Paris Smith LLP > Winchester, England > Firm Profile

‘David Roath is for me the standout practitioner in the firm. He is available most of the time and on short notice, gives clear and practical advice, is totally professional, but also approachable and helpful.’

‘There is expertise in all areas. They are quick to respond at all hours and their advice is spot on!’

‘Clive Dobbin, he is top drawer, so good on all aspects of employment law.’

‘They are the leading Solent-based law firm. Strong roots in local business have been fostered by years of high-quality work. They are expert but also have a good personal touch. A joy to work with.’

‘David Roath – calm under pressure, unflappable, excellent legal knowledge and tactical nous, great to work with.’

‘Clive Dobbin – a star individual, great with clients, easy to work with, strong legal knowledge and always has a great grasp of the detail of a case, strong commercial sense.

‘It employs very well-known and respected employment lawyers who have been practicing in Southampton for many years. They offer an excellent service and lend pragmatism and robust advice to all scenarios.’

‘Clive Dobbin is always accessible, shows great knowledge and I trust him implicitly to give me sound advice.’

‘Huw Miles – extensive knowledge of the law and practice. Calm under pressure and instils confidence in clients.’

‘Frank Prior has a great manner with the client and is very adept at looking at all angles.’

‘Zoe Culverwell – just a fantastic legal brain with a great understanding of the issues.’

‘Frank Prior is an extremely experienced, charismatic partner at Paris Smith who is a first-rate lawyer. He gets brilliant results and is adored by clients and opponents alike.’

‘Lisa Bray is a fantastic lawyer. She is extremely good with details and her knowledge of the law is second to none.’

‘Sarah Passemard has a brain the size of a planet. She is a fantastic lawyer who gets great results and is extremely well liked by clients. She combines her knowledge of the law with commercial pragmatism which makes her a very safe pair of hands. She is a match for any of the top London firms.’

‘Rachel Osgood is brilliant. She is one of the best matrimonial finance lawyers out there. She is tactically extremely astute and combines fantastic interpersonal skills which clients love with an expert knowledge of the law and procedure.’

‘Neil Davies and Zoe Culverwell are a great team delivering pragmatic advice at a fair price.’

‘The property and planning department at Paris Smith proved to be the perfect place to go for expert advice. They adopt a very collegiate and professional approach, are well respected in the industry, communicate very well, build constructive relationships between the contracting parties’ legal teams (which is so important) and are also really nice and decent to deal with.’

‘They have all the expertise you need to guide you through what can be a minefield. Costs are clearly laid out and all the work was delivered within pre-agreed budgets.’

‘Joanne Spittles is fantastic, consistently demonstrating not only an incredibly detailed technical legal understanding of land and property development – a complicated area fraught with risk – but also outstanding commercial and negotiating skills, and strong interpersonal skills to succinctly explain complicated issues and enable properly informed decisions to be taken.’

‘I could not recommend Joanne Spittles highly enough as one of the most impressive legal professionals I’ve dealt with.’

‘For a large business they are very friendly and approachable. I’m not a huge customer but I always feel like my business is valued. With a wide range of skills I have yet to find a matter they cannot help me with. Also what I like is that I have a few key contacts I deal with and if my issue needs to be handled by a different person within the firm they will direct me to the correct person.’

‘What make them different is they will make sure I get looked after and follow up. It’s the small things that make the difference. This is all backed up my simple and clear billing – which is done with a bit of common sense. They are about more than just billing!’

Nice to deal with the same skilled people year after year. My two main contacts are Lisa Busby and Joanne Spittles – both have given me excellent service dealing with commercial property matters. I have not had a problem at all in over 10 years. In fact I cannot see me dealing with anyone else for my property matters. From simple things like answering emails or taking phone calls, both have given first class service. They have an excellent attention to detail. Also they know their key area inside out!’

‘The Paris Smith team has stood out for their ability to respond in a consistently timely and professional manner at all times across a broad range of legal advice areas.’

‘The Paris Smith team acts as a genuine partner and are there where and when you need them, consistently and professionally – I couldn’t ask any more of them.’

‘Jonathon Roy has acted with clear advice and guidance, always seeking the outcome we needed but not wasting time and money on areas that aren’t necessary. His open guiding manner is very easy to work with and follow. He has a team around him who turn documents and responses around very quickly and efficiently. I couldn’t recommend him highly enough.

‘We have worked with Ryan Mitchell on commercial contracting and Ryan has produced and advised on a wide range of commercial contracts in a very timely and professional manner.’

‘Clear and quality legal advice, hardworking legal counsel.’

‘Dedicated to the service they provide.’

‘I have found Helen Brown to be excellent, conscientious, available, and patient with me when I’m finding the situation difficult to handle. I genuinely believe she cares about the case and a positive outcome and is proactively fighting my corner.’

‘Helen Brown is extremely knowledgeable and has a measured approach. Responses are always well researched. Gives a very honest opinion, even if it is one the client does not wish to hear, in an authoritative but friendly way. Very approachable and always willing to help.’

‘Our in-house legal team were faced with a complex dispute and they were experiencing delays, barriers and a lack of understanding with our normal external solicitors. Chris Holliss and David Eminton of Paris Smith were recommended to me and we found dealing with Paris Smith to be a breath of fresh air. Within 4 weeks their expertise had solved our dispute which was a record and their approach was a breath of fresh air, sensible and experienced heads who were breaking the mould of the tedious stuffy approach.’

‘Chris Holliss and David Eminton were outstanding, their approach is fresh and their knowledge and understanding of not just the law but business is outstanding. I believe that for a solicitor to be truly effective they need to understand in depth the issue at hand and both Chris and David seemed as versed in my business as they did in the law within a few hours. I cannot recommend them highly enough.’

‘Chris Hollis demonstrated exceptional skill in dealing with a very antagonistic individual and has shown a great deal of empathy and commitment to resolving matters.’

‘Chris Holliss has amassed a lot of knowledge in the recruitment sector. He is always available and will give us an honest opinion of the best course of action.’

‘I have worked alongside Chris Holliss for over 15 years and he has always provided an excellent service to my clients and to me. I can trust that any work I pass to Chris will be handled to a high standard.’

‘Chris Holliss’ particular quality, aside from being a great lawyer, is his industry knowledge. A number of firms claim to specialise in the sector with little substance behind those claims. Chris genuinely understands the market.’

‘They have excellent knowledge across the practice.’

‘They are friendly, easy to speak to, professional, with excellent knowledge.’

‘James McNeil – James always makes himself available regardless of whether it is a 2 minute or 30 minute conversation. His advice is always well founded from years of experience, we see him as a very valuable extension of the team.’

‘Mike Pavitt leads a strong team. They are friendly, dependable and keep abreast of all the latest developments in the law and practice in this area.’

‘Mike Pavitt is a gentle giant whose kind nature belies his strength of character. With his formidable breadth of knowledge and understanding, he tailors his approach to the circumstances of each case, to get the right results.’

‘A very commercially sound and technically gifted team who provide excellent service.’

‘Lucy Andrews is a delight to work with.’

‘Mike Pavitt is widely regarded as a leading figure in the insolvency industry, with excellent technical knowledge, commercial and efficient application of that knowledge, and brilliant client care.’

‘Great service and legal advice.’

‘Anthony Nixon clearly has a handle on the legal issues we have that require a range of varied skills, and can find people in his wider team to support with their expert knowledge. I believe too we have received value for money and a clear roadmap moving forward.’

‘Laura Trapnell is responsive, well-informed, very experienced, and easy to deal with. I would happily recommend her on any IP or commercial issues.’

‘Helen Brown is a ‘hands on’ partner who is very dedicated to the client’s case.’

‘The advice is extremely clear and the team is well placed to give legal advice in a broader commercial context.’

‘IP knowledge combined with business insight.’

‘They effectively dealt with a complex IP dispute concerning copyright in computer software intertwined with allegations of breach of directors’ duties.’

‘A very capable team which is able to take on complex work and provide clients with sound, realistic and commercially astute advice.’

‘Impressive attention to detail and excellent case management. I would highly recommend them for any complex IP / company law / commercial dispute.’

‘Ryan Mitchell has great technical legal knowledge but more than anything, I appreciate the way he simplifies the tasks and is very solution driven plus commercially minded.’

‘Ryan Mitchell is a stand out associate.’

‘Crispin Dick is extremely knowledgeable and always provides practical, timely advice.’

‘Great service – extremely responsive and they take time to understand the needs of our business.’

‘Nicola Davies is a very competent litigator.’

‘Paris Smith have a very good reputation and knowing they were on our side, I felt we stood a good chance of a resolution and also it conveyed to the plaintiff we were serious. They have the resources to assist.’

‘David Eminton- with 20 plus years as a solicitor under his wings, his experience and legal knowledge showed as we met with the opposing solicitors. As the meeting progressed, I felt I had the better legal mind and came out the other end with a good resolution.’

‘Paris Smith handled the matter efficiently, closing it down quickly.’

‘I was impressed by Lucy Taggart taking time to really understand the problem.’

‘This is a stand-out property litigation team in the area offering strength in depth from top to bottom.’

‘David Eminton and Nicola Davies in particular are consummate professionals, yet easy to deal with. They have a deep understanding of the law and the property litigation process and at the same time a very down to earth manner.’