Corporate and commercial: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire in Yorkshire And The Humber

‘AG’s Leeds corporate and commercial team is excellent and can punch its weight with any of the big London teams. Their strength lies in excellent, tight knit teamwork, great communication within their team and the teams at large, a very good working relationship with counsel and the client and a tenacious approach to getting the right results for their clients.’

‘Excellent and very highly skilled team. A good combination of top end technical knowledge with genuine commercial litigation experience.’

‘Well led, good depth of experience and common sense, very commercially orientated, certainly knows the local market very well and are very well connected but with a good national reach especially in private equity, and they do what they say they will do when they say they will do it.’

‘Yunus Seedat is outstanding. Wise, perceptive, intuitive, smart, speaks when he has something to say but boy, is it worth listening to. Unflappable.’

‘Garry Elliott – used to be up and coming but now well established. Has real presence and presence of mind. A good commercial adviser, very practical.’

‘The team are excellent – always very responsive and client-focused. Backed-up with technical know-how and experience. Despite clearly being very busy, we always feel like a priority.’

‘John Gallon has been outstanding although this special mention should not diminish from the other members of the team who are also excellent. John supported our business on a highly time-pressured and important project last year and did not miss a beat. The perfect balance between being technical and ensuring the client understands the matters at hand and also knows exactly what is required of them.’

‘They are all very committed to meeting our objectives. Stephen Atkinson was extremely tuned into the commercial factors of the deal including the financial complexities.’

‘Robust legal advice. Take time to understand our needs and apply advice with a commercial focus. Problem solvers as well as lawyers. Good rapport with clients and always make themselves available at short notice.’

‘Jonathan Ross. Technical legal adviser who adopts a commercial approach. Has built a high level of trust with us as a client and became our go-to for corporate legal services.’

‘We have used SBP for two and a half years on all the M&A deals (27 in total) we have done. We continue to use the team as not only do they perform to an extremely high standard, they are also a really nice, friendly, helpful team of people. We have no complaints about them.’

‘The team are very helpful and flexible in terms of more active support when needed.’

‘Very practical and pragmatic team.  Down to earth. Hannah Kendrick is my contact.’

‘They are very “user-friendly”, by which I mean that they are incredibly easy to deal with – they are hugely impressive with the quality of their advice but they work with you in such a way that it’s not an intimidating, over-bearing, heavy-duty exercise. It’s just really good advice delivered in a friendly, professional manner that is easy to follow for non-lawyers.’

‘Corporate partner – Hannah Kendrick. Very approachable, always makes time for you and is pragmatic, credible, authoritative and manages to be an invaluable source of counsel for the senior management and board of the company.’

‘Excellent team that work efficiently together and have a wide breadth of knowledge and expertise.’

‘Walker Morris provides top notch legal work at reasonable rates. Being a US-based client, we rely heavily on the Walker Morris team to advise us on all things related to UK law. The team has proven ability to work on tight deadlines and provide great results. Almost universally the team has been very responsive and has widely adopted our preferred manner of doing things.’

‘Dan O’Gorman is wonderful and is one of a handful of truly trusted advisers that we rely on. Dan “gets it” and strikes the right balance between running with things and taking things off our plate as well as properly escalating issues when needed. In addition to the great legal work he’s done for us, Dan has developed a network of similar trusted law firms in other European countries and can almost always point us in the right direction. The transactional support provided by Oli Duke and Jo Stephenson has been top notch as well and they would be highly recommended to others.’

‘Very strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with difficult counterparts. Had the ability to guide us as clients to the best path forward to move the deal ahead and come to a successful conclusion. Very timely in responses and work in a deal that had many stops and starts.’

‘Oli Duke was exceptional at guiding us through the nuances to UK transactions. The individuals on our side had very little experience with UK M&A, so we required a heightened level of explanations.’

‘We’ve worked with Walker Morris for years now and are very comfortable trusting them to move things on in the background without checking every draft of a document. They’re very reliable and thorough – and the principle of only having to tell them something once applies here.’

‘The firm has a strong private equity practice. What makes the practice stand out is the seamless way in which they execute on deals together with their clients. I have also found that they manage buy side mandates on competitive processes extremely well. They are creative in finding solutions to help their client stand out from the competition.’

‘Daniel O’Gorman is the partner that I mainly deal with on cross border matters. Dan is different from competitors by being always available and very hands-on. Dan is also able to provide advice that is very commercial and strategic. He has strong relationships with his private equity clients and they rely heavily on his strategic judgement. He has a great ability to guide clients through complex M&A projects with ease.’

‘The team provide our business with a breadth of legal support, pulling on technical experts from within and externally where appropriate. In comparison to other firms we have worked with Clarion stand out for providing a strong and innovative team which creates a trusted partnership and consistently deliver excellent results.’

‘The staff and partners at Clarion are technically strong, personable and engaging. They are very supportive but equally challenging when required. They build strong relationships throughout the business and provide proactive support which feels more like an in-house legal resource.’

‘Very approachable team, down to earth and always gives good, pragmatic advice. Being Yorkshire based means they tend to “tell it how it is”, rather than skate around tricky subjects like some of their London counterparts. No smoke and mirrors. Lack of ego in the team, very good gender balance in the teams we have worked with.’

‘Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison are the people we work most closely with. Both are very pragmatic individuals whose advice can be solidly trusted and also good fun. Sarah is a machine – she just never seems to stop working!’

‘For me, Clarion is all about the people. We have worked with them for a number of years and never have they let us down – the legal support is impeccable but this is amplified by the individual care and attention we get from every one of our key contacts. Always going the extra mile, investing time in understanding not only our business but our entire industry.’

‘Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison have been with me every step of the way. They understand me, my businesses and my industry with equal measure, making the advice and support I receive accurate, insightful and valuable in so many ways. No problem or challenge is unanswered and the level of trust we have built over the years is second to none – they are my go to for advice on all things – not just legal.’

‘Clarion have a very strong commercial offering. They have recruited some very strong non partners into the firm over the last few years which has given them much more depth to their offering. The firm provides great transparency on billing when required and has provided some innovative leadership on providing dedicated resourcing.’

‘Matthew Hattersley is a strong, pragmatic and calm lawyer who looks to solve issues. He thinks about the bigger picture.’

‘Schofield Sweeney have provided us with advice in relation to a number of corporate matters over the years, and most recently in connection with some group restructuring matters. They offer extremely good value for money (without sacrificing the quality of advice).’

‘Martin Sweeney is a very experienced lawyer that is able to provide commercially astute and balanced advice – you feel that he is looking to provide the right level of advice rather than looking to over-engineer things with one eye on the clock – which is very reassuring.’

‘Schofield Sweeney are an extremely pro active and pleasant firm. They are very reliable for meeting tight deadlines whilst being diligent with all required detail. I have worked with many law firms and these are by far the best I have experienced.’

‘The two main partners I work with are Karen Crutchley and David Cowgill. Both of these individuals take the time to help with your issues and have an excellent pragmatic approach to resolutions. Their diligence sets them apart and can be relied on at all times. The knowledge of their specialist areas is brilliant which makes working with them very easy.’

‘The team were very responsive. The team’s commercial acumen was excellent and ensured that all the risks were suitably mitigated through legal or other more practical routes. Their technical skills were superb and they managed to convey complex issues in a clear and consistent manner to a team with limited acquisition experience. Highly recommended team.’

‘Knowledgeable, responsive, and client focused. Strong partners with very strong senior associate support.’

‘Alex Kirkhope provides clear advice and strong leadership. He articulates points clearly and ably cuts through some esoteric issues. Natalie Hager has impressed the entire team – she provides clear and direct advice. Simon Procter has also delivered a great service.’

‘Extremely responsive, advice is always bespoke to my company’s position and circumstances.’

‘The relationship feels to be a very personal one, they are always interested in how my company is performing, they retain a detailed knowledge of the business from previous dealings which can’t be easy to achieve across all clients. Advice given is not only legal, but also backed up with practical and pragmatic suggestions.’

‘The firm’s ethos has always been to give quality advice and service to clients and their advisers. This is always done in a professional manner, in very acceptable time frames and at reasonable costs.’

‘As a rule, all the individuals I work with bring their own individuality to the table and you always feel you are working with professional friends as opposed to someone who is simply there to do the job and move on to the next one.’

‘Blacks have a very good all round team that seem to work well and communicate well between departments. They are a big enough company to have highly skilled people all different areas of expertise but still keep a very personal relationship with clients. I feel that as a small family business we get the same level of service that a large corporate company would expect.’

‘Having worked closely with both Dave Patterson and Matthew Hutchinson I admire the way they are both extremely skilled and professional in their respective areas of expertise but manage to deliver this service at a level I can understand and in a very modest, friendly and personal manor.’

‘Always contactable. Very professional, honest and direct. A lot more knowledgeable than the other party.’

‘Alex Hall was the brilliant individual who I predominately worked with and she was very calm in what was quite a pressured situation and had an ability to cut to the chase in terms of her advice and the key salient points.’

‘Susan Clark worked very well, also liaising as required with our accountants who were negotiating the sale. I particularly valued the way in which the process was explained and any areas of potential conflict were rationalised and managed.’

‘Susan Clark – partner is our main contact. We use her expertise and counsel on a weekly basis. I have found that Susan has an unique skill amongst corporate lawyers used to understand her client.’

‘The advice and support is always practical, measured and commercially-focused. Excellent client services and accessibility and always deliver on a promise. Collaborates and communicates well with other law practices. ’

‘Responsiveness and value for money. Jonathan Pollard could not be more available, and his pragmatic and general advice and views outside the strictly legal (eg in commercial and operational terms) is always hugely appreciated.’

‘Their team is led by James Nightingale, partner, who leads on all matters. This ensures a professional and highly competent service which understands our legal requirements. They understand how we like to do business and James and all of his team are very personable and give excellent service. ’

‘James Nightingale’s personable style and attention to detail has been invaluable.’

‘The firm’s collegiate approach to fees is also welcome and greatly appreciated as the client, where best value is achieved for both parties.’

‘We use the DWF team at Leeds a lot for M&A, HR enquiries and property and lease management. We find we get a high quality experience at an out of London value. It really works for us.’

‘Led by Lester Wilson our main contact – who is always available. A good and responsive team.’

‘Responsiveness and accessibility to clients needs and timetable coupled with first class technical ability and strong commercial skills and experience to deliver the clients’ objectives.’

‘Organised, on the ball, aware of traps as before they arise, helpful as regards planning steps needed to be taken incorporating a matrix of issues and have a team of sufficient ability to cover any and all matters. Excellent.’

‘Lester Wilson (partner) and Amelia Mackie (solicitor). Both first class, always available and capable of drawing on wide depth of colleagues so matters all dealt with correctly on on time. Thorough understanding of issues that matter and able to focus the other side on valid matters rather than endless rabbit holes.’

‘We work with Jon Marriott, he has a great balance of detail with commercial acumen that helps ensure that we cover of the finer points that make the difference and don’t get lost on arguing over minor points which carry little risk.’

‘Stephen Johns: Brings the best out of his juniors without over-delegating or over-charging. Rather than just advising about legal issues, Steve proactively identifies and solves problems. Complete fee transparency using traditional methods (conversation).’

‘When you are looking for a legal firm to use you need to know that you have access to top quality expertise across all disciplines needed. This was not only something we found with Weightmans but we also found them to be efficient and well priced for such a quality organisation.’

‘The time taken to understand what we were trying to achieve and then add value in giving guidance on how best to structure the contracts for our new enterprise was invaluable to us. In my experience you often have to instruct a firm on exactly what you want and have to come up with the logic behind it yourself. When you want something which doesn’t currently exist this can be difficult so having access to support which helped develop the concept in collaboration was refreshing.’

‘Dealt with the termination of a public finance initiative contract. This is not a well trodden path. The team at Weightmans dealt with the legal negotiations and drafting extremely well and ensured that an end of financial year settlement was achieved.’

‘Both Vincent King and Stephen Johns who worked on the project are approachable, professional, clear in their advice and prompt in responding to correspondence and dealing with the matter generally. They made complex issues seems easy and showed a clear understanding of the issues which needed to be dealt with.’

‘Excellent. We dealt with a large legal project and Weightmans invested the time to understand what we were trying to achieve and put us and our customers at the centre of everything they did for us.’

‘Victoria Robertson. Trusted advisor. Unflappable.’

‘McCormicks grasp the subject matter quickly and provide transparent, non jargon advice. They understand the ethos of our business and how we work.’

‘They understand the business and the person in depth and company values.’

‘Brilliant unique sports practice, particularly Football. Unrivalled reputation in football. Top notch advice and at regional rates.’

‘Peter McCormick – exceptional commercial advice.’