Charities and not-for-profit Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong national offering that supports charities at every stage of their journey, from establishment through to support on complex HR issues and the protection of intellectual property and data. It has developed considerable strength in various sectors such as health, sport and religious charities as well as education and research organisations and livery companies. Other strengths include advising on philanthropy and legacy issues. Nationally it has a number of dedicated lawyers who work exclusively for charities and social enterprises, with Cambridge-based Neil Burton at the helm. Locally associate Adam Williams leads the charities practice and also supports charities outside the Midlands including a number of universities and colleges. Williams is recommended for his charity governance/regulatory advice in particular. Lucy Howard is a known name for her work on contested legacies, advising charities on the validity of their will provisions and acting on their behalf when claims are pursued under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

Family: Birmingham Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a superb family and children team that has experience of dealing with all aspects of family law issues. The practice is adept at handling high-value and complex litigation and also comprises various collaborative lawyers, mediators, arbitrators and a parental co-ordinator. Other areas of expertise under the leadership of the highly recommended Marc Saunderson include advising on cases where there are international pension funds or complex business and trust structures. The firm has also been strengthening its offering in other specialist areas such as fertility and surrogacy law and has developed a dedicated practice advising unmarried couples. In conjunction with its private client colleagues, it has substantial expertise in advising and setting up family investment companies and family constitutions.

IT and telecoms

Health Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has 'an unrivalled and top-class reputation' in healthcare, acting for a mix of NHS Trusts, private healthcare providers, commissioners and investors. Jill Mason heads up the national health practice and focuses on advising public and private commissioners and regulators on mental health and capacity issues. Rhian Vandrill advises on commercial relationships between the NHS and independent providers, while public law expert Dawn Brathwaite leads on judicial review challenges, and Jog Hundle leads the health and care employment team.

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 1

Professional negligence Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a first-class team that is known for its work in the professional indemnity insurance market. It is a large department with three full-time professional indemnity partners in Birmingham. It handles many multimillion-pound claims involving brokers, construction professionals, financial lines and loss adjusters to name but a few. The team includes Angus Turner who is highly recommended for his work on solicitors’ negligence claims. Neil Frankland is the first port of call for his work on construction and insurance brokers' negligence claims. David Gooding’s expertise spans claims against accountants and independent financial advisers in addition to more general coverage issues.

Sport Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong practice across all areas of sports law, with football being a particular area of strength. Leveraging considerable expertise nationally, the team has won new instructions in football, sailing, boxing, golf, SportsTech and Esports. Employment partner Richard Santy regularly acts for national and international football clubs, assisting them with managing and coaching hires and acting in employment disputes. Senior associate Phil Hutchinson is a name to note for sports litigation and regulatory matters, with a well-developed practice advising clubs on international player transfers.

Commercial litigation: Birmingham Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP's regulatory, public and commercial disputes team assists its clients with a range of UK and cross-border matters and benefits from a strong international arbitration practice. Practice head Steve Allen frequently handles shareholder and product liability disputes with particular experience in the automotive, advanced manufacturing and technology sectors. Other names of note include principal associate Anthony Minnis, who counts energy, technology and healthcare among his sector specialisms; and senior associate Phil Hutchinson, who focuses on sports litigation.

Construction Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP's full-service practice is instructed by leading contractors, developers and public and private sector clients in the energy, education, health and hospitality industries. Stuart Pemble heads up the transactional construction group and national academies practice, alongside Martino Giaquinto who focuses on projects and disputes resolution.

Corporate and commercial: Birmingham Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP is highly regarded for mid-market corporate and private equity work. Its team includes Julian Smith, who is the head of the national independent health and care team. James Fry leads the life sciences practice, while recently promoted partner Junaid Haroon heads up the Midlands agri-food and business group. Another key figure is Peter McLintock, who is the head of the firm's Africa desk. In 2019, Smith, senior associate Joanna Duncan and others advised independent bookmaker Wilf Gilbert on the sale of the business to Boylesports. Kevin Lowe, Jane Hussey, David Varnham and principal associate Ruth Andrew are also recommended.

Corporate tax Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP's highly regarded team includes Neil Pearson, who has specialist expertise in venture capital schemes (VCT, EIS, SEIS) and social investment (SITR). Pearson is also the head of the share incentives practice. Elsewhere, the firm handles tax issues connected with fund structuring, finance transactions and M&A. Pearson advised social impact fund manager Resonance on establishing its West Midlands SITR fund. Property tax structuring is another area of strength. Head of the corporate and commercial group Kevin Lowe is dual qualified as a chartered tax adviser, with almost 30 years' corporate tax experience.

Education Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP is highly active in the education sector and has recently assisted universities, colleges and multi-academy trusts with their compliance with the Higher Education & Research Act 2017, real estate acquisitions, corporate governance issues and public law matters. Group head Nick Abbott advises on all elements of employment law including industrial relations issues, dismissals and complex discrimination claims. Real estate partner Christian Bull handles property sales and purchases, student accommodation matters and capital development and refurbishment projects involving university estates and facilities. Other key members of the team include construction specialist Stuart Pemble, who leads the academies practice, and corporate and IT partner Tim Winn.

Employment Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP acts for a large number of high-profile clients in both the private and public sectors and has acted on a number of significant employment cases recently in addition to providing employment support on many corporate deals and projects. Jog Hundle has a strong reputation for her work in the health and care sectors. Hundle routinely advises on reorganisations, the employment aspects of mergers and disputes with medical staff/very senior managers as well as on complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Nick Abbott has considerable experience in the education sector. Richard Santy has a focus in the commercial and sports sectors and conducts his own advocacy in the employment tribunal.

Banking and finance Tier 3

David Varnham leads Mills & Reeve LLP's Birmingham banking team, which is particularly active in borrower-side work, and handles mandates involving a broad cross-section of industries and jurisdictions. Varnham's expertise includes real estate finance, acquisition finance, corporate finance and project finance. In one notable mandate, he advised Phoebus Software and NorthEdge Capital on their refinancing with Clydesdale Bank in 2019.

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong national private client offering with a specialist contentious trusts and probate team. Most of the team are members of, or working towards becoming members of, ACTAPS. Under the direction of Lucy Howard the practice deals with disputes about the validity of wills, actions involving trustees and executors, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 as well as Court of Protection matters and related claims over lifetime transactions. The agile team also acts for a number of charities on contested legacy matters.  In addition it works closely with its professional indemnity department on various complex professional indemnity matters with a trust/probate component. Clients include high-net-worth individuals, various substantial charities and institutions such as trust companies, universities and hospital trusts as well as insurance companies and professional trustees. Kim Ryan is another name to note.

Intellectual property Tier 3

Claire O’Brien is the key contact for contentious IP work at the Birmingham office of Mills & Reeve LLP; she has extensive courtroom experience in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, High Court and Court of Appeal in disputes involving trade marks, designs, copyright, patents and breaches of confidence. Senior associate Natalie Welch is also recommended for IP protection, exploitation and enforcement work, particularly in the automotive sector.

Pensions Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP has a national reach and considerable experience in a number of key sectors such as automotive and agribusiness. It has particular expertise in the charities/not-for-profit and education sectors. The practice is also recognised for its work on public sector pension schemes such as the LGPS, TPS, CSPS and NHSPS. The team under the leadership of Clare Grice is adept at advising on outsourcing matters for public sector bodies and local authorities as well as on the management of LGPS liabilities. The team has recently won a number of significant new instructions and in the past year has also been active in advising several NHS trusts on various tax issues for NHS staff, including annual and lifetime allowances.

Commercial property: Birmingham Tier 5

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong focus on the real estate aspects of the education, health and social care sectors. The Birmingham practice is co-headed by Christian Bull, who acts for universities and further education colleges on all manner of property transactions, and Michael Whatley, who advises NHS and healthcare clients on large development projects.

Property litigation Tier 5

At Mills & Reeve LLP, principle associate Christopher Bartley has particular expertise in property disputes in the technology, education and healthcare sectors. Other key areas of work include commercial and residential landlord and tenant issues, nuisance claims, restrictive covenants, trespass disputes and claims under the Telecommunications Code.

Agriculture and estates Tier 1

Banking and finance Tier 1

Charities and not-for-profit Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP in Cambridge works with some of the UK's largest charities, handling incorporation, recruitment, HR, estate management, property development, legacies, litigation, intellectual property and much more. Practice head Neil Burton is a specialist in charity law and counts Henry Smith Charity and the Francis Crick Institute among his clients. Debt capital market partner Sarah Seed runs the charity fundraising practice. Employment partner Nicola Brown, real estate specialist Nick Finlayson-Brown, IP partner James Fry and, in Norwich, real estate partner Caroline Dean also play central roles in the practice.

Commercial litigation: Cambridge Tier 1

Commercial litigation: Norwich Tier 1

Commercial property: Cambridge Tier 1

A significant part of Mills & Reeve LLP's national real estate practice is based in Cambridge. It handles regional, national and international transactions for a diverse range of clients that includes investors, institutional and local authority funds, developers, strategic landowners, corporates, and education and health providers. Charles Staveley leads the Cambridge team and the firm's real estate investment practice.Vincenzo Maggio focuses on investment work and landlord and tenant matters, Michelle Cookson specialises in complex investment and development projects, Christine De Ferrars Green handles development management agreements and landowner collaboration arrangements, and Nick Finlayson-Brown acts for UK and overseas clients in property investment, development and management matters. Principal associates Laura Ludlow, Christopher Pike and Tom Nash are also recommended.

Commercial property: Norwich Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a firm-wide real estate practice with key hubs in East Anglia. The firm handles high-value local, regional, national and international work that encompasses real estate development, landlord and tenant matters, corporate real estate transactions, property investment and finance. The lead partners in Norwich are Caroline Dean, who handles development work for landowners and property transactions for corporates, and Carina Cobbold, who specialises in mixed-use development sites, joint venture agreements, corporate real estate and large-scale projects. Also recommended are principal associates Lisa-Marie Kennedy, Zoe Cooke, Anna Aldous and Judy Day, and senior associate David Siddall.

Construction Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP is engaged in some of the most high-profile development projects in East Anglia, as well as handling work across the UK and internationally. It is currently involved in major projects in the education, agribusiness and green energy sectors. It acts for major contractors, including East Anglia's largest family-owned contractor RG Carter, as well as large developers and government departments. Stuart Thompson in Cambridge leads the practice and handles both construction contracts and disputes. Principal associates Alexandra Pike and Robert Weatherley, senior associate Gary Rushworth and senior legal advisor Alison Garrett are also names to note.

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 1

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 1

With noted expertise in trust disputes involving onshore and offshore clients, the expanding team at Mills & Reeve LLP is headed up by Simon Pedley, who has experience acting for high-net-worth-individuals, charities, Oxbridge colleges and trust companies. The team handles disputes over the validity of wills, actions involving trustees and executors, breach of trust and Inheritance Act claims, and Court of Appeal cases. Associate Ben Reeves is another name to note.

Corporate and commercial: Cambridge Tier 1

Corporate and commercial: Norwich Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong regional and national presence for corporate and M&A work, and many of its transactions have an international element. Among its clients are private equity and venture capital investors, SMEs and large listed companies. In the Norwich office, Craig Hodgson is head of corporate and Greg Gibson leads on commercial matters. Head of the Norwich office James Hunter has more than 25 years' transactional experience, notably for owners and acquirers of mid-market businesses. Natalie Wade is recommended for work in the independent health sector acting for private equity buyers and large consolidators of dental practices and health providers. Senior associate Christina O’Brien is also recommended.

Corporate tax Tier 1

The Cambridge office of Mills & Reeve LLP is best known for mid-market corporate and banking transactions, including a significant amount of work for international clients, as well as property tax structuring, employee incentive schemes, and tax advice to entities in the education and not-for-profit sectors. It counts Oxbridge colleges and major developers such as Urban & Civic among its clients. Regional practice head and principal associate Matthew Short focuses on corporate and real estate tax, particularly in the context of large property developments and construction projects. Consultant Robert Kent has a strong focus on funds and VAT issues.

Education: institutions Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP is a major name in the higher education sector, under the leadership of practice head Gary Attle. Its team handles complex and high-profile matters for universities, including Russell Group clients. Its expertise includes academic freedom of speech, sexual harassment on campus and data protection. Richard Sykes has a specialism in governance matters.  On the employment side, Nicola Brown leads the team for the higher education sector and is recommended along with Nick Abbott. Experienced real estate lawyer Christian Bull advises schools and universities on the sale and purchase of commercial properties.

Employment Tier 1

Family Tier 1

Nick Stone in Norwich and Caitlin Jenkins in Cambridge are the key partners in East Anglia for the six-partner national practice at Mills & Reeve LLP. In Cambridge, the team can also call on upon vastly experienced consultant Roger Bamber, who has a national reputation for family disputes, up-and-coming principal associate George Sprague and sought-after senior associate Rachel Brand. In Norwich, Frances Bailey is recommended for collaborative law. All play key roles in a practice that handles high-value matrimonial and children matters in the region, across the UK and internationally.

Family Tier 1

Utilising the full range of dispute resolution options available, the family team at Mills & Reeve LLP has considerable experience handling international and specialist pension fund issues, complex family business and trust structures, international wealth protection work, children proceedings and property disputes between unmarried couples or family members. Recently, the team, which is led by Alison Bull, has strengthened its specialism in children work, with multiple specialists in the team advising on fertility and surrogacy law. The vastly experienced Nigel Shepherd and principal associates Rose-Marie Drury and Andrew Moore are other names to note.

Family: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP fields a nationally-capable family law service, with practice head Philip Way highly experienced in complex high-value divorce and financial settlement cases encompassing complex trust, company and pension issues, including a number of multi-jurisdictional cases. Claudia Gilham has attracted praise for her work in domestic and international financial remedy cases as well as private children matters. The team has expanded its activity in children law cases, including surrogacy and fertility issues, and has also established a standalone practice that supports unmarried and cohabiting couples.

Education: individuals

Healthcare Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP advises a wide range of healthcare clients, including NHS Trusts, health and care providers, charities and not-for-profits, on matters such as NHS integration projects, healthcare digitisation and super-partnerships to run GP services. The team also has extensive experience advising on infrastructure projects for mental health hospitals. Practice leader Jill Mason has taken over as head of the national health and care practice and focuses on complex patient-related healthcare matters. Dawn Brathwaite focuses on high-profile judicial reviews,  Natalie Wade advises on healthcare M&A, and Peter Wainman specialises in IT and data protection in the healthcare sector.

Immigration Tier 1

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 1

Intellectual property Tier 1

IT and telecoms Tier 1

The Cambridge office of Mills & Reeve LLP has a large team of IT specialists handling complex and business-critical work across a huge range of sectors. It handles major IT projects for central government, works with both established and high-growth technology companies, and acts for non-departmental public bodies, regulators and charities on strategic IT projects. It also handles major projects for clients in the healthcare and education sectors. Kevin Calder and Peter Wainman lead the four-partner practice, in which principal associate Sophie Burton-Jones plays a key role.

Licensing Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP provides advice across the whole range of alcohol, entertainment, late night refreshment, sexual entertainment venues, betting and gaming licensing, marriage and pavement licences and licensing matters under the Private Security Industry Act. Harriet Wells in Norwich advises the firm's national client base, which includes holiday parks, sports clubs, hotels, restaurants and theatres across the UK, as well as Cambridge Colleges and numerous universities.

Pensions Tier 1

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 1

The Mills & Reeve LLP team in Manchester is headed up by Deborah Clark, who is recognised in the region for advising high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs on estate planning matters and the design and implementation of family investment companies. The team, which also includes the vastly experienced Tony Hall and trust specialist Zahra Siddiqui, also advises on succession issues, including those with a cross-border element. Another name to note is senior associate Charlotte Shaughnessy, who has experience acting for high-value estates.

Personal tax, trusts and probate: Cambridge Tier 1

Personal tax, trusts and probate: Norwich Tier 1

Planning and environment Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP in Cambridge has a full-service real estate group that handles substantial and high-profile national and increasingly, international property projects. Among its clients are strategic land promoters, investors, institutional and local authority funds, major developers, strategic landowners, large corporates, and education and healthcare providers. Peter Seaborn and Beverley Firth are specialist planning partners. Principal associate Caroline Bywater leads on major projects and routinely advises on strategic planning matters, while senior associate Howard Felstead specialises in in residential-led strategic development and commercial investment.

Professional negligence Tier 1

The professional negligence department at Mills & Reeve LLP is focused on insurance disputes involving professional indemnity, construction, and D&O and management liability policies. The team handles work on behalf of construction professionals, insurance brokers and other professionals including accountants, financial advisers and IT professionals. Other key areas of work include policy coverage issues such as fraud and dishonesty and inter-insurer disputes. Niall Innes, who has significant experience in defending claims against legal professionals, jointly heads the team with Ben Hardiman, who specialises in construction disputes.

Professional negligence Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP's Norwich office houses significant expertise in professional negligence matters, for which the firm has a national practice across its office network. Handling professional indemnity, insurance and financial disputes, the firm focuses on complex and high-value matters, as well as coverage advice on policy issues. Stephen King and Neil Davies are the lead partners. King handles matters involving solicitors and clinicians. Davies has a particular focus on matters for surveyors, financial and pension professionals, and brokers. Principal associate Clare Howard, senior associate Matthew Wilson and associate Sophie Briggs are also recommended.

Professional negligence: defendant Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP has a strong reputation for handling large, complex claims including claims against lawyers, construction professionals, insurance brokers and pensions practitioners. The team has recently seen considerable growth in its work defending construction professionals and is currently handling several multi-million-pound claims brought against a firm of cladding consultants following the Grenfell tragedy. Key practitioner Neil Howes leads the firm’s national construction and engineering risks team, which fields Laura Johnson.

Property litigation Tier 1

Mills & Reeve LLP's real estate practice advises on substantial and high-profile national and, increasingly, international property matters, as well as related disputes. The practice counts Urban & Civic and Hill Residential among its clients. National head of property litigation Richard Hanson in Norwich deals with all types of property dispute, including advice on the interpretation and construction of contracts, as well as strategic landlord and tenant issues. Key partner Richard New in Cambridge is among the UK’s leading experts on business rates, an area in which he frequently handles multimillion-pound disputes. Partners Julian Steed and James Hordern in Norwich are also recommended.

Public sector Tier 1

Sport Tier 1

At Mills & Reeve LLP, London-based Julian Moore leads the sports department alongside Mark Hovell and Carol Couse in Manchester. Hovell is a distinguished arbitrator in the Court of Arbitration for Sport whose clients include Premier League clubs, players’ associations, various professional athletes and the ITF. Couse gears her practice towards the football industry handling a range of regulatory affairs, as well as transfer agreements, player disputes, work permits and UEFA disciplinary matters. Commercial rights, including broadcasting, sponsorship and endorsements, are also a core strength for the team which has carved out a reputation for representing Spanish and Latin American footballers. Several governing bodies and unions also form the client base with sailing, boxing, golf, sportstech and e-sports also serving as industries of focus.

Agriculture and estates Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP has a large and specialist agricultural team that has a national reach. In addition to its traditional farming clients, it also acts for several of the landowning Cambridge and Oxford colleges, several pension funds, numerous prestigious landed estates and many substantial national farming businesses. Well-regarded practice co-heads Michael Aubrey and Amanda Tagg are both based in Cambridge. Aubrey is a key member of the firm’s food and agribusiness practice, while Tagg has considerable expertise in dealing with matters relating to agricultural land diversification. Norwich-based practice co-head Tim Ryan advises numerous traditional estates and landowners, as well as colleges and corporate entities.

Agriculture and estates Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP has notable sector knowledge and handles a broad range of work in the agriculture and estates sector. Key clients include traditional farming clients, landed estates and national farming businesses including Farmcare Trading. The group has strong commercial expertise and is able to advise on agriculture-related matters including tax, insolvency, and planning mandates. Michael Aubrey is joint head of the food and agribusiness practice, while principal associate Andrea Newman heads up the team in Leeds.

Biotechnology Tier 2

The Cambridge office of Mills & Reeve LLP advises biotechnology companies on corporate and commercial transactions, patents and IP, privacy, regulation, compliance, HR, pensions, product liability, dispute management, tax, share options and real estate matters. It acts for numerous small and medium-sized companies, as well as for global organisations such as Alere and ALK Abello. James Fry leads the multi-disciplinary life science practice, in which corporate finance partner Zickie Lim and IP specialist Alasdair Poore play key roles.

Charities and not-for-profit Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP has a national presence within the charity sector and acts as adviser to many leading UK charities including Children in Need, English Heritage and the British Council. The practice advises on registrations, governance issues, HR policies, funding work and IP matters, and has expertise in specialist areas including assisting health charities and sport and education organisations. National head Neil Burton and Yorkshire charity head Mark Ashton are noted.

Charities and not-for-profit Tier 2

Debt recovery Tier 2

From its Norwich office, Mills & Reeve LLP operates a fixed-fee debt collection service for both public and private sector clients. Senior associate Harriet Wells, who handles mainly litigation and licensing matters, oversees the work of legal executive and debt recovery specialist Lynne Lawn. Her work ranges from pre-litigation letters to the the drafting and issue of court proceedings.

Education Tier 2

Family: mediation Tier 2

Mills & Reeve LLP has recognised mediators in all its offices, with particular strength in London for both complex financial cases involving corporate structures and offshore trusts, where there are assets of between £20m and £2bn, and private law children cases, often involving international elements. Names to note are Joanna Grandfield, Alison Bull and Tim Whitney, while Suzanne Kingston, who is a trained collaborative lawyer, an accredited mediator and a hybrid mediator, as well as an accredited arbitrator, is also highly regarded.

Health Tier 2

The healthcare sector client base at Mills & Reeve LLP includes NHS trusts, independent sector health and care providers, commissioners, national bodies, charities and not-for-profit organisations, investors and advisers to the sector and primary care providers. The practice advises on integrated care systems, healthcare infrastructure projects and strategy for lab services and international hospital groups. Key contacts in Manchester are Chris Wilkinson, who has a strong track record of work in the pharmaceuticals sector and Paul Knight, who has a developing practice in health tech. Associate Charlotte Lewis is also recommended.

Health and safety Tier 2

The regulatory practice at Mills & Reeve LLP specialises in regulatory enforcement actions and related advice. Particularly active for clients in the education and healthcare sectors, it handles defence work in a broad range of industries. Partner Duncan Astill in Cambridge advises on corporate manslaughter and HSE prosecutions, Care Quality Commission enforcement actions, and inquests. Litigator Jamie Wheatley, who leads the regulatory, public and commercial disputes group, is also recommended. Principal associate Amanda Narkiewicz  is a rising star in the practice.

Media and entertainment Tier 2

Splitting their time between Manchester and London, Rachael Somerset and Richard Dawson-Gerrard jointly lead the practice at Mills & Reeve LLP. Their department is engaged for a broad array of defamation work including libel, slander, privacy, malicious falsehood and online harassment. Privacy, regulatory investigations, media strategy and related disputes are also fronts on which the group is active. Clients include celebrities, actors, footballers, public bodies and corporates.

Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant Tier 2

The national medical malpractice group at Mills & Reeve LLP is led from the Norwich office. It focuses on clinical negligence, advising on both policy matters and claims. Its recent work includes lack of cover matters for out-of-hours care, mesh claims and ocular lens implant cases raising aggregation issues. The firm is not a member of the NHSR panel, in order to avoid  conflicts of interest arising from advising NHS Trusts, individual practitioners and insurers. The Mills & Reeve First Response service supports clients with out-of-hours medico-legal and dento-legal support. Practice head Stephen King is a leading light in the market.

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 2

Commercial property: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP fields a dedicated real estate team, which advises on residential and commercial developments, investment transactions, landlord and tenant leasing issues, and portfolio management matters. Clients include education and healthcare providers in the public and private sector, commercial occupiers, developers and energy companies. The practice works on regional, national, and international mandates. Simon Sherwood heads up the team in Leeds, and has particular expertise in healthcare development work; Andrea Newman focuses on mixed-use and charity sector matters.

Commercial property: Manchester Tier 3

Corporate and commercial: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 3

Paul Johnson leads Mills & Reeve LLP's corporate and commercial practice, focusing on mid-market M&A in the technology, healthcare, finance and agriculture fields. With a client list primarily comprised of privately owned SMEs, the team also advises private equity-backed businesses. Additionally, principle associate Alex Kenworthy has expanded the team’s capacity to handle acquisitions for international corporates, most recently in the real estate and food and drink sectors. Johnson regularly works with commercial partner Martin Priestley on joint venture instructions, regularly involving complex shareholder negotiations.

Corporate and commercial: Manchester Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP's sector strengths include media, healthcare, technology, food and beverage, retail and property. The team's notably broad workload includes high-value corporate deals, M&A, private equity, management buyouts, commercial agreements, joint ventures and corporate governance issues. Chris Ross and Chris Wilkinson jointly head the department alongside Paul Knight, who has recently led on an array of projects for NHS and independent sector clients.

Court of protection Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP has 'in-depth experience of Court of Protection work', acting for both commissioners and providers of care, with particular expertise in complex medical treatment cases. Its areas of strength include navigating the complex overlap between the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act and advising mental health trusts on Court of Protection welfare cases. The team is increasingly active handling litigation relating to legacies. The 'superb and unflappable' Jill Mason heads the team.

Education Tier 3

The team at Mills & Reeve LLP advises education clients on a wide range of legal matters, including bond issues, senior staff disputes, campus developments, international activity, and high-profile student issues. The Leeds-based head of the team, Martin Priestley, specialises in advising on complex commercial projects and on international joint ventures in the education sector. The firm is on the panel of Leeds Beckett University, and advises on key international projects in Egypt, Dubai, China and Italy.

Employment Tier 3

Family Tier 3

Mills & Reeve LLP has an excellent reputation for advising on national and international financial cases involving complex corporate structures and offshore trusts with assets between £20m and £2bn. In addition, it is recommended for complex private law children cases, often with an international dimension, and its focus on non-court dispute resolution where appropriate. The 'phenomenally hardworking' Joanna Grandfield leads the practice. Consultant Suzanne Kingston is particularly renowned for her expertise in complex financial matters (often with an international element) and principal associate Tim Whitney is recommended for his experience in business and finance cases and wealth protection matters, including advising on high-value nuptial agreements.

Planning and environment Tier 3

At Mills & Reeve LLP, Keith Davidson leads the firm's non-contentious environmental work in Manchester, which covers environmental insurance, transactional support and brownfield development projects. Davidson represents the firm as a member of the Contaminated Land Panel for the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.

Professional negligence Tier 3

Working alongside its strong network of regional offices, Mills & Reeve LLP's London practice advises insurers and defendants from numerous industries on complex claims of negligence. Team leader Neil Davis manages some of the firm’s largest client relationships and specialises in defending solicitors, brokers, construction professionals and technology companies. Virginia Hickley is head of financial claims and primarily advises accountants, professional trustees, independent financial advisers, wealth managers, pension fund administrators and hedge fund managers. Nicolas Oldham leads the construction practice; he handles claims against construction professionals, including surveyors and valuers.

Asset based lending Tier 4

At Mills & Reeve LLP, Zak Virgin heads the national team out of the Norwich office and has successfully cultivated a strong practice advising lenders and borrowers on mid-market ABL-related domestic mandates.

Commercial litigation: Manchester Tier 4

Commercial property: development Tier 4

At Mills & Reeve LLP, Orla O’Sullivan, Michael Giess and Christine de Ferrars Green lead the development practice, which undertakes an array of projects including regenerations, mixed-use developments and asset-specific developments. Key asset classes include education, health, rural land and residential with the core real estate offering supported by environmental, agriculture, construction and finance expertise. Investment work is led by Charles Staveley who delivers advice on the full lifecycle from acquisition and management through to disposal; his team have recently handled an increasing number of forward funding and joint venture agreements in addition to investments in alternative assets.

Commercial property: investment Tier 4

At Mills & Reeve LLP, Orla O’Sullivan, Michael Giess and Christine de Ferrars Green lead the development practice, which undertakes an array of projects including regenerations, mixed-use developments and asset-specific developments. Key asset classes include education, health, rural land and residential with the core real estate offering supported by environmental, agriculture, construction and finance expertise. Investment work is led by Charles Staveley who delivers advice on the full lifecycle from acquisition and management through to disposal; his team have recently handled an increasing number of forward funding and joint venture agreements in addition to investments in alternative assets.

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 4

With a national presence, the team at Mills & Reeve LLP combines a strong private client offering with a specialist trust and probate department. Under the direction of Simon Pedley and David Catchpole, the practice is adept at dealing with disputes concerning the validity of wills and actions involving trustees and executors, as well as claims under the Inheritance Act 1975 and related claims concerning lifetime transactions. It also acts for a number of charities involved in contested legacy matters.

Education: schools Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP handles a broad scope of matters for schools and academies. The team's experience includes undertaking corporate mandates for schools, such as M&A, transfers and conversions; these are areas of expertise which Nick Abbott and Jonathan Greenwood are noted for. In addition, the group advises on student issues, such as admissions and exclusions. Richard Sykes leads the education law team in Birmingham and Manchester. Gary Attle is the national education practice head. Stuart Pemble leads the national academies practice.

Employment: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP has steadily grown its practice under the leadership of Stuart Craig, who is noted for representing employers in high-profile discrimination claims before the Employment Tribunal and upper courts. The team is particularly active in the healthcare sector, with Craig and principle associate Rebecca Pallot advising a large roster of NHS bodies on senior employee exits, disciplinary issues and performance procedures.

Equity capital markets - low-mid cap Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP has a well-established reputation advising listed technology companies and entities operating in the life sciences sector on their admission to the capital markets, as well as their ongoing equity fundraising requirements.; it also attracts mandates from nominated advisers and brokers. A notable highlight saw London corporate head Kristian Shearsby (who joined from Covington & Burling LLP in 2019) and Cambridge-based Stephen Hamilton lead a team, which advised Feedback Plc on a circa £2m placing and subscription raise. Hamilton, who has over 20 years of capital markets experience, is a deputy co-chair of the Quoted Companies Alliance Legal Technical committee.

Infrastructure (PFI and PPP) Tier 4

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP's practice is led by the highly experienced Helen Fyles, who operates out of Manchester on mandates across the country. The firm is one of three in the country which has been appointed to handle insolvency and recovery work for the financial recovery unit of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); the firm's work for the ICO focuses on enforcement matters.

Intellectual property Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP’s IP practice is led by Mark Pearce, who provides strategic advice on licensing strategies, collaboration contracts, trade mark oppositions and alternative dispute resolution cases concerning patent infringement claims. Pearce (who divides his time between Leeds and Cambridge) has a strong focus on the higher education, pharmaceuticals, engineering and agriculture sectors. The practice also includes a trade mark filing service and handles the IP elements of corporate transactions.

IT and telecoms Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP’s commercial, IT and IP practice is highly active in the public sector; practice head Martin Priestley handles unique instructions including advising on the national procurement of radio network infrastructure for government bodies and assisting with IT projects for a substantial list of NHS bodies. The team also recently advised on data-sharing agreements for educational institutions.

IT and telecoms Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP has experience advising on IT projects for central government, regulators, NDPBs and charities, as well as established and growing technology businesses. The firm also provides expertise in IT matters to the healthcare and education sectors. Technology and life sciences expert Kevin Calder co-leads the practice with Peter Wainman, who specialises in IT and data protection work.

IT and telecoms Tier 4

At Mills & Reeve LLP, practice head Paul Knight's practice focuses on software licensing and development, data security and GDPR, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. HealthTech and EdTech are key sectors for the group, which is also well-regarded for automation matters.

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 4

Sarah Cormack is at the helm of the team at Mills & Reeve LLP. She is well regarded for her advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and for her particular skill in international asset holding structures. Other strengths lie in advising on international family offices, as well as the use of private trust companies, protector and appointee entities. The group is also skilled in advising on family councils and family constitutions. Cambridge-based Chris Belcher is well regarded for his estate work.

Sport Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP has built a strong reputation for representing major football clubs and players on high-profile matters, most recently acting for Rangers FC in its dispute with Sports Direct concerning replica football kits. Carol Couse  led on that particular case; she primarily focuses on commercial and regulatory matters in football. Fellow practice head Mark Hovell also advises on commercial and regulatory issues, as well as on insolvency and governance. He regularly sits as an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and has an 'excellent' reputation in the market.

Venture capital Tier 4

Mills & Reeve LLP has expertise on the fund structuring side. Cambridge-based partner Zickie Lim heads up the downstream work on the venture capital front and as part of her broad-ranging roster of work has developed a particularly strong reputation for handling university spin outs. The arrival of principal associate Kristian Shearsby in 2019 from Covington & Burling LLP provides increased visibility in the London market; he heads up the firm's corporate team in the City, which is picking up a significant amount of life sciences-related venture capital work.

Charities and not-for-profit Tier 5

Mills & Reeve LLP acts for a range of health, sport and religious charities, and also has considerable expertise in advising education and research organisations and livery companies. In addition, the team has vast experience of advising on philanthropy and legacy matters. The national team under the leadership of Neil Burton has advised some of the biggest names in social finance, as well as government departments, and has assisted clients with raising funds through bonds, crowdfunding and innovative investment models.

Construction Tier 5

Fintech Tier 5

Mills & Reeve LLP acts for fintech clients, including payment companies and wealth management platforms, in relation to corporate and commercial arrangements. Kevin Calder has experience advising clients on commercial matters and IT law; Stephen Hamilton specialises in equity capital markets and corporate finance; and Peter Wainman advises clients on IT and data protection issues.

Insurance and reinsurance litigation Tier 5

Administrative and public law Tier 6

Immigration

Mills & Reeve LLP has significant expertise in issues relating to Brexit and EU nationals, including settled status and British citizenship applications. The practice provides advice on a broad range of compliance issues and visa applications. Alex Russell heads the team and is known for his work for universities.