Muckle LLP > Newcastle upon Tyne, England > Firm Profile

‘We work with the corporate team. The firm is responsive. Advice is straightforward, understandable and offers solutions.’

‘We have worked mainly with Adam Rayner. He picks the transaction up and runs with it. I know he’s a safe pair of hands and will reach a sensible position while keeping us informed. He is responsive and understands our needs well (having done a few transactions for us).’

‘The seamless interaction of the various teams at Muckle was a key strength. The corporate team led the project, bringing in various other departments at relevant times. Each person within the corporate team and other departments seemed to be well briefed on the wider context to the project and how their input fit within that, which meant that we didn’t need to repeat information to anyone.’

‘Adam Raynor as partner adopted a very calm and pragmatic approach to the project, focusing on key issues at all times and coordinating his team well. His negotiation with counterparties was productive and solution-orientated, which meant that all key points were addressed efficiently. His style often meant that he took the lead by default in key meetings, even if that hadn’t been assigned to him, but this was done in an unassuming and collaborative way.’

‘A long-standing relationship that has evolved and deepened as our businesses and requirements have grown more complex. Key individuals that can be relied upon to be responsive and commercial. An extension to our internal team who truly understand our business and how we work – in our experience the best blend of sector specialism, technical aptitude and personable approach available in the North East.’

‘Matthew Walsh – Partner. Our go-to individual for structural and transactional advice. His ability to work with our wider team and deliver successful outcomes gives us a stand-out competitive edge that we can rely on. Able to go toe-to-toe with National firms and consistently identify solutions to complex challenges.’

‘The team is very efficient and also has a very personal touch. The team are always on hand to deal with any issues and do so in a very personal manner.’

‘Philip Clare – Excellent knowledge and commercial approach, very friendly and personable.’

‘Muckle punches above its weight in this sector handling a range of high-value and extremely complex commercial litigation disputes often involving an international element.’

‘Susan Howe provides excellent leadership and brings a wealth of commercial experience to this very strong team.’

‘This is a responsive, costs conscious and regionally focused team of very talented individuals who have a much wider breadth of commercial disputes experience and specialism than any others in the region.’

‘I have worked with Susan Howe for years now and not only is she technically excellent but she understands the commercial realities of business better than any litigation lawyer I have ever come across.’

‘The team are able to cut through the noise and provide sound commercial advice, without the need for legal jargon.’

‘Alex Spiers and George Festing are two key individuals that we deal with. We value their commercial judgment and practical advice.’

‘The practice is always very prompt to action and keep you informed of all updates.’

‘Beverley Oliver and her team always respond to any questions I may have and always a prompt service.’

‘Very helpful and proactive team. Good use of technology to efficiently & cost effectively process smaller debts through an online portal.’

‘Beverley Oliver is very helpful and proactive. Very good communication and updates on correspondence with debtor.’

‘Muckle LLP is a firm which our Company has used for a number as years and even though it has grown still retains that personal touch.’

‘The team are always very helpful and keep us informed of progress compared to other debt collection companies.’

‘The team are great. All very friendly and knowledgeable. I have worked in solicitors in debt recovery departments previously and rate the Muckles team very highly.

‘I have built a great relationship with Beverley Oliver – I find Beverley to be very straight talking and knowledgeable.’

‘The employment team at Muckle are true experts in their legal field, which they combine with human reality and apply to employment situations. The partnership approach taken results in organisationally authentic outcomes underpinned by robust legal input.’

‘My go to person at Muckle LLP is Chris Maddock. Chris is both professional and personable and is a trusted advisor to our business. He understands the customers needs and is able to bring a commercial understanding to the advice and support he provides. Chris is recognised in the region as a leader in his field, recognised and recommended by many.’

‘The Employment Team continue to be the most personable and supportive in the North East. They will always strive to provide individual support which is objective yet understanding, demonstrating an exceptional level of expertise in their field. Building strong networks with local organisations and facilitating a variety of forums to help engage and share updated information relative to employment law I feel is one of their unique strengths which has helped them establish the strong and credible reputation they hold.’

‘The team at Muckle are very interactive and work collaboratively with us an organisation to understand our needs and future developments to ensure they are best placed to provide an effective service. The team are also helpful in providing employment law updates as part of staff CPD activity.’

‘Regular informal catch ups with Jill Donabie who is always willing to help, have proved to be beneficial acting as a good ‘sounding board’ for advice. Chris Maddock maintains a highly visible presence in the local area and the ‘roadshows’ that Chris and his team deliver on employment law are well received and informative.’

‘In recent times, I have had the pleasure of working with Tony McPhillips and Amy Sergison with a particularly difficult organisational matter. Tony not only gave me the professional support needed to tackle the difficult issues at hand but he also gave me the energy to sustain the level of support needed over a protracted period of time. It felt like he was on the front line with me. Amy then supported me with some pertinent education and training by way of remedy. The ying and yang of good employment law support at Muckles! Communication within the team is excellent as individuals always appears to be appropriately briefed.’

‘Chris Maddock leads the team and I greatly value his highly experienced and intuitive advice. Chris sets the standards which are matched by all members of his team for a highly responsive and well balanced approach to dealing with any enquiries, no matter how large or small they may be in terms of their complexity. Lisa Kelly similarly provides well balanced and insightful guidance. It is a common theme with these individuals, and this team, but one of the key characteristics that one looks for when dealing with professional advisers is the extent to which advice is provided in a timely manner and that is always the case with Lisa in particular.’

‘My primary contact was Tony McPhillips (Partner). Tony was excellent in every way, from the quality of his understanding of client issues, decision making, client recommendations and his prompt and responsiveness service. Ultimately you pay for advice and strategy from a senior lawyer and Tony’s is certainly the best I’ve received in recent times.’

‘A very good team which is well led. Effective levels of communication. Delivers within agreed timescales.’

‘Very knowledgeable. Very easy to work with. High levels and effective communication.’

‘Excellent professional legal firm who provide practical help and guidance to me and also the remainder of the team.’

‘All team members are technically strong, able to react quickly and explain things to non-lawyers in a concise and clear way. Always willing to work extremely hard to make sure that deadlines are met and remain calm and professional throughout very challenging negotiations.’

‘The whole team takes a very proactive and personal approach. stand out members were Louise Duffy and Gail Bennett.’

‘Senior members of the team always make themselves available. Entire team works hard to understand our ethos and the way we operate.’

‘John Devine: always creates availability, takes time to offer clear explanations and advice.’

‘We have used the Muckle LLP Charities and not for profit practice for a number of years and have remained with them because of the quality of their service and the level of knowledge provided.’

‘We’ve worked with Muckle for many years and the team there have always been incredibly supportive, response, and mindful of our needs as a UK-registered charity with a global reach.’

‘They really take the time to understand exactly the challenges we face and view them from our position. ’

‘As a charity client, it is essential for me to trust our solicitor, and for me to know that fees are reasonable but that the advice and support we receive is second to none. That is indeed my experience of Muckle’s. It has indeed been my experience for many years now.

‘The team has a wealth of expertise in many areas of the law. This is very reassuring for clients to know that there will be a member of the team who can deal with the client’s legal issue swiftly and expertly. At my organisation this has been hugely helpful, rather than having to try different legal firms to get the level of expertise required.’

‘The team at Muckle in Newcastle have been exceptional during our dealings with them over the last 10 months. Not only have they demonstrated excellent knowledge and support but they have demonstrated value for money every time. As a growing multi-academy trust it is vital that we have efficient and reliable service with solid advice and this is exactly what Muckle delivers.’

‘I would like to give a particular mention to Joanne Davison and Richard Nixon who have been exceptional in all of our dealings.’

‘Their unique selling point is the personal touch they provide. We have a dedicated client manager who is extremely knowledgeable about education-related queries, including SEND and dealing with the Department for Education. The practice attends numerous education events across the year, and representatives are open, welcoming and approachable.’

‘Jill Donabie is very supportive and takes time to fully understand queries / issues. Her friendly manner encourages trust in the advice given.’

‘Very personable and supportive. Very prompt response to queries.’

‘Jill Donabie – very personable and considerate of ways of working. Able to communicate effectively without all the ‘legal’ jargon and understand the needs of the business.’

‘Proactive and very responsive as well as being clearly experienced and understanding the local context. Always happy to take a problem solving approach and give clear advice rather than sitting on the fence.’

‘The Education Team is dynamic and agile meeting the various needs of our Trust and the Diocese. Joanne Davison ably leads a team of professionals who are able to come up with innovative solutions when required and ensures the work allocated progresses quickly.’

‘Muckle are very thorough and work in partnership with clients, always get back to you on any queries you have, usually the same day.’

‘Our dedicated partner, Charlotte McMurchie is always on hand to provide prompt, strategic and commercial advice in difficult litigation cases with additional support provided by Sarah Barratt to ensure that case management is delivered effectively and successfully.’

‘This is a very strong team, with real experience and skill in handing complex property litigation work. Their collective expertise means that cases are well managed and well resourced at all levels.’

‘Jennifer Pearson is an exceptionally talented senior associate. She has a ferocious and forensic grip on detail, stays very calm under pressure, is able to manage and co-ordinate complex multi-party litigation with ease. A rising star.’

‘As a team, they are calm in their approach which offers reassurance to those using their services. I have always found them approachable and open to discussion about any question we bring them.’

‘Sarah Barrett is confident, amenable, approachable and without fail is always calm. She is robust in her approach and never makes me feel that any of my questions are unnecessary or irrelevant.’

‘They are approachable and very much understand our business as a registered provider of social housing.’

‘This is a genuinely excellent team led by the superb Charlotte McMurchie. The team really does listen and provides pragmatic advice that is easy to interpret. The Property Litigation team really understand the housing sector and share many of the values we hold as important.’

‘Muckle is known for being responsive, common sense and commercial and our experience of them reflects this. We have mainly worked with two partners and a solicitor all of whom have been very supportive and clear in their advice to us. The team have guided us through contract negotiations and creation of contract documentation for our growing and changing business and the team have listened hard to our requirements and reflected them well in their work.’

‘Alex Craig has been supportive in her work with us, directing us to third party providers where appropriate but recognising the importance of us deciding which to engage. She guided us through a funded IP audit process and gave us a clear steer on actions arising from that audit.’

‘A desire to understand our issues and guide us in and out of areas where we have little or no expertise. All of our contacts are engaging individuals who share a desire to provide solutions in a timely, professional and cost effective way.’

‘Our initial contact, George Festing, has guided us through a number of issues relating to disputes and copyright matters, all to successful conclusions. Professional, thorough, engaging and with an ability to distill an number of varied views into something salient and relevant.’

‘George Festing is a great litigator and wouldn’t hesitate to use him on music matters and other general commercial litigation.’

‘Advice provided is pragmatic with a good grasp of the industry standard construction contracts that we use and how these should be amended in relation to projects we are undertaking. I find Muckle LLP are particularly good value for money compared to other firms that we use.’

‘Adam Aston is a partner we have a particularly good working relationship with. He is very good at providing advice in a clear uncomplicated manner and in a timely manner.’

‘A very experienced team with a diverse range of specialist in other areas of law to draw upon if the need arises.’

‘Charlotte Patterson Ryan is an exceptional solicitor. Her real estate and agricultural knowledge is unfounded and her ability to quickly scrutinise matters to ensure that the most appropriate and robust strategy is adopted has proven to add value in each case.’

‘In depth agricultural and rural legal knowledge’

‘Charlotte Patterson-Ryan – exceptional case management’

‘Client service and speed of response.’

‘Approachable and good to access with a very clear sound agricultural knowledge’

‘David Towns and Elizabeth Earle form a great team. Particularly good at seeing through a problem’

‘Every person we’ve worked with has gone out of their way to get to know us, to understand our needs, and to propose the most suitable way forward. John Devine is great!’

‘The main strength of the practice to us is the fact that their culture appears to be people driven. They understand and cater for our individual needs both as an organisation and myself as a leader. They provide efficient, effective and clear guidance. Most importantly they understand sport.’

‘Over the years we have worked with Muckle LLP I have never had a poor customer experience with any of the individuals with whom I have worked with. They are personable, knowledgeable and professional. However most importantly they appear to care. Whether this is about me or my organisation I have never felt isolated or made to feel that my question was uneducated or that my problem was onerous. This culture comes from the management and senior staff and cascades throughout the organisation and its employees.’

‘Muckle have spent a huge amount of time getting to know and understand us and our business. That really helps when addressing the many complex challenges that we face together.’

‘Muckle have a really strong sector knowledge. Their advice represents exceptional value for money. Advice is always extremely well thought out, considered and tailored to client needs. This provides a lot of faith in the advice provided.’

‘Tony McPhillips is a seriously experienced lawyer and very reliable. You know that his advice will be very carefully considered and tailored to client needs. He clearly knows employment law inside out but can also apply it to the sports sector because of his knowledge of that sector. As a client, you know you are receiving advice you can absolutely trust.’

‘John Devine is extremely approachable and very flexible on billing. Key capabilities include the charity sector and particularly governance related matters in sport and football. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the firm for that.’

‘John Devine has been in and around the football industry for well over a decade and is known the length and breadth of the country for his great manner, his experience and his ability to deal with all manner of charities work, governance work and corporate work in the football sector.’

‘Excellent depth of technical expertise combined with good practical application. Very well connected with other parts of their practice (i.e corporate).’

‘Strong technical knowledge and good client handling skills.’

‘The team works well with all legal disciplines in their wider business and they have a very strong trust advisory capability.’

‘Keith Hatley and Julie Garbutt are excellent solicitors, they are two of the most capable individuals I have worked with in the North East. They have both gone the extra mile in client service and advised on technical legal issues to assist with complex tax problems.’

‘Private client legal work is a specialist area which can be underserviced by a number of local firms. Muckle do however provide a great service ensuring that their clients receive great advice and that the team become trusted advisors to their clients.’

‘Projects frequently involve Keith Hatley and Julie Garbutt. They have great experience and are willing to work as a professional team to ensure that the client gets the right advice.’