The highly-regarded directory recognises the quality of law firms and their lawyers across the UK, based on an extensive review process and feedback from clients and peers in the industry. In this year’s edition, Blake Morgan secured an impressive 58 rankings, with 28 practice areas recognised in the highest ranking of ‘Tier 1’.
The practice areas that achieved Tier 1 status included Corporate and Commercial; Employment; Real Estate; Dispute Resolution; Banking and Finance; Technology; Media and Telecoms; Public Sector; Private Client; and Professional Negligence.
The Real Estate team’s ‘extremely professional, knowledge and responsive’ reputation secured it a top spot, while the Corporate and Commercial team was praised for its ‘very high standard of subject knowledge’. The firm’s ‘very strong’ Dispute Resolution practice was also recognised as the ‘go-to firm’ for representation of professional regulators.
Overall, 82 of the firm's lawyers were recognised individually this year, several more than once. An increase on last year's rankings, nine of the firm's lawyers achieved the top status of 'Hall of Fame', being recognised for their individual capabilities and standing in the industry. Chair Kath Shimmin, Bruce Potter, Claire Rawle, Bradley Albuery, Daniel Scognamiglio, Eve Piffaretti, Guy Constant, Robert Cherry and Robin Havard were awarded this status.
Daniel Scognamiglio was described by clients as a ‘legal pioneer’ who stands out for his knowledge of travel law and his ability to take on challenging and ground-breaking cases, while Eve Piffaretti’s wealth of experience and first-class legal advice for public sector clients was praised.
Thirty-five lawyers were recognised as ‘Leading Individuals’. Among those listed was Joanne Davies who was praised for ‘combining her straight-forward perspective with technical areas of employment law’, while Clare Strickland in the Professional Discipline team was described as a ‘a pleasure to work with’.
The rankings also recognised promising individuals, with 16 lawyers awarded ‘Next Generation Partner’ status and 24 seen as ‘Rising Stars’. These categories included commercial litigator Nicola Diggle, who clients described as ‘totally on top of where the case is at’ and Jonathan Sleep, who was recommended for the ‘excellent and knowledgeable service’ he provides to private clients.
Kath Shimmin, chair at Blake Morgan, said:
"It’s been another strong year for our firm, and it’s brilliant to see the successes of teams and lawyers recognised in this year’s Legal 500. Those achieving high-ranking positions are a testament to the firm and their hard work over the past 12 months. Their success demonstrates the first-class service they are delivering for clients, and how much this is appreciated."
