Paris Smith LLP > Southampton, England > Firm Profile

‘Very professional and common sense approach to queries and issues.’

‘I deal with David Roath mostly, sometimes Clive Dobbin and other members of the employment team. They have a good understanding of the sensitivities of our business and the advice we receive is measured and sensible. We feel very supported and not just another client.’

‘Very helpful with great knowledge and offer good advice.’

‘Clive Dobbin is our point of contact and he is always wise in his advice and accommodating of his time.’

‘Competent, efficient, approachable and professional, the team at Paris Smith Hampshire’s family division have been everything I would want from legal representation, and this applies to staff at all echelons of the firm.’

‘Strength in depth and real quality across the team.’

‘Huw Miles was outstanding in translating his expert legal opinion into clear concise advice that was readily understandable by a lay person. Where information was required from his wider team having corralled the requisite knowledge Huw responded in an impressively timely manner.’

‘The firm represented me throughout my divorce, which has been a somewhat complex affair, and I would recommend them to anyone going through similar circumstances: I have felt at every turn that they have had my best interests at heart.

‘Paris Smith is clearly the top family finance team in Hampshire in the south. Within the team are a number of the sharpest and best lawyers in the business. The firm has excellent premises and technology and so provides a full service to its clients. Overall the team provide an exceptionally high quality of service.’

‘Neil Davies has a wealth of experience and a fantastic client manner. He offers sound, pragmatic advice and is always a pleasure to work with. Heather Souter is extremely knowledgeable and performs consistently at the highest level.’

‘Frank Prior is a clear leader in the field. He is very commercially oriented and knows when to pursue an issue and when to leave it. He has long experience and is highly respected. He is capable of adeptly handling even the largest cases up to tens of millions pounds. Huw Miles is a meticulous and tenacious lawyer who provides exceptional service for his clients with whom he always forges excellent relationships. His preparation is second to none and his role running the firm has led to a very commercial outlook. Sarah Passemard has long experience of handling the most complex of cases and does so with great ability. She works extremely hard to make sure her clients get the best possible result. Rachel Osgood is another exceptional lawyer with very long experience and great good sense. She always brings practicality and realism to her cases and works hard for her clients, with whom she forges excellent relationships.’

‘I would rate Paris Smith highly and believe that they are the stand out Family Law firm in Southampton, Winchester and Hampshire. They are highly regarded for good reason. They are specialists in the field of family finance and also for private children work. They are highly motivated to achieve good results and to give practical advice. They try to negotiate settlements in a collaborative manner and try to avoid lengthy litigation where possible.’

‘What impresses me is how easy it is to do business with Paris Smith. It is typical for the same individuals to be your point of reference meaning that a relationship builds; but at the same time, introducing new specialists or assistance is seamless.’

‘Quality and speed of service. On the ball, hence early recognition of potential problems and pitfalls and advice re possible solutions. Excellent client relationship.’

‘Having worked with Paris Smith on several deals I have found the team helpful, forward thinking, competent and efficient.’

‘Lisa Busby did a magnificent job of shepherding me through the maze of legislation and then reducing options to intelligible lay-speak and advising how to apply preferences and desired outcomes to determine a path forward.’

‘I have particular recommendations for Joanne Spittles and her team. They have their client’s interest front and centre and deliver.’

‘Great strength in depth across the corporate team.’

‘The people at Paris Smith have consistently demonstrated a real awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing my business, and a willingness to design and deliver solutions that fit my needs, rather than a narrow focus on “legal work”.’

‘Jonathon Roy is hugely experienced, providing clear and balanced guidance to clients through complex transactions.’

‘The real strength of the team at Paris Smith is the willingness to invest time in understanding a client’s needs and the business challenges they face.’

‘Michael Moore – superb people person who is pragmatic and commercial in his approach. A real heavyweight in the local legal community who is well respected by his clients.’

‘The culture at Paris Smith is to provide a quality, high end service without any attempt to intimidate or be pretentious. Paris Smith very much have their feet on the ground whilst retaining the reliable professionalism that you would expect.’

‘Richard Atcherley was the partner in charge of acting for me on two back to back business sales. He was calm and assured throughout both transactions, used his experience to overcome the inevitable bumps in the road and dealt with the purchasers solicitor productively and without ruffling feathers.’

‘Great bandwidth across the various elements of commercial and corporate law and strength in depth.’

‘Paris Smith provide the gold standard of commercial dispute resolution in Hampshire.’

‘A vast amount of expertise in this firm where nothing is too trivial or too daunting. Support staff right through to partners are efficient and effective.’

‘A great team with real experts in their field. Courtesy and transparency together with speed of response make them stand out from the crowd.’

‘They took time to understand our needs and accepted a fairly complex situation with complications caused by undertones of personal conflict.’

‘All round competence with a commercial stance adopted.’

‘Helen Brown took great care to listen to our case even though it was not ever going to be a large account. She gave us very clear options and worked hard to deflate what could have become a very costly personal dispute between directors. Her advice was always pertinent and thoughtful. Her approach was very reassuring and with no pressure.’

‘Chris Holliss – encyclopaedic knowledge of his practice area. Especially good on agency disputes. Always client-focused.’

‘Helen Brown – calm, assured, sensible, cogent individual with an appreciation of the commercial realities of the situation. Very strong technically.’

‘I have had dealings with Paris Smith for over 30 years through different organisations. In comparison to other firms I have always found them to be very helpful and extremely prompt when responding to urgent requests. Recently I have dealt with Liam Doughty and his property/banking team and all team members are readily available to discuss any challenging cases we may have and offer advice as the best way forward for their clients. I have personally found this to be invaluable.’

‘I have found Liam Doughty and his team to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful in all areas of banking related law. The other team members include Shaun Piesley, Fred Chandler and more recently Tom Fish. What I like about Paris Smith is their ability to nurture newly qualified talent and develop their skills with Liam’s overall guidance and support.’

‘Very easy to deal with, good sector knowledge and insight.’

‘They always answer the phone and provide necessary feedback, legal opinion and common sense advice. Always happy to talk to wider stakeholders.’

‘Liam Doughty is my go to person for more complex queries. An invaluable point of reference. I just don’t have that from any other practice.’

‘A very approachable team with depth and strength of knowledge in the insolvency sector which is essential for my practice. Knowing that when I need their help I am going to receive quality and timely advice.’

‘A growing team that deserves more recognition, highly specialist and efficient. They act for all the major IPs on the south coast and cover both corporate and personal insolvency.’

‘Mike Pavitt is one of the leading insolvency lawyers on the South Coast. His knowledge of the area is detailed and vast, far exceeding many of his local competitors. Applied with practicality and care he achieves results others can only hope for. Chris Parsons is definitely one to watch out for the future. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable he will excel.’

‘This Southampton-based firm works hard at maintaining its longstanding and well-deserved reputation. Friendly, reliable and good value for money.’

‘Mike Pavitt is a great person to have on your side. He has an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of insolvency law and is completely reliable and trustworthy.’

‘The team are a close-knit family who look after each other and their clients. This is evident in their collaborative approach and friendly bedside manner. Whilst other firms can appear as a forced group of individuals practicing in the same area, Paris Smith demonstrate a great team ethos and collective approach.’

‘Mike Pavitt is an exemplary solicitor who demonstrates very strong and thorough ethical and technical prowess with a sense of fun and genuine warmth in his dealings with clients.’

‘Chris Parsons has a keen understanding of the law and combines this with a pragmatic and commercial approach to his assignments, bringing great value to his clients.’

‘The practice is highly competent in all the fields in which they have worked for me. The Intellectual Property team is very knowledgeable, but also always brings a high degree of pragmatism to any case which I value highly.’

‘Laura Trapnell combines in-depth knowledge of her subject with an ability to communicate key points clearly to people with little experience. She very effectively builds a rapport with those seeking IP advice, which is particularly valuable in working with start-up and early stage companies.’

‘Their IP team is friendly, offers good access and availability, is knowledgeable and cost-effective for us.’

‘Laura Trapnell and her team provide very professional support to knowledge-based companies in the region. Laura makes a great contribution to the entrepreneurial community by educating business leaders on the importance of intellectual property (in all its forms) and providing legal support in a way that is accessible to start-up and high-growth companies.’

‘Laura Trapnell worked closely with Paris Smith LLP partner Helen Brown and negotiated on our behalf, achieving the best settlement outcome possible. She was very supportive of us as clients suffering under stress. Her approach was very human and reassuring. She went ‘beyond the call of duty’ to ensure we achieved a result within an unreasonable time-frame set by an unreasonable third party.’

‘Laura Trapnell helps with technical inquiries as well as being exceptionally knowledgeable in their specialist areas. It feels like you have an indirect legal team at your disposal internally as a colleague.’

‘Laura Trapnell is an enthusiastic leader. She provides sensible and appropriate advice to entrepreneurs and business leaders.’

‘The team is knowledgeable and provides practical, relevant advice.’

‘The team has a good feel for the commercial needs of a small technology business. They can balance the legal situation with the commercial reality. They are good at working to an agreed budget.’

‘The team continues to provide us with excellent legal advice on our IT/telecoms contracts.’

‘Efficient, competent, and professional legal advice on a range of topics.’

‘They are responsive and straightforward. Laura Trapnell has always been easy to deal with, quick to respond and has given good advice.’

‘Emily Sadler and Ryan Mitchell have been uniformly excellent. The business advice that Paris Smith has offered has been excellent as well.’

‘I have always found this team to be excellent not only in their advice to their clients but also their balanced view of the case. They are always quick to respond to queries and show a high level of patience in difficult situations.’

‘Extremely experienced in dispute resolution in property rental matters. Expert understanding of the relevant aspects of the legal system.’

‘Robust knowledge and experience in real estate matters. ‘

‘Paris Smith have an excellent knowledge of law relating to a variety of different fields. They are generally highly efficient and their staff are reachable and helpful.’

‘David Eminton – very experienced and competent. Nicola Davies – very capable, good on landlord and tenant matters.’

‘Nicola Davies: excellent in all respects.’

‘They are extremely professional and go out of their way to keep you informed of case progression on an ongoing basis, without having to chase. You can always rely on them to deliver a good result, particularly Lucy Taggart in commercial property issues.’

‘Lucy Taggart always keeps us up to date. Gives very good advice – very active and knowledgeable. An excellent solicitor. Highly recommend.’