Firm Profile > Clarion > Leeds , Yorkshire And The Humber

Family: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 1

Clarion excels in the fields of divorce and financial settlements, both of which are key areas of expertise for practice head Justine Osmotherley, who deals with complex issues involving business interests, trusts, assets, post-separation accruals, inheritance and pensions. The group has also seen a notable increase in instructions involving pre- and post-nuptial agreements and is noted for its expertise in Children Act cases, surrogacy issues and wealth management. Other key practitioners include legal director Jane Ingleby, who specialises in high-net-worth matters and TOLATA cases; and legal director Sarah Buxton, who specialises in family disputes.

Health and safety Tier 1

Banking and finance Tier 2

Clarion is a key name in the Leeds market for SME clients, particularly in the manufacturing, engineering, recruitment, healthcare, sport and leisure sectors, and has notable expertise in asset-based lending work and bridging finance matters. The group acts for a variety of clearing banks and has also expanded its instructions from secondary lenders. Marie Pugh leads the team and Ben Slack handles asset-based lending work.

Commercial property: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 2

Clarion's real estate practice has grown significantly since its establishment in 2007, up from six lawyers in 2015 to fifteen in 2018. The team is led by the 'exceptional' Martin Grange who acts for a number of local and national developers. The team covers range of industry sectors including development, retail and leisure, property finance and investment. A notable name is the 'thorough and responsive' Alison Batty, who has become the team’s self-invested pension scheme specialist, while the 'commercially sensible' Lindsay Texel, who has led on several large portfolio acquisitions, is also recommended.

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 2

Clarion is known for having 'one of the best' specialist contentious probate and trust teams outside London. The firm's lawyers are 'genuine specialists' who deal with work at all levels of complexity, including high value claims. Contentious private client head Lynsey Harrison leads the team - she handles contentious aspects of wills, trusts and probate as well as Court of Protection cases and is described by clients as 'a class act - unflappable and determined'.

Corporate and commercial: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 2

Clarion's corporate and commercial teams are led by Richard Moran and Matthew Hattersley respectively and are particularly strong in the media, marketing and digital sectors alongside expertise in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. The group has the ability to handle the full range of M&A, private equity, buyouts and acquisition finance work. The arrival of legal director Hitesh Tailor from DLA Piper UK LLP strengthened the firm's private equity offering.

Debt recovery Tier 2

Clarion is instructed by a range of corporate clients to handle high-value debt collection and credit control services. Practice head Daniel Carlton has particular expertise in the leisure, construction, manufacturing and property sectors, while corporate insolvency specialist Ryan Millmore is noted for his retail, manufacturing and waste sector specialisms. Associate Dale Fawcett is another name to note.

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 2

Clarion's recent work in the insolvency and restructuring sphere includes high-profile national contentious cases, national and regional retail insolvencies and other financing matters. The team has a substantial insolvency practitioner client base as well as acting for secondary and asset-based lenders, clearing banks and brand managers. Practice head Ryan Millmore focuses on corporate insolvencies, Roger Hutton is a key name for pre-insolvency issues, Alice Pratt handles insolvencies, liquidations and administrations; and Ben Slack is an expert in asset-based lending work.

Intellectual property Tier 2

Clarion handles the full range of commercial, contentious and advisory work including patent, copyright, design and trade mark infringement litigation, brand creation and brand clearance, as well as trade mark registration and licensing work. Esther Kirwan heads up the practice and focuses on patent and other IP disputes and strategic advice, while recently promoted partner Sue Streatfield focuses on trade mark related matters.

IT and telecoms Tier 2

The commercial and IT team at Clarion assists its impressive client roster of regional, national and international companies with technology-related transactions and disputes. The group acts for public and private sector clients across numerous sectors, including the healthcare, retail and technology industries. Practice head Matthew Hattersley specialises in advising on complex IT projects with David Cunningham, while Simon Young and Dominic Higham handle contentious IT instructions.

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 2

Clarion’s private client practice, which is highly regarded in the market, is led by estate and succession planning specialist Vivienne Wild. It advises business owners, entrepreneurs as well as accountancy firms and financial services’ professionals on matters of estate planning - increasingly featuring an international element - capital taxes and trusts in connection with transactional and succession planning. The team also has mental capacity expertise, handling Court of Protection cases and complex mental capacity disputes. Legal director Clare King  as plays a key role in some of the team's most important work.

Sport Tier 2

Clarion's cross-departmental sports practice has the ability to leverage a range of experts to assist its client roster, which includes clubs, leagues, sport sector retailers and high-profile sports men and women. Practice head Richard Moran has experience in sales, purchases and the funding of football and rugby clubs, stadium acquisitions and sponsorship agreements. Other names to note include insolvency and restructuring partner Ryan Millmore, litigators Simon Young and Dominic Higham, IP specialist Esther Kirwan, and commercial lawyer Matthew Hattersley.

Commercial litigation: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 3

The commercial litigation team at Clarion has an impressive client roster and a breadth of experience in domestic and international disputes, with growing expertise in the technology, outsourcing and food sectors. Practice head and 'heavyweight litigator' Simon Young has 'a strong reputation in the Leeds market' and attracts praise for 'his diligence and judgement'; other key names to note include Dominic Higham, particularly for IT and outsourcing disputes, experienced litigator and mediator David Williams, and senior associate Kayleigh Fantoni, whose experience spans IT software agreement disputes and acting for financial services businesses in guarantee claims.

Employment: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 3

Clarion's practice, which acts for a range of large employers across Yorkshire, works in tandem with the firm's family and private client teams to provide an employee support offering which aims to help clients improve staff retention. 'Passionate, driven and determined' team head Sarah Tahamtani advises on complex and high-value litigation, tribunal claims and change management procedures, while the addition of the 'highly skilled, professional and proactive' Chris Booth from Pinsent Masons LLP has provided a further boost to an already experienced team.

Property litigation Tier 4

Clarion moved into real estate litigation work in mid-2017, and the team is now made up of two fee-earners, a trainee and a paralegal. The practice sits within the firm's real estate group and focuses on landlord and tenant work and estate management issues, particularly dilapidations. Legal director Sophie Morley leads the team, drawing on her experience of development issues and disputes relating to tenant insolvency and mortgage arrears.