnoor Amershi – highly collaborative, listen to clients effectively and demonstrate high commitment throughout the project, sticking to deadlines and working well in multi-disciplinary teams (across multiple parties). Tom is a strong leader and facilitator.’

‘The team has been extremely aware of our business and the position it found itself in. The corporate and commercial team worked to help us keep everyone co-ordinated and at the same time provided sound commercial and corporate advice.’

‘Tim Hamilton always helps us to look at things from a different perspective, giving “commercial” advice having listened to the problem in hand and the stated objective. Tim always made sure that he had thought about our particular issue and gave us a considered opinion.’

‘Very friendly team with deep M&A expertise and ability to adapt to changing deal circumstances.’

‘Andrew Millar is an excellent negotiator. Clear and responsive to client needs. Technically excellent in his field.’

‘Tim Jackson-Smith is very responsive, gets to the point and provides consistently good advice.’

‘The Shoosmiths team was integrated, bringing together a number of competencies within the same time. We are impressed with the level of connectivity within the team, and that they were completely aligned in their advice so that you can speak to any person and get clear and consistent advice across a broad range of topics.’

‘We found Andrew Millar and Tim Jackson-Smith to be clear, concise and structured in their advice. They were very commercial, and highly engaged in the project throughout. They were also available to the client and ourselves as advisors whenever required, which was critical to the success of the project in a very tight timeframe.’

‘Shoosmiths take ownership of the deal and are to be commended for the commercial outlook. Exceptional client care and a comfortable environment.’

‘Richard Millington – excellent client service with swift grasp of the issues.’

‘The corporate team at BJ Manchester has an excellent understanding of both the issues that face clients, and the way that other members of the team work. Their advice is measured, proportionate, and never delays progress on a deal unless the matter under consideration is absolutely fundamental. Furthermore, their ability to earn the clients’ trust is unparalleled, and this ability to develop relationships quickly creates an atmosphere which more easily facilitates transactions.’

‘Ryan Brown has competence that exceeds his standing as a senior associate, to the extent that each time I deal with BJ the required input of a partner diminishes.’

‘The PE experience of the team in the mid-market space is unique. The Browne Jacobson Manchester M&A Team are high quality individuals, well known in the city for their commercial acumen, can-do attitude and negotiation skills. The wider firm are also brought to bear on a number of transactions as the specialists in specific areas come to the fore.’

‘Ryan Brown is soon to be a leading light in the Manchester legal market in his own right; the support Ryan provides to Peter Allen on a transaction is second to none and is regularly commented on (in a positive manner).’

‘Great depth of knowledge and resources across the team, both locally and nationally. Clear and straightforward advice with a clear recommendation and opinion at the end of the legal analysis, delivered with obvious commercial understanding of the wider context within which their advice is being provided and the potential business impact.’

‘Technically excellent and commercially pragmatic – the combination of Peter Allen and Ryan Brown just works – a great team. Ryan’s grasp and retention of the detail on all aspects of a corporate transaction is superb, with Peter providing years of experience and great commercial awareness.’

‘Very responsive; great breadth of expertise; good advice’.

‘Peter Allen is a stand-out performer. Goes above and beyond what is expected to provide a first rate service.’

‘Uniqueness is created by the blend of rigour mixed with a highly commercial approach.’

‘David Bowcock is an outstanding corporate lawyer – organised and communicative.’

‘The corporate team is immensely efficient, driving a huge number of transactions to completion each month, whilst still putting client communication first. Their in-depth knowledge of legal documentation and ability to negotiate warranties, representations and indemnities has been proven to protect my interests against less savvy or purposefully disruptive opposing solicitors.’

‘From rapidly learning my negotiating style to effortlessly dealing with sellers’ demands, Tom Ward was exceptionally sharp and thorough. Tom seamlessly acted as my main point of contact across several Fieldfisher teams. A leader in communication and relationship building, Tom always delivers sound, professional and commercial solutions.

‘The Irwin Mitchell team has been steadily improving its profile in the Manchester region. The ability of Victoria Zivkovic and Adam Kaucher to work together on a transaction, with each bringing different points and skills to bear, is significant.’

‘Adam Kaucher and Victoria Zivkovic are my key contacts. They have increased their profile over recent years completing a number of high-profile transactions in the last 12-24 months which shows their development as an M&A Team. Both very good lawyers, but with slightly different and overlapping skill sets – they work exceptionally well as a team.’

‘Advice, availability and pragmatic approach.’

‘The service we receive from JMW is excellent – they respond to our requests in a timely manner and always look to recycle any previous work they’ve done for us to keep down costs and time allocation. Richard Parkinson is very approachable and he’s built a very skilful team around him.’

‘Richard Parkinson’s diligence and the way he inspires his team to equally high standards is what makes them really stand out. He also takes the time to really understand your business before offering legal advice, and stands up to their “In Your Corner” tagline.’

‘JMW operate a central point of contact, with a clear method for delivering simple and direct advice and directing enquiries to other parts of their business. The relationships with the individuals within JMW are built on trust and I have confidence that they will neither pad hours nor bring in unnnecessary practitioners.’

‘My experience with Richard Parkinson has never been less than positive, he provides accurate, timely advice with recourse to the rest of JMW where needed and has always worked transparently with me. He understands the nature of our work and is able to determine the appropriate level of advice to be delivered to achieve the outcome we are looking for. From my perspective, his greatest strength is the ability to contextualise our issues, understand our business and convey advice from both a technical/legal perspective and in layman’s terms so that we can disseminate the advice and findings internally where needed.’

‘JMW have a number of excellent lawyers who build an excellent relationship with their clients understanding their business and striving to support them with care and attention. We have used JMW for a number of years now and would highly recommend them for a variety of services.’

‘Richard Parkinson understands the needs of our business and supports our aims and objectives providing excellent legal and commercial advice so that we can obtain the best solutions for our business. Richard’s knowledge is second to none and the speed of service has meant we haven’t missed any opportunity.’

‘Available 24/7, this highly skilled and motivated team make the M&A process as simple as possible for us.’

‘The team are just excellent to deal with. I found them to be supportive, professional, on the ball, down to earth and empathetic, really cannot recommend the legal team at KPMG enough.’

‘The KPMG team are warm, personable, great fun to work with, as well as delivering to the highest possible level. They work in true partnership with their clients, at pace and with incredible diligence and attention to detail.’

‘Paul Kelly always considers the commercial element of an issue when giving advice.’

‘Edward Bartlett has the tact, diplomacy, patience and experience to negotiate all sides of a transaction brilliantly. He is pro-active in his client relationship management, fully transparent on costs and manages expectations on all sides superbly.’

‘Edward Bartlett really stood out. He is superb at explaining complex points to clients and getting large groups of principals and advisors to cut through the discussion and reach agreement.’

‘Both Edward Bartlett and all his team went out of the way in making sure the protracted deal discussions came to a satisfactory end for all concerned.’

‘The Slater Heelis corporate and commercial Manchester practice go that extra mile to deliver the results required. Small, but perfectly capable of taking on the big practices.’

‘Simon Wallwork leads by example, he has a persona and experience that you can trust and depend on.’

‘Practical, no nonsense advice. Always looking to progress things and give useful suggestions.’

‘All the team we have dealt with have been true professionals, going above and beyond to serve our needs.’

‘Ian Roberts is prolific, acting on all of our acquisitions. As an M&A advisor, he is also a top choice for our clients as he is exceptional at what he does.’

‘Approachability, responsiveness and capability of solicitors. Above all, a level of confidence and trust in the advice received and commercial approach taken to get a deal over the line.’

‘The team at Weightmans have expertly facilitated delivery of instructions and they have adapted their usual procedures where possible to suit the client and encouraged feedback at all stages including regular update meetings. This has allowed large amounts of advice on discrete points to be provided, in-keeping with the client’s processes. To date, I have not experienced any other law firm to do this willingly for their clients.’

‘Sarah Walton is an exceptional lawyer with outstanding interpersonal skills who articulates the situation in a clear and precise way to achieve a great outcome for her clients.’

‘Sarah Walton is extremely easy to deal with. She is great point person and leads the team well. As a result they are very responsive and adapt well to short-term fluctuations/changes. Her advice is pragmatic and simple, but provides high confidence that she knows her stuff. Would highly recommend her and the team.’

‘They always make time for me and it always feels like I am their most important client. Turnaround is quick and efficient.’

‘Sarah Walton takes an excellent commercial approach.’

‘Weightmans were the first choice and have not disappointed.’

‘Clarified important details and distilled complex legal points to the client in a very accessible way.’

‘Knowledgeable, efficient, pragmatic, and timely.’

‘Kuits take the time with every instruction to understand exactly how our business operates which, given that it is a difficult industry, has been admirable and ensured that in every new contract they are better able to advise and draft in a way that is suitable to requirements. Importantly, they have a pragmatic and commercial approach to drafting that ensures that the law is used to enable contracts to go live in an expedited way.’

‘Their willingness to spend time learning the business and its operational systems has been exceptional. They have dedicated fee earners to develop an in-depth understanding of our business at the outset of our relationship which has made every transaction with them pain-free and swift. Fundamentally for us, Kuits people are cognisant of and aligned to our ethos in every contract negotiation.’

‘The blend of sector expertise together with a personable approach is much talked of, but rare to actually find. As individuals, the gunnercooke team have been brilliant in supporting us and their connected approach has helped us realise the ambitions we had for the company, culminating in a successful acquisition which we are very pleased with.’

‘Exceptional people doing brilliant work in the swiftest possible time in order to minimise costs to us. Cannot rate them highly enough.’

‘The practice works on a solutions-driven approach which, when working on complex transactions, is a great offering for clients and existing advisers. Their senior experience bandwidth can be called on quickly and efficiently without unnecessary costs or time spent.’

‘Nick Ducker has a great approach to getting deals over the line. Bringing legal diligence in line with relevant risk to ensure a well managed transaction journey for all.’

‘I feel like I’m getting a very personal service and they have the ability of making themselves feel totally available to me at all times. Communication is easy and the flow of information is always understandable. They have a good ability to make complex legal issues understandable to their audience. They work very well as a team and always feel united and committed even when working under pressure to tight deadlines. I couldn’t fault them.’

‘Nick Ducker – a very classy operator! Works hard and is always available to support and guide me through often complex situations in our larger commercial transactions.’

‘I never feel like the fees are too much for the work undertaken.’