Howard Kennedy LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘I’m consistently impressed by the dedication and expertise of the team. I highly recommend Howard Kennedy to any potential client seeking exceptional M&A support.’

‘What sets them apart from competitors is their strong commercial mindset, which surpasses that of other silver circle firms I’ve engaged with in the past. The team doesn’t just pass work down the chain; partners are heavily involved, providing valuable insights and guidance at every stage of the process.’

‘I value the team’s commercial acumen, hands-on approach, and unwavering commitment to delivering client satisfaction for us on every M&A transaction. Their ability to deliver results while prioritising our unique needs truly sets them apart.’

‘Gillian White’s strategic acumen, common sense, and ability to find creative solutions set her apart from competitors. She just gets it, and is our go to.’

‘Each of the Howard Kennedy team embodies qualities of professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence which I value immensely. Their collective expertise forms the backbone of Howard Kennedy’s reputation for delivering outstanding M&A legal services. They really punch above their weight.’

‘The Howard Kennedy team are exceptionally responsive and have amazing outreach to the community in general. They leverage technology and state-of-the-art project management to achieve the best results for their clients. I’m impressed by their proactive approach to the practice of law and business development.’

‘The Howard Kennedy commercial practice team are certainly a legal partner that you’d want to have alongside you on any M&A transaction. They are really smart, savvy people who make sure that the ins and outs of any deal are well understood, such that negotiations go well.’

‘The team at Howard Kennedy are engaged and dynamic. They work through issues as they arise with competence and diligence.’

‘The team is dynamic, energetic and effective. It includes considerable experience and intellect. Client care is excellent and advice is well-reasoned and pragmatic. It provides a thorough and modern service to clients in this highly specialised area.’

‘Kyle Phillips is a commercially minded partner with great experience in heavy fraud. Applies sound judgment and a down-to-earth approach to litigation and advice. Excellent client care.’

‘Jennifer Harper is an outstanding senior associate with exceptional judgement. Diligent, very bright, and wholly unflappable. Scores top marks in every skillset.’

‘Angharad Hughes is a very capable and enthusiastic senior associate who brings her experience from the independent bar and uses it to full effect.’

‘James Wingfield is outstanding; he is very knowledgeable in this area, unflappable, gives pragmatic, commercial advice and clients like working with him.’

‘The people I worked with were excellent. They were responsive, quick in all their dealings and all in all top flight. I felt well looked after and able to contact them readily if needed. It was a first-rate experience.’

‘I worked in particular with Jon Sharples. He is tremendously knowledgeable, gracious and generous with his time and counsel. I would recommend him most highly and he would be my first point of call with any legal matters.’

‘Working with Jon Sharples was an excellent experience. He was attentive, compassionate and was quick to reply to messages. He listened carefully to the situation and provided clear, professional and unbiased advice which helped me to understand my options.’

‘Mark Stephens is quite simply a legend of the art and cultural property world. Immense knowledge of all legal issues and is beyond passionate about his client’s causes, which makes him a force to be reckoned with if on the other side. ’

‘Jon Sharples balances expertise and legal vigour with a clear and empathic communication style. This combination makes him a hugely reassuring and effective ally to those who have the good fortune to work with him.’

‘Mark Stephens is a prominent industry figure whose tactical advice is highly valued. James Wingfield brings his commercial savvy to art world disputes.’

‘The practice seems to be very involved within the arts outside of just day-to-day legal work. They have a passion for the arts personally.’

‘Naomi O’Higgins is a very experienced litigator. She really fights for and empathises with her clients. She is all over the detail and doesn’t hesitate to get stuck in, but never forgets to think about her clients’ best interests.’

‘Monika Byrska’s affable manner endears her to clients and disarms her opponents, while her fierce intellect and steely determination out-manoeuvers her opponents towards her client’s objectives.’

‘Howard Kennedy has a very strong contentious trust and estates team, headed up by the fantastic Naomi O’Higgins. They have huge experience in the wide range of issues which arise in these disputes, from multi-jurisdictional aspects to tax implications.’

‘Naomi O’Higgins has a very clear-sighted and focused approach to any dispute; she hones in on the key aspects and prioritises what will best deliver the clients’ objectives.’

‘Naomi O’Higgins has built a great team around her with the recruitment of the excellent Monica Byrska. At associate level, Brendan Udokoro is a great asset: he is hard-working, utterly reliable and has a cool head under pressure. ’

‘Emily Mailer is a class act.’

‘Naomi O’Higgins is a great head of team, with some fantastic work. A shrewd operator, but approachable too. Monika Byrska is a great addition to the team as a partner; she really knows her stuff. Emily Mailer is very knowledgeable, experienced, and has a great rapport with her clients.’

‘Simon Malkiel has the right combination of client handling skills and deep technical knowledge. Simon is ably assisted by Laura Lea, who also has great client handling skills.’

‘Approachable and good value, we always see a client led approach from Howard Kennedy. Liz Palmer is extremely able to cut to the heart of a problem and deliver quick proactive advice in an understandable manner.’

‘Simon Malkiel is excellent and is always on hand for practical technical advice.’

‘John Annetts has become a real heavyweight for onshore tax-planning and complex probates. He calmly deals with ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. He is unflappable and wears his considerable knowledge and expertise very lightly.’

‘Liz Palmer is an extremely able and incisive lawyer particularly when advising on US/UK tax issues. She is always friendly and I am sure fantastic with clients.’ 

‘A very strong practice dealing with the full range of work.’

‘Liz Palmer is outstanding. Great technical knowledge allied to a very commercial approach.’

‘All the individuals are approachable and friendly. There is very much a team ethos to the department. The team is highly diverse and is all the stronger for that. Information sharing and collaboration is excellent.’

‘A breadth of expertise and experience, with support across the full range of legal services required in a large-scale and complex international human rights case.’

‘Mark Stephens’ experience and aplomb add to any case in which he is involved.’

‘Mark Stephens is a standout figure in the human rights sphere, especially known for his dedication to defending media freedom and combating SLAPP actions. What sets him apart is not just his legal expertise but also his genuine passion for protecting free speech and journalistic integrity.’

‘What makes Mark Stephens stand out is not just his legal know-how, but also his empathy and practical approach to challenging issues, making him not only a respected legal professional but also a trusted ally in the fight for justice.’

‘The individuals we deal with are very experienced in their highly specialised area of work. They are incredibly knowledgeable and responsive. They consider the issue carefully and provide reasoned advice promptly.’

‘We have developed over many years a good working relationship with Howard Kennedy in relation to construction-related matters. This relationship has been developed through a clear understanding of our business operations and stakeholder requirements. This in turn leads to sound advice on legal matters relating to the agreements we enter into and ensure we are fully aware of our liabilities and risks.’

‘James Stewart leads an experienced and supportive team, who give clear and concise advice, taking time to ensure we fully understand, and also working to our required timescales. With the recent plethora of new construction-related legislation, it is pleasing to see that HK are at the forefront of research and advice on these changes, and advise us accordingly.’

‘The team’s practice distinguishes itself through its unwavering commitment to excellence, client satisfaction, innovation, and inclusivity.’

‘Very experienced team, commercially minded and very strong legal knowledge, and client focussed.’

‘We found the knowledge and ability to quickly comprehend the key issues of partners Edward Corbett and Victoria Tyson as stand out. Their undoubted prior experience, reputation and standing was key us engaging HK LLP.’

‘The key players here are known well in the media bar, and are go-to advisers on content issues in the UK, as well as being plugged into human rights work involving free expression in other parts of the world.’

‘Mark Stephens has made a name for himself as the UK’s leading media counsel, advising on all kinds of content-related issues and litigation matters. Elizabeth Morley is an up-and-coming expert in this area as well.’

‘A brilliant team – very happy to recommend them. We require timely advice from the best of practitioners and we get that from Howard Kennedy – highly, highly recommended.’

‘I have only used this practice for personal law partnership issues. The advice I received was technically competent and also showed a good understanding of the psychological and human aspects of the situation.’

‘I worked with Robert Craig. He is clearly very experienced in partnership law and made a number of very good points with respect to partnership contract interpretation and application. On the basis of his advice, I achieved a very good result.’

‘Howard Kennedy’s general crime team has an excellent reputation amongst legal professionals. They have a well drilled team who never let clients down. The quality of their case preparation is always high; combined with exceptional client care from committed lawyers. They are one of the best out there.’

‘Kyle Phillips is a fantastic talent. He is highly regarded in the area of general crime. He works tirelessly for his clients; is always on top of his papers; and has an exceptional knowledge of the law. Kyle’s affable manner quickly gains the trust of clients.’

‘Ian Ryan is a hugely influential figure in this area. He has a formidable reputation and never disappoints.’

‘Chloe Belton is highly impressive and methodical. Her legal acumen is only matched by her enthusiasm for her clients’ causes. ’

‘Howard Kennedy are a popular team, well-equipped to advise individuals and corporate clients on the full range of criminal jeopardy. They are big enough to resource a corporate commitment and boutique enough to give a full wraparound service to an individual in their moment of crisis.’

‘Strong team with lots of relevant experience.’

‘Kyle Phillips is an exceptional lawyer. He has an impressive ability to think laterally to find solutions. He has an affable manner and works well with others. He insists on only the highest standards which he never lets slip.’

‘Chloe-Jane Belton is bright, charismatic and effective.’

‘Tactically astute, and know how to run a criminal case.’

‘Jennifer Harper is fearsome in her defence of her clients, highly committed and enormously thorough and engaged. Her judgment and tactical understanding is excellent.’

‘The Howard Kennedy team are a dynamic and well-regarded team. They are tenacious and offer sound strategic advice to individuals facing white-collar crime issues.’

‘Ian Ryan brings a wealth of experience to his work in this field. His strategic thinking and judgment are second to none.’

‘They have deep knowledge and experience and you feel they are really committed and invested in your personal case. I have valued highly Ian Ryan and Fran Garvey work and personal approach.’

‘Fran Garvey a real up and coming star. Junior lawyer operating way above her level. Quickly develops deep and thorough knowledge of case. Collaborative, hard working and passionate.’

‘Howard Kennedy’s dispute resolution team can compete with any London practice. They are an efficient team that works well together. They use their excellence in legal technicalities to achieve strategic outcomes for clients.’

‘Very strong team for this size of firm. Great client base, very high success rate and an excellent work product. This a brilliant team that is characterised by its efficiency and creative approach to litigation.’

‘The work product is always excellent, and their lawyers are brilliant at working together as a cohesive team.’

’Duncan Bagshaw – charming and energetic personality with a keen interest in the law and also the commercial/international context of his cases.’

‘Joel Leigh – a great litigator who is very approachable and responsive. He is a calm and steady presence in any fraught litigation and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Dominic Offord is an exceptionally capable lawyer and consistently a delight to collaborate with; and James Wingfield is ultra-commercial and has very sound judgement.’

‘Arish Bharucha is both involved and efficient: he’s a great combination of being across the detail without taking a disproportionate amount of time.’

‘Ayesha Salim is outstanding. Her attention to detail and technical legal expertise are remarkable. Clients would always prefer to have her on their side rather than opposing them.’

‘A fantastic family law team, modern in outlook, commercial in approach, full of really smart, highly capable lawyers.’

‘Katherine Res Pritchard is absolutely outstanding, an established name with true pedigree in children cases, particularly those with an international element. Katherine’s ability to offer an empathetic yet robust approach is second to none – she is a total star and a leading figure in the field.’

‘Nina Lake is beyond brilliant in terms of her intellect and how she deals with clients. Whether the case involves complex finances or vast wealth, it pays to have Nina on your side.’

‘Iona Nicolson is a stand-out junior who is destined for greatness, already well on the track to becoming a leader in the field, Iona is a highly talented lawyer with a knack for juggling multiple complex matters while doing them all to an exceptional standard.’

‘Howard Kennedy are a truly wonderful firm! They go above and beyond to support their clients whilst championing inclusivity and diversity within their team.’

‘Lois Langton is a stand out Partner and fantastic Head of the Family Team. Lois is regularly delivering the highest calibre of work, taking the lead on numerous challenging cases and seeing them through to great success. You can’t get much better than Lois when it comes to Family Law!’

‘Emma Green is immediately disarming in all the right ways – personable, astute and tenacious. Brimming with charm and wit, but with one hand always on the dagger just in case.’

‘Olalla Garcia-Arreciado has a bright future. She knows the minutiae inside-out and is an excellent strategist. ’

‘Howard Kennedy’s energy practice is at the very top of the market. They are a client favourite because they deliver high quality work product at a reasonable cost, by the standards of the London market.’

‘Duncan Bagshaw is a market leader in the field. He is the first port of call for African energy disputes in London.’

‘Jonathan Cohen has delivered sound advice on recent power related agreements. An efficient and competent operator in this field, we have always received clear advice to enable efficient decisions to be made.’

‘Howard Kennedy have been able to provide us with clear and objective legal advice on complex matters relating to power in a timely manner.’

‘Very knowledgeable, responsible and work well as a team.’

‘Really great specific knowledge. Specialist corporate occupier team who know what they are doing inside out, not just an investment team squeezing in a bit of leasing around the other work that they actually want.’

‘Antonia Frangakis is an expert in her field.’  

‘The Corporate Team led by Anthony Hunt were as professional as they come. Throughout the entire process of our acquisition, they have been steadfast and always willing to listen to our concerns and advise us on the right path forward. They were very accessible and were very patient in guiding us in our first venture into the UK.’

‘Amanda McNeil is incisive in her argument but open minded to consider the broad picture. Comprehensive knowledge of the area and as we grew into the process, increasingly confident and unfazed by some odd actions and arguments by the other side. She has a straight and true moral compass.’

‘The team is led by Amanda McNeil who is a fountain of knowledge on all Property Litigation matters. She is supported by an exceptionally strong team. Senior Associates, Bhavini Patel and Holly Jordan-Wright are extremely knowledgeable and robust litigators.’

‘Ed Cooper, joined the team as a Partner and is specialist in commercial property litigation. He has a wealth of experience, is commercially minded and responsive.’

‘Amanda McNeil is approachable, responsive and commercially astute.’

‘Bhavini Patel is a leading figure on Building Safety, she has developed detailed understanding of the new legislation which coupled with her extensive residential and commercial property litigation knowledge, enables her to provide an extremely impressive service.’

‘Amanda McNeil is who I would want on my team in any dispute. The quality of her clients and retention rate is outstanding.’

‘Robert Boucher – a fantastic prop lit lawyer with a great legal brain.’

‘Hollie Jordan-Wright is exceptional and is surely a next generation partner. Her technical knowledge of the law, her pragmatism and judgment and her client service are second to none. Hollie is a delight to work with and clients are in a very safe pair of hands.’

‘The attention to detail and information delivery makes transactions move far more smoothly.’

‘Direct and immediate communication either by email or phone . Always keep in contact.’

‘I was particularly struck by both the ability and willingness of the Howard Kennedy team to draw on a range of talent across a spectrum of disciplines to bring their respective expertise and experience to a case. Other firms may have multiple, siloed departments, but I have found Howard Kennedy to have a true multidisciplinary team.’

‘Mark Stephens is a real maverick and force of nature that will ensure nothing stands in between the client and their goals; such that they will almost inevitably be achieved.’

‘Robert Lands is a pleasure to deal with by email, on the phone, and in person, and he brings a commercial awareness and human touch to our legal queries. I can’t think of an occasion when we’ve had to explain to Robert how our business or industry works, which counts for a lot.’

‘Amy Cunliffe-Rowe has consistently brought clarity and perspective to the contracts that define our business.’

‘Ian Ryan is a standout practitioner for professional discipline issues. He achieves considerable success during early engagement with regulators, bringing investigations to a successful early conclusion for his clients.’

‘Great team, led by Ian Ryan. Clients are huge fans. Ian is very knowledgeable, discreet and incredibly pragmatic.’

‘Ian Ryan is a very experienced practitioner who brings his experience to bear on complex situations.’

‘Ian Ryan clearly knows his stuff – he provides practical strategic advice and makes clients feel like they are in good hands.’

‘Ian Ryan is technically excellent and also very commercial in his advice. Very responsive also. Recommended to others who need regulatory advice.’

‘Ian Ryan is excellent. Very good technically, and also very commercial in his advice and experienced in SRA/regulatory matters.’

‘Sam Murray Hinde’s knowledge and experience in employment law is second-to-none. She has excellent judgment and gives practical, commercial advice, but is an intimidating and tenacious opponent. Lydia Christie is also a very safe pair of hands.’

‘Alex Mizzi has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law but can communicate complex matters in clear and concise terms.’

‘This is a first class team. Their approach is encapsulated by saying that they have forensic attention to detail, great with client care, robustly defend claims, and are very responsive.’

‘The Howard Kennedy team provide an excellent service to clients, providing clear and commercial-minded instructions. They are also proactive and easy to get in touch with.’

‘I have worked with multiple excellent people at Howard Kennedy. In particular Sam Murray-Hinde, and Lydia Christie are great to work with, providing clear instructions and being extremely proactive.’

‘Highly knowledgeable and effective employment law team, able to turn their hand to any problem required. Jane Amphlett – totally professional, pragmatic, knowledgeable and effective.’

‘Jane Amphlett is a ‘go-to guru’ in employment and partnership disputes. There is nothing she has not seen before.’

‘Sam Murray-Hinde is an exceptionally clever and formidable lawyer who is able to handle the most complex business critical employment and partnership matters.‘

‘All lawyers we have worked with know and love the sector which makes their advice so much better.’

‘The team at Howard Kennedy are so efficient, they are able to explain technical clauses in simple terms. It makes transactions incredibly efficient.’

‘The team are personable and slick. They have a hunger to get transactions completed quickly and accurately.’

‘The team have a good varied number of professionals that can handle any hospitality issue. They are totally professional and to the point in everything that I have dealt with them on.’

‘A strong team who has a deep understanding of the hospitality scene in UK. Their commercial awareness combined with their understanding of the law allows them to provide to tailor their advice to our needs.’

‘Proactive in their work, ensuring our interests are protected despite the counterparty’s heavy pressure. We rest easy knowing that this team has our corner. ’

‘The team regularly host events to bring like-minded hospitality professionals together to share ideas, and for the Howard Kennedy team to provide employment updates.’

‘They are a safe pair of hands, I can trust them, and they are so personable to work with.’

‘Howard Kennedy have been advising us for a number of years on planning matters. It is clear that the planning team have an exceptional understanding of planning law, their advice enables us to ensure that our risks are understood and where necessary matters challenged. This is clearly an area that is advantageous to a developer operation.’

‘The planning team at Howard Kennedy are excellent and extremely knowledgeable. They are a joy and pleasure to work with, particularly during stressful times for appeal work.’

‘Jade Chalmers is extremely, knowledgeable, and helpful. She is a real pleasure to work with and provides excellent legal services for planning.’

‘The team is very well led by Jade Chalmers, who has built the team up significantly in both numbers and reputation.’

‘Jade Chalmers is bright, efficient, hard-working, and incredibly personable.’

‘The planning team, led by Jade Chalmers, consistently give sound and objective legal advice in the challenging field of town and country planning.’

‘The team is competent and diligent. However, what gives value to HK is its senior people.’

‘The team is very professional, efficient, responsive, and organised.’

‘This is an energetic and dynamic team. They do high-quality work. They take diversity seriously and pride themselves on fostering a supportive work culture.’

‘Duncan Bagshaw – outstanding in terms of expertise, experience and case handling. Focuses on the essentials, provides pragmatic solutions, and wins the case.’

‘Duncan Bagshaw takes excellent care of his clients’ interests, has genuine insight, and is a pleasure to work with. This is a guy clients want in the trenches with them.’

‘Duncan Bagshaw knows how to handle the client relationship like almost nobody else. He is the go-to lawyer for African clients (especially states) in London.’

‘Arish Bharucha is developing into the market leader for Indian disputes in London.’

‘Eloise Crompton is enthusiastic and intelligent.’

‘HK demonstrate a clear understanding of the commercial market and always offer clear and concise legal advice within the operational timescales required.’

‘Once appointed, the team, led by David Philips, work to fully understand our requirements and programme and then work hard to deliver to our requirements.’

‘John Kiely is responsive and pro-active in supporting clients.’

‘Team was very responsive and answered all questions in details. The team looking after our account was diverse and collaboration was smooth.’

‘John Kiely and Jieun Kim were a delight to work with.’

‘The department is very informative and responsive.’

‘John Kiely is very responsive and professional.’

‘We have had excellent service from the team. They are extremely professional, knowledgeable members of staff that are friendly and willing to go the extra mile. We have always enjoyed working alongside them as they get the job done quickly and efficiently.’

‘Always on hand to help, knowledgeable.’

‘Great leadership and sophisticated skills.’

‘Brilliant team.’

‘Alex Watt is a force of nature; superb advice and always on point.’

‘Howard Kennedy is a modern and forward-thinking law firm.’

‘We regularly work with Alex Watt and his associate, Jon Sharples. Alex is a highly commercial and charismatic lawyer. Jon is a fantastic addition to the team who is highly skilled and a pleasure to work with.’

‘We would like to extend a strong appreciation to Robert Lands for his great work. Their ability to defend our position has led to numerous favourable outcomes.’

‘The team works knowledgeably and efficiently to deliver for our needs in the UK market.’

‘Robert Lands and his team work efficiently with us to serve the needs of our clients in the UK market. They work collaboratively as an extension of our own team and deliver succinct advice and prompt solutions. Pollyanna Savva is also a standout in the team and is a pleasure to work with.’

‘A dynamic and innovative team in the field of sports law that has been involved in everything from F1 to esports. The position in the market is constantly strengthening and for good reason. Excellent strategic advice and a real understanding of the complex factors in play in sports litigation.’

‘Joel Leigh – very creative and hugely committed to this area of law. He provides outstanding service to his clients and has an excellent reputation in the market.’

‘Kyle Phillips – he understands sports law inside and out and provides insightful advice and guidance for sportsmen and women in difficult situations.’

‘Sam Murray-Hinde – a fantastic team player who gets stuck in, and who conveys impressive calm at all times.’

‘The team is very well integrated and collegiate.’

‘The team is extremely knowledgeable and strategic, particularly in relation to complex litigation or investigations.’

‘They have good strategic and technical knowledge.’

‘Vernon Dennis is an excellent strategist who is always one step ahead of the industry as a whole.’

‘Dominic Offord is extremely knowledgeable and personable. He can grasp extremely complex matters and distil them to their key legal components and then provide commercially appropriate advice so that those matters can be progressed effectively.’

‘Rachel Brown is a top-notch lawyer who excels in providing tailored solutions.’