DMH Stallard is delighted to report that it has once again been recognised as one of the leading law firms across all its key practice areas following the publication of the latest edition of the independent legal research directory, Legal 500 2011.
The firm is described as standing out from other law firms for “its high quality advice and strong reputation.”
Legal 500 recommended all of DMH Stallard’s key practice areas and the firm is once again recognised as a heavyweight in the region, with many of its Partners acknowledged as leading experts in their fields.
Within DMH Stallard’s Corporate and Commercial Group, described as “very efficient and flexible”, Practice Head Jonathan Grant is commended for his expertise in corporate finance, and Vincent O’Brien is described as a “pragmatic, commercially astute lawyer, who always goes the extra mile.”
The Banking and Finance Group is recognised as holding a niche expertise in advising on acquisitions and refinancings within the healthcare sector. The “very proactive” team, led by recommended Partner Gwen Godfrey, impressed with its “high level of sector knowledge.” Stephen Reed is also rated.
Legal 500 focused on the firm’s TMT Group, both within the IT, IP and Media and Entertainment rankings, describing the team as a “key player” across the South. “Commercially aware and very responsive”, the team is described as delivering “succinct advice.”
Tim Ashdown, Head of the TMT Group is recognised for leading the “very professional outfit”, and Frank Jennings for his “commercially minded” advice. With expertise in the music industry, Nick Kounoupias’s excellent reputation for copyright infringement and anti-piracy cases is also a key focus.
The firm’s Public Sector Group continues to be recognised as one of the leading teams in the country and its expertise in this area featured throughout. Legal 500 highlighted the Employment Group’s work and Jenny Thorp, Partner and Head of the Public Sector Group, came recommended as “extremely knowledgeable and organised.”
The firm’s Real Estate Group, which handles a strong flow of instructions from both public sector and commercial clients, the latter including Tesco, came recommended with Richard Pollins and Marion Wilcock ranked as individuals.
Assisting clients in both the public and private sector, the Construction Group which acts for Aviva, CityWest Homes and Westminster City Council also came recommended. Practice head Stephen Royle is ranked for his expertise in non-contentious construction law and advice on commercial construction projects.
The Dispute Resolution Group’s work with the London Borough of Croydon is a key focus within the directory listings. Head of Department Simon Elcock is described as “highly regarded” in the region in both commercial disputes and debt recovery work, and sources described that they appreciated his “commercial and pragmatic approach.” James Colvin also came recommended.
The work of the Environment Group was focused on and described as at “the forefront of renewable energy advice, attracting work on feed in tariffs (FITs)… The team also has a strong track record in environmental litigation.” Heidi Copland came recommended in both this area and Planning with her work with local planning authorities, particularly on complex s106 agreements.
The Planning Group is described as standing out form other law fims in the South, due to their “high quality advice and strong reputation.”
Mark Anthony Rayner’s Prosecutions team is also mentioned as “outstanding.”
DMH Stallard’s legal Services for Individuals also came recommended again in this year’s directory. Siobhan Lomasney, Head of Family, is ranked, and her expertise in matrimonial matters is highlighted. Lucienne Westbrook, Head of the Personal Injury Group, came recommended as “professional and very competent.”
Lorna Fairbairn, who is Head of the Private Client Group and works closely with the firm’s high net worth clients, is also ranked. Clients were said to benefit from the "strength and depth” of the Private Client Group.
DMH Stallard’s Managing Partner, Tim Aspinall, comments
“We are extremely pleased that all our key practice areas, and many of our expert lawyers have once again been recognised by the independent research of Legal 500. The consistent high level rankings achieved year on year demonstrates the firms ability and strength as a key player both in London and across the South East.”
The Legal 500 directory undertakes six months of comprehensive research, and together with the Chambers UK guide to the legal profession, is widely regarded as offering the definitive judgment of law firm capabilities. They are dedicated to investigating the legal profession in all the main areas of practice and on the basis of their research, identify the best law firms in the market.
To view the full results from this year’s Legal 500 research, please click here.
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For further press information please contact:
Rowena Morris
Business Development Officer
Tel: 01293 60 5028
Email: rowena.morris@dmhstallard.com
Note to Editor:
About DMH Stallard LLP
DMH Stallard is dedicated to making our clients the centre of our business and delivering technical excellence, so we can work together as legal and commercial partners. The firm invests in building long term relationships with its clients, so we can support their strategic objectives and deliver solutions that are needs driven.
Our practice has been developed to provide users of traditional City firms with a genuine alternative. To put it simply, our clients benefit from technically excellent advice led by senior partners whilst enjoying sensible and transparent pricing structures.
We are proud to work with some of the most innovative and successful organisations in the country including major financial institutions, many FTSE listed companies, private equity backed businesses and high profile public sector bodies. We are also delighted that the firm continues to be recognised with prestigious awards.
One Firm Approach
DMH Stallard provides integrated legal services from our offices in London and Gatwick.
Our one firm approach ensures our clients have access to technically excellent advice across the board that is efficient, economical and perfectly aligned to their needs. This approach enables us to deploy integrated teams that are capable of working on large complex projects that require expertise from multiple disciplines.
We continue to attract some of the best talent in the City who want to work with us, and our approach continues to attract clients looking for a genuine alternative to traditional City law firms.
