South West

Oxford headquartered law firm Reeds Solicitors LLP (Reeds) has announced the appointment of Sobiah Hussain as the firm’s Head of the Private Family Law practice from Stowe Family Law. Based in the firm’s Oxford office, Senior Associate Solicitor Sobiah Hussain will lead a team consisting of solicitor Paul Summerbell, Senior Associate Alison Page and Legal Executive Emma McDonald. The Private Family Law practice will work closely with the larger Family Law department across the firm which is headed by Partner James Ferry.  The larger department boasts a proven track record of successfully handling a wide array of cases, ranging from non-traditional partnerships to multi-generational family dynamics. Sobiah returns to the firm where she trained and qualified after a five-year career path that saw her spend time at Spratt Endoctt Solicitors and RWK Goodman as a family solicitor.  More recently, she spent over two years at Stowe Family Law LLP as a senior associate. Her practice sees her advising a plethora of clients on a number of private law matters including divorce and separation issues, financial arrangements, disputed between parents in relation o their children and Child Arrangement Orders, and issues relating to domestic abuse including injunctions. James Ferry, partner and head of Family Law at Reeds Solicitors comments: “We are delighted to welcome back Siobah Hussain to the family team here at Reeds.  She is an experienced private family law practitioner, and we know that she is the perfect fit for our expansion in this area. I look forward to working closely with her and know that she will succeed in forging a strong private family law practice.” Jan Matthews, managing partner at Reeds Solicitors added: “I am thrilled to have Sobiah rejoin the firm and wish her every success in establishing a private family practice here at Reeds.  We recently also welcomed back Caroline Snodgrass in August as we grew our criminal practice. To have solicitors leave to spread their wings and gain further experience in other well-respected firms but ultimately return to Reeds is testament to our team culture here – something we are very proud of!”  

Leading national law firm Reeds Solicitors LLP (Reeds) is pleased to announce the opening of its newest office located in Queensgate House, 48 Queen Street, Exeter. The Exeter office, Reeds’ first in the county of Devon, will primarily offer family law legal services and will be managed by associate Jessica Cantú, overseen by Head of Family James Ferry.  Jessica will initially split her time between the new office and her current base in Swindon, as she continues to act for parents in care proceedings and pre-proceedings often involving domestic abuse, substance abuse, and mental health difficulties; and accept new instructions from parents involved in private law matters involving child arrangements, such as contact and residence. The Exeter opening brings the total number of national offices to 21 across England and Wales. Jan Matthews, managing partner at Reeds, commented: “We are excited to be venturing into the county of Devon and have every confidence that Jessica will build a successful practice serving the local community.  We know that, unfortunately, amid a cost-of-living crisis parents and families find themselves not only struggling financially but that other risks such as domestic abuse and mental health issues can also become amplified which is why having the local support from an understanding family law specialist is particularly necessary today.” James Ferry, Head of Family Law and partner at Reeds Solicitors, added: “Having worked with Jessica over many years, I know what a friendly and compassionate individual she is. Jessica communicates well and has the uncanny ability to help people understand complex legal processes in a digestible manner. She would be an asset to any community and we wish her all of the success in building a thriving practice in Devon just as she has done in Swindon.”  

Manchester-based criminal solicitor and team leader at Reeds Solicitors LLP, Beth Mantel, has been nominated by the Legal 500 for the prestigious Crime Leading Associate of the Year award at the 2025 Northern Powerhouse Awards. The awards, which take place on March 13th at The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester, showcase the roster of legal talent and excellence across the North, North West, and Yorkshire & the Humber, and recognise the hard work and accomplishments over the past year. The award nominations are determined based on The Legal 500’s market-leading, independent research for the annual directories. The winners are selected by a judging team led by Amy Ulliott, editor of the UK regions, UK regions deputy editor Sophie Chan, and research editor Francisco Castro, backed by the support of our in-house and freelance research team which covers the UK guide every year.   Beth Mantel leads the Northwest Complex Crime practice at Reeds Solicitors. Having joined the firm in 2021, Beth was a founding member of the Manchester office which now has a strong following of clients across the North West. Her practice is based in the Crown Court and she deals almost exclusively in complex crime and is regularly instructed in multi-handed conspiracies involving drugs, robbery, murder and serious violence often involving the use of firearms.  She also has experience dealing with complex confiscation proceedings and understands that these matters can have more severe consequences than the original prosecution.   Commenting on the nomination, Jan Matthews, managing partner at Reeds Solicitors said: “We are over the moon that Beth Mantel’s hard work and drive have been recognised at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards. Beth has the remarkable ability to both make clients feel comfortable as well as analyse and digest large quantities of complex material to help their cases. This material often includes cell site data, encrochat messages, and sequence of events charts, that help her to quickly establish what the key issues are and how she can best defend her clients.  We look forward to cheering her at the awards on the night and celebrating her success whether she wins or not.”  

Paris Smith took home the coveted award at the South Coast Deals Awards 2026, an event which celebrates excellence across the region’s corporate finance and dealmaking community. The judges said Paris Smith stood out for “the many high-profile deals they completed across the South Coast”, recognising the quality, breadth and impact of the firm’s corporate work during the year.The achievement reflects a real team effort across Paris Smith’s Corporate, Commercial & Finance Department, with colleagues working collaboratively to support businesses, entrepreneurs, lenders and investors on significant transactions across the South Coast. The Corporate team has representation across the firm’s Southampton, Winchester and Bournemouth offices, ensuring clients can access specialist corporate, commercial & finance expertise throughout the region.James McNeil, Head of the Corporate, Commercial & Finance Department at Paris Smith, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been named Corporate Law Firm of the Year. This award is a fantastic recognition of the dedication, expertise and commitment of our whole team, and of the trust placed in us by our clients and our professional contacts/referrers across the South Coast. The judges’ comments about the high-profile deals completed by the firm are especially pleasing because they reflect the depth of experience within the department and the collaborative way in which we work. It has truly been a team effort, and we are very proud to see that recognised.”Paris Smith’s Corporate team advises on a wide range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, disposals, restructurings, investments, debt & equity finance, shareholder arrangements and corporate governance matters. The award underlines the firm’s role as a trusted adviser to businesses across Hampshire, Dorset and the wider South Coast.