Clarion > Leeds, England > Firm Profile

‘The members of the team that we work with are friendly, approachable and professional. They keep us up to date with all of our claims and have a good recovery rate.’

‘Daniel Carlton effectively and efficiently manages our debt recovery cases. He is always upbeat and friendly in our catch up calls.’

‘Estelle Oates is diligent, attentive and a very good team player.’

‘Alice Pratt is incredibly easy to work with and knows what she’s doing.’

‘Very approachable and knowledgeable team. A real team attitude, there doesn’t appear to be any internal politics. Many of our queries are time critical, and the team at Clarion are very responsive.’

‘Ryan Millmore – Very knowledgeable, calm in stressful situations and a very good “sounding board”.’

‘Ben Slack – Solution focused, well connected, great at getting the job over the line.’

‘The firm is Leeds based, and I have worked with this group on 2 long-running, high profile and difficult cases. Clarion were every bit as effective (and in my opinion more effective) than the London firms. They achieved outstanding results in both cases.’

‘Roger Hutton is exceptional – he has excellent commercial judgement, is a highly motivational and motivated leader, manages demanding clients with aplomb, knows when to get involved and when to leave alone, and is a delight to work with and for. Emma Lowe is an excellent addition to the team: very knowledgeable and collaborative, and adds significant value’.

‘I have been consistently impressed by both the understanding and conduct of everyone that I have had dealings with at Clarion. My case has been a long and very distressing one and I doubt that I could have secured any justice for my father had it not been for the high level of professionalism, approachability and support that Clarion have provided.’

‘A team that stand out from all the others. Absolutely wonderful team to work with, commercial focus and real genuine support for clients ’

‘Lynsey Harrison is a wonderful lawyer, she knows her stuff and can support clients emotionally as well as giving solid commercial advice. A brilliant lawyer!’

‘Lynsey Harrison is a fantastic lawyer but also a pleasure to deal with. She delas with matters pragmatically and sensibly.’

‘Nicholas Choiniere is an excellent communicator and often goes the extra mile for clients Louise Dodds is very knowledgeable and puts clients at ease very easily. Lynsey Harrison is a formidable opponent and gets excellent results for clients ’

‘Danielle Pawson is an able and organised litigator. ’

‘They will fully assess any situation and offer a comprehensive service – they are very approachable and help explain the technical/legal aspects in such a way that we can support a customer appropriately to get the best outcome for them. Louise Dodds is my main point of contact and I depend on her completely, though Lynsey Harrison has also supported us through a number of difficult issues’

‘Lynsey Harrison is an expert in her field and has an outstanding reputation. What is equally as impressive, however, is how available, approachable and generally helpful Lynsey is. Lynsey leads her team from the front and sets an excellent example, in various ways, but not least in terms of technical ability and a compassionate approach.’

‘Clarion are a very warm, caring practice, who in very difficult circumstances are supportive in so many ways. I have a very long and worthwhile relationship with my teams in family law and would recommend them to others. They are responsive to the needs of their clients in a quick, efficient way.’

‘In my first interaction with Clarion I was very surprised at how they understood my requirements, was willing to listen with empathy and dealt with thing in a very efficient manner.’

‘Justine Osmotherley was absolutely amazing! I cant praise and thank her enough for her professionalism and ethical approach. I will use her again. ’

‘It is clear to me that they invest a lot of time, effort and resources in ensuring that their lawyers and the support staff have what they need to give their best and feel supported. This has been particularly clear during the pandemic where Clarion has ensured its people have been provided with the technology needed to navigate the difficult times we have all had to endure‘.

‘Jane Ingleby stands out due to her exceptional bedside manner with clients and calming aura, which is undoubtedly a result of her experience and command of her practice‘.

‘Charlotte Davies’ star is on the rise. She is a very capable practitioner who is wise beyond her years‘.

‘Jane Ingleby – excellent children law solicitor with focus on private law. She thinks strategically. Justine Osmotherley – provides real sound leadership to the team and is skilled particularly in matrimonial finance , down to earth , approachable and very good at what she does.’

‘With three experienced genuinely specialist IP partners the team has a breadth of skills and a strength in depth which is unusual within a single site full service firm in the regions. The team (and indeed Clarion as a whole) is commercial and entrepreneurial, and provides great client service.’

‘Esther Kirwan is a great leader of the team who gives clients confidence but also isn’t afraid to let more junior team members shine and show what they can do. Lindsey Wrenn was an astute addition to the team this year who brings a wealth of experience and global contacts to the firm. Jemma Green is a very able ‘allrounder’ who continues to impress and is definitely a talented IP lawyer to look out for in years to come.’

‘The team offer an excellent service, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and technically competent.’

‘I deal with Esther Kirwan who is always helpful and takes time to understand the business and the people.’

‘I have worked with this confident and capable team for a number of years. They understand the business and I have complete faith in the advice and guidance they provide. We have had a number of brand re-launches over the last 12 months and despite the difficulties everyone has faced they have remained pragmatic, forward thinking and importantly always conscious of cost. The team remains incredibly responsive and go over and above to assist our requirements.’

‘Special mention for Jemma Green who I have worked with for a long time and is always enthusiastic, knowledgeable, professional and timely in responses/updates to our business.’

‘The approachability and commerciality is what sets Clarion apart. They go a step further in understanding your business and providing legal advice in a straight forward way.’

‘The individuals we have worked with have demonstrated excellent knowledge of the issues that are relevant to our sector and are very good value for money.’

‘The team provide our business with a breadth of legal support, pulling on technical experts from within and externally where appropriate. In comparison to other firms we have worked with Clarion stand out for providing a strong and innovative team which creates a trusted partnership and consistently deliver excellent results.’

‘The staff and partners at Clarion are technically strong, personable and engaging. They are very supportive but equally challenging when required. They build strong relationships throughout the business and provide proactive support which feels more like an in-house legal resource.’

‘Very approachable team, down to earth and always gives good, pragmatic advice. Being Yorkshire based means they tend to “tell it how it is”, rather than skate around tricky subjects like some of their London counterparts. No smoke and mirrors. Lack of ego in the team, very good gender balance in the teams we have worked with.’

‘Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison are the people we work most closely with. Both are very pragmatic individuals whose advice can be solidly trusted and also good fun. Sarah is a machine – she just never seems to stop working!’

‘For me, Clarion is all about the people. We have worked with them for a number of years and never have they let us down – the legal support is impeccable but this is amplified by the individual care and attention we get from every one of our key contacts. Always going the extra mile, investing time in understanding not only our business but our entire industry.’

‘Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison have been with me every step of the way. They understand me, my businesses and my industry with equal measure, making the advice and support I receive accurate, insightful and valuable in so many ways. No problem or challenge is unanswered and the level of trust we have built over the years is second to none – they are my go to for advice on all things – not just legal.’

‘Clarion have a very strong commercial offering. They have recruited some very strong non partners into the firm over the last few years which has given them much more depth to their offering. The firm provides great transparency on billing when required and has provided some innovative leadership on providing dedicated resourcing.’

‘Matthew Hattersley is a strong, pragmatic and calm lawyer who looks to solve issues. He thinks about the bigger picture.’

‘Always quick to recognise the wider commercial considerations surrounding any legal dispute, therefore you have confidence that they will achieve the best outcome for the business.’

‘Good value for what feels like high quality advice. It doesn’t feel like a compromise to use them instead of larger firms.’

‘David Williams is very good, and highly effective when put in front of (non-legal) clients.’

‘John Mackle achieves a lot in a short space of time and represents very good value.’

‘Clear and concise. Quick to get to the point.’

‘The individuals at Clarion value their clients and take time to understand the metrics of our business. This really stands them apart from other firms who want to provide advice but are less interested in the impact on a business.’

‘Dominic Higham is Clarion’s lead partner for commercial and dispute. He is excellent. He is able to explain legal complexity in easy language for those not used to the legal aspects of dispute resolution and his support in defining and executing the legal strategy has supported us in resolving, what was for our business, a troubling and complex dispute.’

‘I think Clarion is unique as it is populated by lawyers who see legal problems in commercial terms.’

‘Highly professional and commercial team, who provide proactive support and practical help.’

‘Sarah Tahamtani goes out of her way to partner the business and understands the challenges.’

‘This practice is extremely respondent and provides a fantastic knowledge across a variety of services that we require. Clarion are consistently available and will always have a point of contact that can provide specialist advice to each area.’

‘The health and safety team has two members with whom I have worked closely. Sarah Taylor (partner) and Lucy Alderson (associate). Sarah brings a wealth of experience from many big health and safety cases, but complements this with vast experience from other regulatory fields such as food safety, consumer protection and product safety. Lucy is a very able lawyer and quickly grasps factual and legal issues pertinent to a case. This firm compares more than favourably with all the big players in the health and safety field.’

‘Sarah Taylor is one of the outstanding regulatory lawyers of her generation. No higher praise can be bestowed on an individual lawyer than when other specialist lawyers would choose her above all others to represent them if they were unlucky enough to come to the attention of the regulator. I know more than one person who would unhesitatingly engage her in such circumstances to represent them. She is a fine lawyer, but also has client care skills of high quality and the ability to identify the real issues very early in case. This is all done in a calm and measured fashion immediately gaining the client’s confidence.’

‘Sarah Taylor is an excellent technical lawyer.‘

‘Sarah is in my view the pre-eminent solicitor for all types of regulatory work – food, health and safety, criminal product liability and so on. She is vastly experienced, has immense commercial judgement and is an absolute pleasure to work with. Sometimes, as practitioners become more senior and have additional responsibilities they can lose their focus on the detail – this is something which Sarah has maintained as she has become more senior and she has the rare quality of being able to master the details as well as maintain control of the bigger picture. Her tactical decision making is first class – I cannot recall ever having disagreed with an approach which she suggested.’

‘Sarah Taylor is simply one of the best health and safety and food safety / retail lawyers in the country. Very experienced, a loyal list of clients and she is very impressive at strategy and case management. Very personable and calm. Outstanding operator in this field.’

‘The finance team provides excellent value for money, providing the same quality of advice as bigger and more expensive firms.’

‘Worked with Ben Slack on a refinancing with very tight deadline. He was very client-friendly and provided pragmatic advice and solutions.’

‘Great work ethic with a proven ability to deliver to tight timescales taking a commercial and practical approach.’

‘Marie Pugh – Outstanding partner who leads a strong team in the banking arena. Marie runs a high volume high deal doing unit with a large variation of transactions running across the team.’

‘Clarion’s banking and finance team are our go to supplier for lender side work. Service is second to none, and transaction deadlines met or exceeded on a regular basis. Direct access to partners is also valued.’

‘Partner, Ben Slack provides an excellent service, both on deals he is directly engaged on, plus providing real time information on his teams work.’

‘A modern, fresh, approachable team who are very much a part of the Leeds business community. Individuals are knowledgeable and professional but manage to balance this with a friendly and empathetic culture. There is clearly a focus on culture and values which attracts and retains quality staff. ’

‘Clare King has dealt with my own estate planning and that of several clients/contacts, all of which have been handled in the same warm, professional and efficient manner. She has a unique ability to build rapport and trust whilst dealing with issued which can often be emotive and sensitive.’

‘Having had an unsatisfactory and unprofessional experience with a previous legal practice, during a complex probate process, I found that the Clarion Private Client operation, headed by Stephanie Parish, to be thoroughly professional.’

‘I have mainly worked with Stephanie Parrish, and I have found her to be very competent, easy to talk to and very able in using an inclusive discussion as the preferred means of steering a course towards the successful resolution of the estate.’

‘The Clarion Private Client Team is a large team with fee earners across all ranges of seniority. They deal with high value work of the utmost complexity. In my experience they deal with work comparable to the leading firms in London. The recent recruitment of Gareth Marland from Berwins has only strengthened their offering.’

‘Vivienne Wild is highly experienced at dealing with complex trust and taxation matters. Her practice is akin to that of a leading London solicitor. Gareth Marland is also a highly experienced and skilled trusts practitioner.’

‘Highly experienced and technically very strong team – technically the best trust and probate team I have come across in Leeds. Everyone is very friendly and approachable and work in a collaborative manner with other advisors, seeking input from others where needed. ’

‘Great with clients, they have a very good client manner and are loved by clients (applies both to more junior and senior staff at Clarion). Viv Wild and Steph Parish stand out as technically exceptional in their fields.’

‘Martin Grange runs the team very well – he is always available to discuss strategy around my business, and then makes sure the work is done cost effectively and efficiently. Alison Batty has been a superstar in helping me this year!’

‘The firm provides excellent value for money, providing a high standard of work and advice at considerably lower rates than that of larger more expensive firms. Unlike other firms, very hands-on involvement at partner/legal director level.’

‘Eve Gregory’s experience and commercial approach enabled us to effectively navigate our way through a number of significant difficulties and challenges.’

‘I have worked with a number of solicitors over the years and Clarion are by far head and shoulders above them all. The level of communication is excellent. When you add this to their knowledge and speed of service, this makes them a great package.’

‘Excellent levels of service, the whole team is always available at the end of a phone, email or video conference for any problems, even if just to direct towards the relevant team.’

‘The individuals genuinely care about the tasks they are completing. Offering support and advice as needed and not being afraid to challenge at the appropriate time. I would without hesitation recommend Clarion’s property team.’

‘We have worked with Christian Hellmund for a number of years. His attention to detail, pragmatic approach and thinking “outside the box” attitude means that we trust him implicitly to act on our behalf. It really is a pleasure to work with Christian.’

‘We had a great collaboration on an energy asset purchase transaction, Clarion arranged a team that covered all relevant aspects of the transaction as well as organized completion of the transaction in a timely and efficient manner. Our suggestions and concerns around the transaction were duly analysed and implemented where relevant. Project was completed in relatively short period of time.’

‘Project and team leader Christian Hellmund was able to cover all relevant aspects of the agreement package, allowing us to have centralized communication with the legal office. Christian was the right professional to work with, as he had the relevant experience in areas that were important to us.’

‘The team offers real value for money – an excellent service but considerably less expensive than firms of comparable standards.’

‘I worked with Phil Morrison – knowledgeable, technically competent, friendly and helpful.’

‘The practice is very engaging and responsive and billing seems to be more straightforward than with some other practices.’

‘We have dealt with Phil Morrison on most issues and I particularly like the clear and grounded advice that he gives. This type of advice is difficult to find in my experience and would continue to use the practice for this reason.’

‘Sophie and her team are a delight to work with. Astute in their areas of expertise whilst being commercially savvy and sensitive to the people and personalities in play – I could not praise them enough.  Always available, ever proactive and focused on the details that matter to manage time efficiently and drive the right outcome, I have already recommended Sophie to other colleagues and friends.’

‘Sophie Morley is outstanding. Once described as the ‘silent assassin’ that offers a glimpse of her style and success rate. Calm, empathetic and considered, yet laser-like in her negotiation and legal approach to secure the desired result – in my experience she offers a unique mixed skillset which few people in her industry hold.’

‘In all my dealing with Clarion I have always been treated as an equal partner rather than just a client. This has resulted in a level of trust that means I can explore options and rely on them to provide a balanced view that takes commercial and risk factors into consideration.’

‘Sophie Morley is excellent – one of the best in Leeds. She really knows what she is doing and can adapt her style depending on what the case requires.’