‘Superb team. They have considerable strength in depth and are very flexible/easy to work with across the board. No egos. Very innovative in their collaboration and solutions for clients. Technically excellent. In my view they are the strongest litigation team in Manchester by some margin.’

‘Samantha Haigh – Superb. Samantha has an incredible legal brain. Recently described to me as a ‘genius’. Her ability to cut through extremely complex issues and prepare an easily digestible route map is fantastic.’

‘Practical and pragmatic in their approach; collaboration within the team and across AG more widely to get the best solutions.’

‘The team is highly experienced and attention to detail is immaculate.’

‘Really approachable and commercial.’

‘Phil Duignan is a very impressive and commercial operator. He is able to deliver advice on complex issues in a straightforward and business friendly manner.’

‘The personal skills and client communication is above and beyond our experiences with any other firm.’

‘Phil Duignan is a brilliant adviser and extremely client centric and responsive.’

‘The team is capable of handling a very diverse caseload – from big ticket international litigation/arbitration work through to small claims matters. In every case they provide timely, commercially-minded and highly strategic advice.’

‘Luisa Zukowski has deep knowledge of international arbitration and has represented us in key disputes where arbitration clauses are engaged.’

‘Expert knowledge, pragmatic and always focused on the client objectives. The team are very user friendly and always assessing the position in the interests of the client as the case progresses.’

‘Phil Duignan – very experienced and expert within his field. He is the person you want on your side in negotiations and mediations.’

‘Highly responsive, dedicated, professional, focus on client service. Technically excellent.’

‘James Lappin and his team are one of the fiercest litigation teams in the North West. They get great results in complex cases.’

‘James Lappin is a highly experienced, commercial and pragmatic lawyer and tactician. Dan Sheehan is the most committed associate a client could hope for on their side.’

‘The Fieldfisher commercial disputes team are excellent to work with and are very user friendly – we enjoy working with the team there and find them very collaborative to work with.’

‘James Lappin – fantastic leader who really looks after all of his staff, who are absolutely full of genuine praise for him. James has fantastic energy and is always very supportive and encouraging of more junior members of the team. Chris Gee – very straight talking and a real problem solver. Dan Sheehan – thinks outside the box and is a very smart litigator. Rebecca Smith – is an associate to look out for in the future and is going to be a real star at FF.’

‘FieldFisher’s commercial litigation team in Manchester is excellent. In addition to offering expert and focused legal advice, it ensures that the commercial priorities of the client informs everything it does. The result is that clients receive a superb service.’

‘Ian Austin leads the team and is superb. An excellent lawyer with superb judgment who clients trust. His ability to identify the nub of a dispute immediately is impressive and allows him to offer useful advice right from the start.’

‘I had the privilege of working with Fieldfishers, and I must say, the experience exceeded all expectations. With their stellar reputation preceding them, I was eager to see firsthand what sets Fieldfishers apart in the legal arena. The team provided me with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Their professionalism and attention to detail instilled confidence, reassuring me that my legal matters were in capable hands. In conclusion, my experience with Fieldfishers was nothing short of exceptional. Their blend of expertise, professionalism, and client-centric approach sets them apart as leaders in the legal industry.’

‘Diligent and tenacious approach to all aspects. Nothing was too much trouble.’

‘Duncan Hope was exceptional. Always kept me informed of the ever changing developments. Empathetic towards me and my position.’

‘Clear expertise in the various areas of law; professional, prompt and accurate advice; the litigation team in particular is efficient and considers all options to best act in the interest of the client; great communicators.’

‘Alex Smith – professional, courteous, very capable and knowledgeable in his field; gives prompt service; instills a sense of confidence in the client that you are working with someone who has your best interests at heart. Very personable – always good that there is the “human” element.’

‘I’ve found the team at HD Manchester to be on the ball, proactive and super-efficient. Partner Andrew Little and team members Alex Smith and Callum Powell are a pleasure to work with.’

‘Incredibly fast turnaround time, oodles of common sense and proactivity.’

‘Hill Dickinson have a fantastic commercial litigation team in Manchester. They have very savvy and commercially minded individuals who also speak their clients’ language.’

‘I have worked mainly with Iain Campbell on the competition litigation matters. Iain has a fantastic knowledge of competition law and is a very commercially minded lawyer.’

‘Client-friendly team with a good range of expertise and experience.’

‘Graham Small – loads of experience and brings a veteran’s nous to any case.’

‘Very good at working with you and make a great team as all of the team align with each other. Fantastic to work with.’

‘Layla Kelly is very helpful in the way that she explains information regarding the case and is very professional in the way she conducts herself.’

‘Peter Barnard takes on board the issue that is being dealt and offers some fantastic advice to allow you to reflect on the main parts of the issue that he sees. Absolutely brilliant approach and very professional throughout.’

‘The team at JMW is always pragmatic and forward thinking.’

‘We work with Graham Small and Jemma Fleetwood regularly – they both are very open and honest, Graham has always looked outside of the box for solutions for his clients and works collaboratively with counsel.’

‘One of the busiest commercial litigation teams in the North West due to the fact that they have assembled a team of some of the best and most experienced litigators around.’

‘Strength in depth and partner led approach. Very responsive, pragmatic business advice which addresses commercial requirements of the client with more focus than most. Good cross collaboration with other departments within the firm to provide legal services.’

‘Our business works with Martin Pennington who always impresses. Martin is clever, detailed, focused and always brings a fresh perspective to any litigation. Martin has a track record of success in resolving everything I’ve instructed him on.’

‘I have worked with Pannone Corporate on many occasions. They are very commercial and pragmatic and develop very strong client relationships. Always work very well as a team across the different specialisms and highly regarded and trusted by their clients.’

‘Martin Pennington has been amazing through my whole process, keeping things very calm while also being amazing – he has made a very stressful period of my life much better with his calm and calculated manner.’

‘Pannone is a premier Manchester firm with a practice which extends to the High Court in London as well as international arbitration. It’s partners conduct a City of London practice whilst able to control costs through its Manchester base’

‘Martin Pennington is a stand out partner. He conducts high-value litigation and arbitration on behalf of blue-chip corporates and high-net-worth individuals. His attention to detail is first class – he is hands on and applies his expertise directly to the cases he works on. Sarah Bazaraa is a stand out – Always on top of the nitty gritty in the case, she has a memory for the important documents and details of a case.’

‘Paul Jonson – brilliant litigator – can plot a route through the most complicated of litigation.’

‘The commercial litigation team in Manchester, headed by Emma Flower, is highly experienced, commercially savvy and effective. They enjoy a stellar reputation both locally and nationally. The team are excellent both at legal strategy but also client management.’

‘Emma Flower – Highly experienced and effective litigation. Is a real heavyweight of the Manchester legal scene and is revered amongst her peers.’

‘Louise Humphrey – Associate who is definitely one to watch. Very experienced and excellent litigator. Is a favourite of clients for her hands on approach. Superb.’

‘They have the ability to explain and guide clients through very complex issues, and do so in a very efficient and friendly manner. They have access to resources which are second to none.’

‘We have a collaboration with TLT who completely understand our business and processes. They provide clear updates and achievable figures. We are happy with the service provided.’

‘It was a pleasure working with Emma Flower. All of our directors agreed that she was a great choice. She cut through the wood to find the strong, argument-winning trees and presented them in the best light, setting out our case in a technically strong and eminently reasonable way, standing her ground and advising her client when we needed to be commercial rather than emotional in order to reach a conclusion which met our key objectives.’

‘A very commercial and client focused team. Takes time to understand our business and what makes it tick, which results in focused, commercial advice which is readily actionable.’

‘The team has a wealth of experience which gives them the well earned confidence they exude. They also possess a vast knowledge of their sector of law which in turn creates a team that is well versed, unruffled and precise. The benefits to the client are immeasurable as having such a well oiled unit means less time faffing. The most valuable quality is that all this packaged together means that I, as the client, felt in safe hands and calm at all times.’

‘Geraldine Ryan is very approachable and responsive, always looking to support our requirements even if they don’t fall within her discipline. She is very proactive and we have a very good relationship with her.’

‘Geraldine Ryan and Daniel Keating have worked on my case. They have a strong attention to detail and decades of experience to draw on. Their well earned confidence has been instrumental in guiding me through this process which was a first for me. Most of all they are completely trustworthy and will always have my wellbeing as a priority. They have the uncanny knack of devoting their sole attention to clients, not hurried or distracted and with a genuine warmth and empathy, yet making them no less fierce an opponent.’

‘As a client of Stephanie Cheung at CMS, I can personally attest to her being an exceptional lawyer. What truly sets her apart is not just her profound legal expertise but her genuine approachability and unwavering honesty in providing advice. I’ve always appreciated how she makes complex legal issues understandable, ensuring I feel supported and informed throughout my legal journey. Stephanie’s commitment to integrity and transparency has solidified my trust in her, making her not only a trusted adviser but a valued advocate in my corner.’

‘Geraldine Ryan runs an exceptionally effective commercial litigation department. The department is staffed with excellent lawyers who conduct litigation very efficiently and with excellent organisation.’

‘Geraldine Ryan and Kelly Heath are a formidable and winning team with a proven track record of success. Geraldine is an immensely experienced commercial litigator and has an excellent manner with clients. Kelly is a dedicated and unflappable associate and promotion is only a matter of time.’

‘Pragmatic legal and commercial advice and high awareness of the position of in-house counsel in a business.’

‘Easy to approach, highly responsive, effective advice.’

‘Everyone I’ve worked with at Mills & Reeve have been friendly and helpful. They are always at hand to help us with any queries and work very quickly. They are transparent and know the education sector well.’

‘Richard Dawson-Gerrard – v commercial but takes advice and looks for practical solutions.’

‘Dedication to service, sound advice in often challenging circumstances.’

‘Ben Reeves was thorough in his work and was available when we needed him.’

‘Expertise available for every possible matter, consistency of approach to advice/service.’

‘Ben Reeves – Nothing was too much trouble; his advice produced the desired outcome we had hoped for. Managed our expectations very well and was great at counselling when it was required. Overall, top quality service which we would highly recommend.’

‘Well known in the market place.’

‘Jacob Walker – committed, responsive and very bright.’

‘A compact and dynamic team that punches well above its weight and outpaces larger competitors. A combination of huge drive and experience, with an intensely commercial focus, ensures the best results for its clients.’

‘Richard Marshall – Very accomplished litigator with a very astute eye for the key issues in a case. Matthew Brown – Very capable and incisive. A close eye for the detail in a case that matters, combined with a very sound commercial instinct. Sarah Rigby – One to watch.’

‘The Shoosmiths commercial litigation department in Manchester is excellent. It has particular experience in handling the highest value, most complex commercial disputes arising out of the insurance, construction and property management industries. Its team members are technically excellent, hard-working, tenacious and focused on delivering success for their clients, who are generally leading multi-national corporations. They are also a delight to work with. Richard Marshall and Sarah Rigby are notably outstanding.’

‘Richard Marshall is an outstanding partner who is hugely experienced, technically able, creative and a delight to work with. He exudes authority and experience. He understandably has a great following of loyal clients.’

‘A heavyweight team acting in major disputes for large corporates.’

‘Andrew Whalley – highly experienced, able and pragmatic litigator.’

‘Sylwena Sempa – clever, thorough and responsive.’

‘Jonathon Crook is very personable and knowledgeable. Always able to provide engagement and support in a very clear concise way.’

‘I personally found the team at Weightmans led by Damian Carter to be commercially and legally astute which is a fine and delicate balance. At all times, I was always kept adequately informed and involved.’

‘Damian Carter and Jessica Kraija – Both Damian and Jessica have been thoroughly professional, but yet approachable and always prepared to hear our side and even adjust their thinking or approach to suit.’

‘This team has a clear commercial focus, technical understanding, and fights for its clients.’

‘Josh Conroy is tactically astute and makes sure the client’s interests are well served.’

‘Matt Fox is reliable and makes sound decisions. A great team player.’

‘Richard Corran is a clear-sighted and well-regarded litigator. You can trust him with the hard cases. ’

‘An experienced litigation team with broad sector knowledge and great client skills.’

‘Damian Carter in Manchester is very approachable and a skilled litigator and negotiator. Adds value to any project he’s involved in.’

‘The commercial litigation practice of Browne Jacobson LLP has a practical and hands-on approach to disputes, making sure that the clients have a comprehensive route map through complicated cases.’

‘Paul Kirkpatrick has a measured and well-organised approach to litigation. He looks at a case in the round and provides good strategic direction.’

‘This team are not only knowledgeable but also practical. They get to know the people involved and to understand the real issues at play. Their astute legal knowledge alongside their engaging personalities make them easy to work with and their advice trustworthy and unemotional. Browne Jacobson are exceptional to work with and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.’

‘Paul Kirkpatrick has not only worked hard but has gone above and beyond to help us. Paul is empathetic as well as professional and is constantly learning the detail of our specific case. Paul is great with his team and has excellent advisers who seem to work extremely well together. When we follow Paul’s advice we tend to get the desired outcome.’

‘Paul Kirkpatrick – excellent pragmatic advice.’

‘Delivers broad and first-rate commercial disputes expertise. A market leader. The team turns its hand easily to a variety of high-profile and high-value disputes. It has strength and depth and all of its lawyers are very competent, approachable and a pleasure to work with.’

‘Paul Kirkpatrick is the stand out partner. He is very experienced and the first port of call for businesses in dispute. Works extremely effectively with his team of lawyers and is a real pleasure to work with.’

‘Ability to keep up to speed with complex matters they aren’t involved with on a day to day basis and step in urgently and practically when necessary.’

‘Client-focussed with solicitors who form a good working relationships with clients and counsel.’

‘Nichola Evans is unquestionably the most knowledgeable solicitor that I have worked with. Her knowledge has no obvious gaps and very much dissipates through the team.’

‘Peter Kaye – a great leader, who brings the best out of more junior members of the team. Daniel Adcock-Kirsh – hard working and good with clients.’

‘The team is headed up by highly experienced and highly intelligent partners, who have “been there and done that” when it comes to litigation and arbitration. They lead a team of committed and hard-working associates who really get stuck in and help move a case along.’

‘Damian Bailey (Partner): Damian has seen it all. He combines being a highly intelligent lawyer with hard-nosed practicality and commerciality – so he sees all angles of the case but is still no-nonsense. This allows him to push his clients’ cases forward but to also get deals done.’

‘As a firm, Kuits are always willing to look at solving client issues and focus on the client’s requirements rather than taking a very legal approach to issues. In particular they are pragmatic and take a commercial approach.’

‘We have worked with Kuit’s for a number of years, and have always found them to be professional and capable of anything we need assistance for. The litigation team has assisted us on a number of issues over the past couple of years and I’ve been impressed with how they are able to handle any issues we have thrown their way.’

‘Within litigation we have mainly dealt with Daniel Adcock-Kirsh, who has assisted us with a few legal claims or queries. Every time I have contacted Daniel he responds immediately, and always provides the most appropriate advice and also dealt with certain issues on our behalf, acting in our best interests at all times.’

‘The team are very good at getting up to speed quickly on urgent matters.’

‘Nick Wells provides an outstanding service, combining technical excellence with commercial common sense making you feel that your dispute is in a safe pair of hands.’

‘Melissa Munday – Extremely diligent and knowledgeable.’

‘The team are excellent and of high quality.’

‘Nick Wells is an exceptional solicitor. He knows his sector and specialism and can relay that to his clients in terms they understand. He sets a clear strategy and takes on board his clients objectives. Nick is easy to work with.’

‘Strong team, with commercial lawyers.’

‘Nick Wells – fantastic commercial litigator. Strong eye for detail with a real commercial bias based on maximising client results.’

‘Nick Wells is my contact at Ward Hadaway. He is exceptional. Very bright, very commercially astute and a cracking lawyer.’

‘Great attention to detail, and committed to achieving the client’s goals.’

‘John Flint has developed an extremely strong team in Manchester. Clarke Wilmott has very good commercial lawyers at all levels.’

‘John Flint is an extremely impressive individual. He has great tactical acumen and is invariably one step ahead of his opposite number.’

‘Geraldine Stephens is extremely diligent and personable.’

‘Louise Godwin is a brilliant lawyer. She gets into the detail of cases, and is able to pull them together in a way that is easy for a judge to understand. Very strong on commercial fraud.’

‘Personal and tailored service, very easy to work with.’

‘A strong team which is well versed in complex commercial litigation.’

‘I was very impressed by Ailsa Anderson. Ailsa had a fantastic grasp of the commercial and personal dynamics underpinning the matter, and always added value to the case in all of our interactions.’

‘It is a small, well-run team, with good expertise across core areas of commercial litigation work.’

‘Andrew Haffner – pragmatic, hands-on approach and keeps matters in perspective.’

‘The commercial litigation team are extremely approachable, becoming conversant with issues very quickly and coming up with a plan to resolve matters as swiftly and as economically as possible, in the best interests of the clients.’

‘Particular strength in commercial development disputes. Boutique and user friendly.’

‘David Bondt – very commercial, clearly identifies client needs.’

‘BBS provided sound advice from the outset of a complicated dispute. This was the first dispute of this kind that I had been involved in, and the other party was extremely aggressive. BBS provided comfort during a very stressful situation and managed to get to a very satisfactory outcome.’

‘All BBS staff I have worked with have been extremely approachable, practical and will work in a collaborative way wherever possible with other parties in order to avoid escalating disputes.’

‘Beyond Corporate are different from other law firms and have closer connections to their clients than many other firms. Their business is broadly corporate and commercial litigation and they have a high quality of work for a firm of their size. Their fee earners know what they are doing and are confident and capable in the execution of their work. They are commercially astute and client friendly.’

‘Alistair Gregory and Dónall Caherty are the two partners. Both are excellent litigators who do the highest quality of work. They have great client skills and great litigation know how and tactics.’

‘Beyond Corporate’s team is a relative newcomer to the region and is fast becoming a key team, competing with most of the more national, longstanding, leading firms. In addition to the talent and ability the team possesses, it has a very modern ‘sleeves up and ‘no nonsense’ approach to its work which is very much respected.’

‘Dónall Caherty leaves no stone unturned when representing clients. Much like Dónall, Alistair Gregory within the CL team has a very down to earth approach and never makes matters more complicated than they need to be.’

‘Very commercially focused and client centred. Good legal knowledge.’

‘Dónall Caherty- excellent lawyer.’

‘Responsiveness and attention to the specific issue we were facing.’

‘The litigation team at Beyond are very professional. They work as a team, and as such when a member is unable to reply directly, another member will make contact and be knowledgeable in regard to the details of the case.’

‘An outcome focussed team, with particular expertise in shareholder and director disputes.’

‘Daniel Draper – Very strong lawyer. The person you want on your side in a shareholder dispute.’

‘Whilst Farleys are a medium-sized firm, I was very impressed with their legal knowledge and commercial approach to the recent matter upon which I instructed them. Daniel Draper adopted a very friendly, personal and pragmatic approach to our case.’

‘Daniel Draper is a friendly and approachable individual with unrivalled knowledge and experience of the commercial sector.’

‘Solid team from varied backgrounds.’

‘Chris Burns is a stand out partner – he has a high caseload but each client is important to him – he cuts through the noise and gets straight to the heart of the matter, understanding strengths and weaknesses instinctively.’

‘Aaron Marshall is particularly well respected. Thorough knowledge of the law and his client care is phenomenal.’

‘Aaron Marshall — sensible, calm, diligent.’

‘Great team of people led by strong, supportive and astute partners.’

‘Extremely pro active and attentive in resolving complex legal issues. Always attempt to think outside of the box and leave no stone unturned when dealing with my particular complex case.’

‘Chris Burns is a very knowledgeable lawyer who works hard to resolve legal issues in a thorough and expedient manner. Chris is easy to deal with, engaging and always keeps me updated on the progress of my case when required. Chris’ expert analysis of legal situations is done in an easy to understand manner which is invaluable.’

‘Swift, attentive and conscientious.’