Clarkslegal are proud to announce that Legal 500 UK has recognised the firm for its work in the following areas of law: Construction, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Property, Corporate & Commercial, Employment and Immigration.
The Legal 500 is an independent guide that reviews and recognises the strengths of law firms and their lawyers based on extensive research and feedback from clients and peers.
Along with the recognition of our practice areas, four of our outstanding solicitors have been recommended by the directory; Antony Morris, Emma Butcher, Michael Sippitt and Monica Atwal.
The strong rankings are further endorsed by highly complementary client and peer feedback.
Please see below a selection of client quote extracts from the editorial:
Commercial Litigation
Clarkslegal LLP has a wide-ranging litigation practice, acting for both foreign and domestic automotive companies such as BMW and Rolls-Royce. A heavy-hitting litigator, Antony Morris heads the department and represents Avnish Patel against a substantial fraud claim brought by Equity Real Estates. Christopher Tayton has established a broad practice, while Stephen James focuses his on construction. Emma Butcher has recently made partner and is a specialist in public procurement and product liability matters.
“Antony Morris – pragmatic, commercial advice.”
“The team are very responsive. They know our business very well and are excellent to work with.”
“Chris Tayton is excellent. We trust him with our most problematic cases. He is very responsive, very thorough, and understands what we are trying to achieve.”
Construction
Led by experienced partner Stephen James, who splits his time between the firm's Reading and London offices, Clarkslegal LLP's construction team provides the full range of advice for clients in both purchase and supply. James is especially well regarded for his contentious construction experience, which includes bringing and defending claims at adjudication, arbitration, and court hearings. Key areas of expertise include matters relating to interim and final accounts, time extensions, defects and professional negligence. Also based in Reading, Antony Morris heads the firm's dispute resolution offering, with interests in engineering, professional negligence, and health and safety.
“Great construction knowledge.”
“The construction lawyer, Stephen James, knows his stuff inside out. Very methodical and pragmatic in his working. Assimilates information very quickly and advises very well.”
Employment
Clarkslegal LLP is home to a predominantly international practice, with a notably strong litigation team, a focus on employment advice in relation to complex corporate projects as well as high-level individuals. Practice head Helen Beech handles restructurings, change programmes and TUPE as well as matters for individuals involving discrimination or whistleblowing. Renowned for his expertise in industrial relations, Michael Sippitt is a specialist in work concerning trade unions, employee engagement, collective disputes, and industrial action. Recommended especially for her capabilities as a litigator, as well as her complementary expertise in immigration, comes Monica Atwal.
“Excellent employment practice with high level of legal expertise.”
“Helen Beech: An excellent employment practitioner with great people skills and attention to detail. Highly skilled lawyer.”
Immigration
Headed by Monica Atwal in Reading, Clarkslegal LLP‘s immigration team is well known for its work across the full spectrum of business immigration issues. Atwal specialises in assisting businesses with the global transfer of staff and their families, especially at director-level; she also has a niche focus on assisting entrepreneurs, investors and overseas companies wanting to set up and operate in the UK market. Her work in this area assists clients from start to finish, from procuring visas for individuals representing overseas parent companies to finalising large-scale staff transfers. Associate Rebecca Hone, who joined the team in April 2021 and splits her time between the London and Reading offices, is another key contact.
‘The team at Clarkslegal LLP are responsive and helpful, no matter the level of the query. The Immigration team is appointed to work on our behalf to ensure compliance with legislation and they proactively manage this for us, keeping us informed of upcoming changes or key dates that we need to be aware of. I never have to worry about missing something or overlooking important information. I am always clear on the scope of work that is being carried out, how many hours of somebody’s time we are getting and what deliverables we can expect.’
“I really appreciate Rebecca Hone’s clear, concise advice on immigration matters. In supporting us, Rebecca has given us total confidence that we are compliant and meeting requirements.”
“The team at Clarkslegal is fantastic. They are very responsive, clear in their billing structure and always deliver results in a timely manner. I am always be sure when contacting Clarkslegal that I will be speaking to a specialist who understands their business area inside out and can provide commercial, practical advice.”
Corporate & Commercial
A local firm with an international reach, Clarkslegal LLP has extensive expertise in advising tech companies as well as players in the automotive sector on corporate transactions. Both are areas of specialism for practice head Ashan Arif, who represents BMW Group, New Era Group, and Lumen Technologies. Arif regularly works alongside Stuart Mullins, who focuses on M&A, restructurings, insolvency, and partnership disputes in the tech sector.
“Flat structure. Very approachable and responsive.”
“Professional and well-informed, but informal. Ashan Arif has taken time to really understand us as a client.”
“Fantastic responsiveness and practicality in getting their client’s needs served. Always fair on price and deliver on budget.”
Commercial Property
Clarkslegal LLP handles developments, transactions, and investment portfolio management work for clients in the automotive, healthcare, and education sector. Team lead Simon Ralphs also has a strong practice pertaining to the hospitality sector. Associate Pierre Dutton works closely with Ralphs, advising on acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant matters as well as insolvencies and restructurings.
“Extremely responsive. Thorough advice.”
“This is a substantial practice. I cannot rate the firm as a whole, but I can recommend without reservation Simon Ralphs who has provided an excellent and skilled service at reasonable costs.”
“Good lawyers use their legal skills and expertise to add value to their clients’ commercial ambitions and objectives. Bad lawyers add cost and diminish their client’s opportunities. I am pleased to report that the partners I deal with at Clarkslegal are intellectually bright, legally competent and, importantly, commercially aware.”
