‘The team is without doubt one of the leading family law firms in the North West. Their approach is modern, ambitious and they attract high-quality work.’

‘Sam Hall has an exceptional reputation in the market. He is always focused on achieving the best possible outcome for his clients, whilst being personable and pragmatic. Together with James Brown he has built a formidable team around him.’

‘James Brown is incredibly bright, motivated and has a natural ability to win clients’ trust. He understands the needs of his clients and is an excellent leader at the helm of Hall Brown.’

‘Andrew Newbury is undoubtedly brilliant and knows his field inside and out.’

‘Andrew Newbury fights his client’s corner. He is sensible and gives straightforward advice, yet will always find an angle that makes the most of the corner you are coming from. His colleague Sarah Hewitt is a good stand-in, and with a tutor like Andrew will be a name to watch for the future.’

‘Hall Brown is the premier firm in the North West. They have the best partners and associates and have created a truly exceptional firm that well represents the North West. They have excellent links to the North West financial, media and commerce sector, are excellent at reciprocating work and are well respected by fellow lawyers. Their team is made up of intelligent, dedicated and personable lawyers.’

‘Very “hands-on”, considerate, polite and yet utterly professional and effective.They were also very good value for money at considerably less than the opposition’s lawyers even though Hall Brown did the lion’s share of the work.’

‘There were no weak team members and they all worked well together in an obviously supportive way from the main partner downwards. Laura Guillon did not put a foot wrong throughout the whole period.’

‘Madelaine Hailey is one of the best solicitors I have worked for. Mature beyond her years and a partner in the making.’

‘Have dealt primarily with Madelaine Hailey and she really does punch above her weight.’

‘This is an outstanding firm which attracts some very good (medium to big money) work. All partners I have worked with at Irwin Mitchell have been excellent and all of them have been very supportive of their clients.’

‘Ros Bever is very tenacious. Ready to fight, but equally able to set out all options for a client.’

‘Nathaniel Groarke is extremely reliable, supportive to his clients, very good at strategy and has great judgement.’

‘Market leaders nationally for financial remedy work at a high level. Trying to be innovative in terms of legal services for women and minorities.’

‘Ros Bever is the stand-out managing partner of the Manchester office and head of the family team. Exceptional.’

‘The personal service from Elspeth Kinder was fantastic, and I always had the comfort of knowing that if I needed Elspeth at any time she would be there.’

‘A regional behemoth, offering a first-class service. The quality of partners and of associates is unrivaled in the North-West. They have the benefit of being a large nationwide firm, but with considerable local knowledge and resources. If in the North West, there can be no other port of call for anyone requiring the expertise of a solicitor in family law. If advice is needed on a related matter such as property law, their in-house resources enable this to be readily obtained.’

‘Katie Lowe has considerable expertise across both children and financial remedy law. She displays a particular aptitude for handling difficult clients in a calm and measured manner.’

‘Michael Chapman is a superb tactician. Clients quickly warm to him and trust his instincts and his advice. Adept at achieving the outcome that clients seek.’

‘JMW is one of the dominant firms in the North West. One of the things that makes JMW unique is that they have in-house counsel (very rare in family law). Abigail Bennett is truly exceptional and a silk in all but name.’

‘Elspeth Kinder is exceptional, it is impossible to fault her, completely on top of all of her cases no matter what is happening and when.’

‘Bev Jones and Ruth Kearns are both highly experienced. Both have an enviable reputation as market leaders.’

‘Nicola Wilburn-Shaw is an outstanding practitioner – she has a great ability to see through the haze of insignificant detail and draw out pertinent facts to construct a viable position in law.’

‘Emma Palmer has an encyclopaedic knowledge of  the law relating to children; from complex public law proceedings involving non-accidental injuries to international child abduction.’

‘Katie Camozzi has the knowledge and experience of a senior partner whilst only being a senior associate. She is an excellent international family lawyer.  She is excellent with vulnerable clients.’

‘Emma Palmer is extremely knowledgeable and tactically astute; she has an excellent reputation for international family law matters and is able to deal with cases which are technically complex and challenging. Emma is empathetic and robust and exercises good judgement in her cases, giving realistic and sensible advice.’

‘Katie Camozzi is extremely conscientious and deals with difficult cases with skill and determination.’

‘Pippa Tudor is sensible and dedicated.’

‘Pauline McNamara is hugely experienced and knowledgeable and offers robust and clear advice to clients whilst being supportive and empathetic.’

‘Nicola Harris is robust and clear in her advice.’

‘Nicola Harris is an outstanding solicitor. Some of the younger members of the team are future stars of the family law world.’

‘There is nothing about matrimonial finance law that Pauline McNamara doesn’t know.’

‘The team is helpful and supportive to clients and efficient in its dealings with court staff and other professionals.’

‘Fiona Turner is a sensible, thoughtful solicitor who gives firm, but positive advice and works hard to achieve the best outcomes for clients.’

‘Fiona Davison is fantastic. She is warm, friendly and sensible, but is not to be underestimated – she knows which cases to fight. Always well prepared she is pragmatic and efficient.’

‘The team is well-resourced and dedicated. It provides an efficient legal service with good awareness of the client’s needs and good tactical awareness. The team contains a number of experienced lawyers with good knowledge of the issues, adopting a pragmatic approach to cases.’

‘Fiona Davidson is excellent – reassuring, technically able and clear and calm. Fiona brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her cases and is pragmatic and sensible in her advice. Fiona builds excellent client relationships and clients trust her instincts and advice.’

‘The team at Weightmans is well known in family law circles and have expertise in financial remedy application and private law children disputes. They are pragmatic and sensible in their dealings with other professionals; and are respected for representing clients in a courteous and straightforward way.’

‘Fiona Turner is a well-respected lawyer who is dependable and pleasant to deal with. Fiona is well known amongst family law professionals for her reputation and is involved in co-ordinating seminars for the region with key practitioners.’

‘All members of the team I have met have been very friendly and personable. They are all experts in their field and have the ability to explain complex legislation in a easy to understand manner.’

‘The team is solid, lead by Richard Barge.’

‘Richard Barge is a really incisive, tenacious and good-humoured family lawyer, who rightly instils massive confidence in his clients.’

‘An efficient, knowledgeable and approachable team.’

‘Simon Mawdsley has been exceptional. He has been reassuring and insightful. He has made the process a lot easier than I expected. I have found Simon Mawdsley to be an excellent listener, open and engaging.’

‘Aaron’s Family law department consistently provides great client outcomes and is always prepared to go above and beyond.’

‘This is a very proactive, and helpful practice. They are always willing to go the extra mile, and be available to clients. The aim to move matters forward, and during the challenges of Covid they have developed working practices using technology which have had lasting impacts of making the delivery of advice more efficient.’

‘Lorraine Saunders is very good with the clients that she looks after. She is always available for clients, and regularly takes calls and answers questions out of hours. She is very knowledgeable, and yet still very approachable for clients. They are a cohesive and proactive team who calls in skills from subject experts, and think out of the box in order to provide solutions.’

‘I know first-hand that the team at Farleys Solicitors has your best interests at heart. The service that I have received was carefully considered and meticulously planned to achieve the best outcome for everyone involved.’

‘Clients are reassured by the highly personalised and effective service offered by Farleys. What shines through is that clients are instilled with a lot of confidence in the clear and pragmatic advice offered by every file handler with whom I have worked. Farleys are a joy to work with.’

‘Farleys has cornered the market in Blackburn as the financial remedy specialists.’

‘Antonia Love has excellent people skills and is comfortable with reams of paperwork.’

‘They were professional, approachable and up to date with current procedures.’

‘Hill Dickinson LLP practice has demonstrated a highly professional yet empathetic approach when dealing with my matter. Having compared them with other family law practices I can conclude that they are the best in their field. I considered many aspects from personal approach, efficiency and legal expertise. Would only ever consider Hill Dickinson LLP to deal with any further family law matters that may arise in the future.’

‘Ellie Webster has been extraordinary throughout our exchange. I appreciate how knowledgeable and helpful she was under the time pressure that we were under to resolve my family law matter. Her experience, empathy and utmost professionalism has made dealing with this matter as seamless as it was possible. I would trust Ellie to handle any of my future family law related inquiries.’

‘I believe the practice has been very professional and diligent dealing with the aspects of my case. They were able to use the information I provided them in the best possible way, focusing on the important ones. Family law cases can be very emotionally charged for the people involved, so it is important to have legal representatives that can form a strong structure for the arguments to be presented in the court.’

‘Sarah McCarthy has been very professional, but also understanding of the difficulties I was facing. She has proposed some excellent ideas that helped my case a lot.’

‘This practice delivers an excellent service to its clients. Their knowledge and expertise is communicated to the client in a way that makes complex issues easily understood.’

‘Joanne Raisbeck and Sarah McCarthy have an excellent manner. They deliver complex information with appropriate explanation to provide a thorough understanding of procedure and possible outcome. Their diligence/documentation of fact and summary are exceptional. This pragmatism is delivered compassionately. A rare skill.’

‘The family team of Hill Dickinson LLP is known for its quality of legal advice and for its excellent focus on client service. The team is responsible for resolving matters amicably and sensitively and the team carries out the process as quickly as possible.’

‘Sue Brookes is an excellent solicitor. I found Sue does not leave anything out and goes through things with a fine-toothed comb. I am very impressed with her ways and work, I would certainly recommend her services to others.’

‘The team at Mills and Reeve North West is constantly alert to changes in the family law market and innovative in its approach for individual clients. This gives them enormous strength in their abilities to be agile and responsive and to identify key trends early. They are able to offer a full range of services across dispute resolution services, additional services to support their clients and in litigation as and when necessary.’

‘The whole of the family law team are stand-out practitioners and it is difficult to name any one of them as offering less than excellent, knowledgeable and exceptional client service. However, high praise must go to Alison Bull who brings her passion for the law and for assisting families in a very human way to what is overall superb practice as a cutting edge family lawyer.’

‘The team is experienced, hardworking and committed to its clients. They are also innovative and embrace all forms of dispute resolution and technology to assist their clients in resolving their family law issues.’

‘Andrew Moore is a safe and sensible pair of hands. He is absolutely focused on finding the right solution for his clients, whilst working hard to avoid unnecessary animosity.’

‘Nigel Shepherd is a leader in his field. He is absolutely dedicated to the improvement of the family law justice system and his expertise and experience is unrivaled.’

‘The best private law team in the jurisdiction in terms of reputation and quality of solicitor. Their focus on collaborative family law means that family disputes, often, are resolved through less destructive means on court proceedings. Their solicitors are without exception highly qualified, very bright and also careful with every detail of a case. Their client care is very impressive.’

‘They ensure that relevant experts are brought into the process when matters are outside the remit of the lawyers. This ensures clients get the best possible advice.’

‘The individual team members are thorough in their approach to dealing with client enquiries and fully understand the need to ensure outside experts like myself are brought into the process when required. This gives clients the reassurance that all avenues have been explored when dealing with their case.’

‘Jane Tenquist and Nichola Bright have forged an excellent practice within a multi-disciplinary firm.’

‘Whoever you speak to at SAS Daniels gives you great advice. Everyone works together. They seem to get the job right the first time where other firms take many attempts. The firm listens to what you want and works with you. Billing is easy and transparent compared to other firms who seem to pluck figures from thin air. This firm really understand the challenges of child custody cases and treats you like its their own child.’

‘Specialist solicitors dealing with all aspects of private family law. Helpful and thorough instructions. A great team to work with.’

‘Anita Scorah’s client care is second to none. Anita goes above and beyond proving herself to be supportive, reliable and approachable. Her advice to clients is clear and on point. Her empathetic approach enables her to effective communicate even difficult advice to clients. She is the solicitor I recommend to friends and family without hesitation.’

‘The coordination and communication between senior members and junior members of the team are confidence-building.’

‘Mark Heptinstall has the amazing ability to bring calm into troubled waters.’

‘Charlotte Beck is outstanding. She is extremely intelligent, yet modest. Understands complex matters without any difficulty, presents them simply to you and delivers first time, on time, every time. She makes it easy to discuss the most intimate matters and is always compassionate. Charlotte is without any doubt at the very top of her profession.’

‘The family law department was exemplary. Nothing was too much trouble, they were exceptionally well organised and incredibly knowledgeable. Immediately from the first meeting I knew I had appointed not just the right law firm, but the right lawyer.’

‘Excellent lawyers and really outstanding client care.’

‘Philip Rhodes is a strategic thinker, pragmatic, leaves no stone unturned, outstanding legal knowledge and wonderful client care. A star turn.’

‘A very impressive department with high-quality work and a relentless commitment to first rate client care’

‘Charlotte Beck is an extremely impressive individual. Clients love her just as much as opponents fear her. She wants a good outcome for the client almost as much they want one for themselves. She is definitely one of the best around.’

‘Well liked firm with strong legal team.’

‘My team headed by Emma Gill was a breath of fresh air combining energy and advice with humour thrown in. Emma was instantly accessible, providing clear strategic advice in her no-nonsense Mancunian manner. Engaging with this team made the whole process of finding a resolution almost enjoyable.’

‘Lucy Williams is a stand-out. She helped me tremendously with my very difficult divorce and was both highly technical and extremely compassionate throughout. Amazing combination of strength and empathy.’

‘Kate Taylor is an excellent individual to deal with. She is equally professional and personable. She always listened, understood and offered professional and thorough advice. No question was silly, nor was to explain or repeat the answer a chore. I cannot recommend her help in matters such as those I faced highly enough.’

‘The whole team has been exceptionally caring and professional throughout. They have always been there to reassure me of my concerns and to make sure that I was realistic in my expectations. Their genuine care for what is best for my children shines through, and so far they have been entirely accurate on the likely outcomes of each hearing/process.’

‘Kate Taylor in particular has been outstanding to work with. Her professionalism during difficult times was exceptional, and she has always been there to help me through some difficult processes. I have always felt that the whole team has been in total control and knows exactly the best way to proceed during all outcomes faced. At no time have I felt the need to question their decisions.’

‘Lucy Williams was so empathetic to my very difficult situation. She was always there when I needed to speak with her and made sure I felt reassured and comfortable with what felt like an impossible court battle throughout.’

‘A strong team in a competitive market with some very good quality work.’

‘Emma Gill is best of breed. She stands out as a value adding powerhouse who is able immediately to assess a situation and strategise accordingly. Really first class.’

‘Caroline Cockill-Guy was very impressive. Great command of case, and of a difficult client. She appeared to have given clear and sensible advice at the very outset of the case and managed the client’s expectations carefully throughout.’

‘Open, approachable and collaborative team who works well together and who is available to provide assistance at short notice. High levels of empathy without losing sight of the need to effectively and appropriately advise.’

‘Caroline Cockill-Guy has impressed me as a meticulous and thorough practitioner who adopts a methodical approach to her cases.’

‘Kevan Hankinson is an effective and very competent solicitor. His caseload is significantly complex and he is able to find the nuances in the evidence which he uses to piece together an effective case for his client.’

‘This is a professional and caring firm whose primary focus is the best interests of their clients. They have a good reputation across the industry and are well respected by other professionals they work with on cases. Members of the family team are accredited and on the relevant panels and therefore have considerable experience and expertise in family matters.’

‘Nicola Wingfield is hard-working and conscientious and goes above and beyond for her clients. Nicola is a great listener and is committed to understanding the needs of her clients to provide them with the best possible outcome available to them. She demonstrates empathy with her clients and works hard to find solutions, maintaining professionalism at all times. Nicola is passionate about family law and I cannot recommend her highly enough.’

‘Nicola Wingfield and her team are extremely helpful. They summarise complex information for me which makes my job easier. She is very knowledgeable, approachable and friendly.’

‘Emily Finn and Chris Longbottom: Combined, they consistently demonstrate a real commitment and dedication to their clients. Coupled with the provision of sound advice, my experience is that their clients can rest assured that all that can be done to progress their cases has been done.’

‘Emily Finn consistently demonstrates ability beyond her years. Her client care and communication with counsel is first class.’

‘Chris Longbottom builds an excellent rapport with clients. He cuts through the issues in a case to find a sensible solution.’

‘A very strong, close local team, within a broad-based national firm.’

‘Chris Longbottom is a very experienced, well-respected and well-connected lawyer.’

‘Chris Longbottom has an excellent relationship with clients and has a good reputation for Schedule 1 work.’

‘Stowe Family Law is a great team – absolutely professional, efficient, organised and reassuringly ‘present’ and responsive. Anticipating and facilitating. A wonderful blend of business-like organisation and compassionate people skills.’

‘Gareth Curtis: At all times he was articulate, patient, knowledgable, compassionate, reassuringly realistic, pragmatic and supportive. I have no hesitation in recommending him. It is no exaggeration to say that his application, diligence, resourcefulness and professionalism has changed my life. He helped achieve an incredibly positive outcome. He has a fine legal brain and is an exceptional human being.’

‘One of the fastest-growing names in family law with a diverse range of talented individuals across the country.’

‘Top level investment in the firm and its people to ensure their growing team has enviable strength in depth across the spectrum of family law work.’

‘Helen Miller is great to work with in order to achieve a fair resolution on financial matters. She is approachable, takes a sensible and pragmatic approach, but is certainly no pushover. She represents her clients well.’

‘From my first meeting with Nicola Fraser, she was very understanding of my situation and made me feel comfortable and at ease. Her professionalism stood out, and she always had my back and fought my corner in some tricky situations.’

‘Nicola Fraser handled my divorce from initial conversation through the financial settlement and court applications. She was professional, supportive, always responsive and provided great advice. It made what could have been a difficult and adversarial process as stress-free as possible.’

‘I was extremely impressed with Nicola Fraser. She understood exactly what I needed. Very professional, but also very approachable. I would highly recommend her to anyone.’

‘The practice dealt with my case with the utmost professionalism. They were helpful and efficient and had a wealth of knowledge within the context of my case. I have worked with other practices and Gorvins provided a superior level of client service and attention to detail, getting my case moving and closed even through the tough years of COVID-19.’

‘I worked with Nicola Fraser – she was supportive, knowledgeable and efficient in dealing with my case from the initial phone conversation to the final completion day. Nicola is a credit to the practice.’

‘They offer a friendly and supportive service and most importantly are very efficient and effective at dealing with my issues. They have dealt with my problems as quickly as is possible and when I haven’t understood something they provide clear guidance to make sure I understand.’

‘Highly specialised, very personalised service. The client is dealt with throughout by the fee earner they instructed and not passed down a team. Clients will always get a dedicated service from Roland Humphreys personally. There is always access to other professionals in the practice when needed for different specialisms.’

‘Roland Humphreys is an extremely experienced family lawyer. He specialises in dealing with cases from average net-worth to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and regularly acts for well-known sports people and prominent members of the business and legal communities.His attention to detail and planning are second to none. He is realistic in his advice, but always willing to fight for his clients and obtain the best possible outcome. He is well liked by clients who value his ability to cut through the superfluous and focus on the key issues that really matter. He is well respected by colleagues, counsel and the judiciary alike.’

‘The Keystone team is expanding in the North West and is very lucky to have acquired Sarah Thompson.’

‘Sarah Thompson is an exceptional lawyer. She has a brain the size of a planet and fearlessly fights her client’s corner. She is a pleasure to work with and works tirelessly. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Sarah over the last year on several complicated matters and she was so well prepared and calm, despite many curved balls being thrown at her by her opposite number!’

‘A very agile, client-focused firm.’

‘Sarah Thompson is a fantastic matrimonial finance solicitor. She is vastly experienced, knowledgeable and approachable. You could not ask for more from a solicitor. She delivers.’

‘A small department within a larger firm, but continue to attract high-net-worth clients and cases of considerable complexity. In a crowded Manchester market they have a great reputation and presence.’

‘Colin Davis is as a meticulous and thorough practitioner who adopts a methodical approach to his cases. He is very good with handling (sometimes difficult) client’s expectations whilst always making them feel totally supported during one of the most stressful periods of their lives. He is sensible and always prepared to reach (and actively seeks to find) a fair out of court settlement when possible. If not, then he is more than capable of representing a client’s interests robustly in court.’

‘Colin Davies is outstanding. He has a very sensible approach and sees all sides of things, he is cool, calm and collected. He is always 1 step ahead.’

‘The practice is unique in that the quality of work and instructions for a firm outside of London is second to none.’

‘Highly capable technically, personable with a family firm feel. Focus is on the client and their plans and goals.’

‘They were extremely professional, always highly responsive and understood my case and the issues fully. This is not something other firms had been able to do.’

‘The team is very organised and offers clear and straightforward advice to clients. The firm is well resourced with practical support for clients with technology and attending court to ensure that clients are well-supported and well advised consistently.’

‘This team is superbly led by Georgina Chase. She is a star in relation to family law. She has vision, charisma and leads a highly committed and energetic team. Clients should feel comfortable that their services will be tailored to their specific needs. They have been proactive at integrating their team with fellow professionals to grow the confidence and sustainability of a highly competent, effective and friendly team. They are highly recommended.’

‘Georgina Chase is a stand-out family lawyer. She has incredible drive and a personality to match which inspires the team around her. She takes a very proactive approach and is undoubtedly one of the leading family lawyers in the region.’

‘They are a team of excellent family practitioners.’

‘Well established and very highly regarded in the filed of matrimonial finance law in Manchester.’

‘Georgina Chase is a brilliant lawyer, who is approachable and very bright. Deservedly commands great respect in Manchester and beyond.’