Aaron and Partners has further enhanced its reputation after 38 of its lawyers were named in an annual guide listing the best individuals and teams across the UK.
The Legal 500 – a prestigious industry guide recognising the nation’s best professionals – listed a wide range of lawyers from Aaron and Partners, reinforcing the firm’s position as one of the region’s very best.
Seventeen practice areas also ranked highly, with the top Tier 1 status retained by the Corporate and Commercial, Commercial Dispute Resolution and Agriculture and Estates teams.
The 38 lawyers, who are based across offices in Shrewsbury, Chester and Manchester received a combined total of 55 individual rankings in different categories, marking a 25 per cent increase on the previous year’s listings.
Three of the firm’s Partners – Stuart Scott-Goldstone, Corporate and Commercial Partner; David Harries, Head of Planning, Energy, Environmental and Regulatory; and John Devoy, Dispute Resolution Partner, all retained a place on the Legal 500’s prestigious Leading Individuals list.
The Next Generation Partner list included four lawyers from Aaron & Partners, with Ben Mason, Employment Law Partner, making the list as a new entrant this year. Corporate & Commercial Partner, Jamie Hawley; Planning, Environmental, Energy and Regulatory Partner, Keith McKinney; and David Mann, Dispute Resolution Partner, all kept their places from 2020.
Family Law Partner, Simon Mawdsley, and Employment Law Solicitor, Debbie Coyne, also kept their positions on the Rising Stars list. They were joined by Vlad Macdonald-Munteanu, a Senior Associate handling Contested Wills, Trusts & Estates, who made the list for the very first time.
Nick Clarke, Senior Partner at Aaron & Partners, said: “Every year we look forward to the release of the Legal 500 rankings as they offer clients a valuable insight into who the best lawyers in the region are and we’re always confident that our people and teams will be well ranked. They also provide a useful benchmark for us to see how we rank against the bigger firms in the region.
“Yet again, our teams have fared incredibly well, and we’re delighted to have seen a significant increase in individual rankings. To secure an additional nine rankings on top of our 2020 results underlines how much exceptional talent we have across the firm.
“The fact that we also have 17 practice areas included in the guide reinforces the breadth of our expertise at Aaron & Partners.
“Because the Legal 500 relies heavily on feedback from clients, it’s very pleasing to have read so many positive testimonials about the service we provide and the outcomes we have delivered, which is testament to our people and their commitment to their respective areas of law.”
Aaron & Partners’ Corporate and Commercial team retained Tier 1 status and was commended for its expertise in commercial and corporate transactions, acquisitions and commercial sales agreements. The team was also highlighted for its “flexible and supportive” approach.
The Dispute Resolution team also maintained Tier 1 status for its commercial litigation representing high-net-worth individuals, shareholders, and corporate clients in complex litigation matters, such as shareholder disputes, transactional claims, restrictive covenants and project disputes.
Another Tier 1 ranking was secured by the Agriculture and Estates team for its work with clients including agricultural estates and family farming businesses.
The Commercial Property team was listed as a Tier 2 specialist with strong, well-established client relationships, particularly in the food, retail and utilities sectors.
The Family team was also ranked at the same level with Neil Hobden, Family Law Partner in Aaron & Partners’ Shrewsbury office, noted as being “extremely knowledgeable and helpful”. Another Partner, Lorraine Saunders, attracted high praise for showing “empathy and support at all times in her professional capacity”.
Clive Pointon, Head of Wills, Trusts & Tax, was praised for his “ability to communicate effectively with clients of different knowledge and experience” while Partner, Lynda Richards from the Shrewsbury office was noted as “exceeding client expectations”. Vlad Macdonald Munteanu from the same department was recognised for his work on Contentious Trusts and Probate and for having an “unflappable ability to handle, effectively at top partner level, the most complex, heavy and pressured litigation.”
Ben Mason, who operates across Shropshire and the West Midlands for the Employment team, was commended for his professionalism and giving clients “a feeling of always being in safe hands”. Claire Brook from the same department was described as “absolutely outstanding” and “efficient, clear and extremely personable”.
David Harries and Keith McKinney were praised for their work in Energy, Project, Finance and PFI. Harries was described as a “terrific strategist with insight into problems and how to solve them which is so rarely found”, meanwhile McKinney was said to “leave no stone unturned in any case and commands complete confidence”.
Tim Culpin, Transport Partner, was highlighted as being a “true road transport specialists in the legal field” with a “very deep understanding of the issues from a legal and operator point of view”.
Nick Clarke, Mark Davies, Chris Mitchell and Jan Chillery were also highlighted in the Insolvency and Corporate Recovery category, with Chillery being recognised for her personable attitude and “acting as a superb guide through a myriad of complicated laws”.
Aaron & Partner’s Corporate Finance Partner, Hugh Strickland, who is also based in Shrewsbury, heads up the firm’s Banking and Finance department and was described as being “Excellent”.
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