Blake Morgan celebrates success in latest Legal 500 directory
Blake Morgan’s leading teams and individual lawyers have been recognised extensively in the 2024 edition of the prestigious Legal 500 rankings, reflecting their first-rate client service and specialist expertise across a wide range of sectors.
Each year, the highly-regarded Legal 500 directory reviews and benchmarks the strength of law firms and their lawyers, based on research and feedback from clients. Among its 58 rankings this year, 29 of Blake Morgan’s practice areas were placed in the highest ranking of ‘Tier 1’ – an increase on the 2023 results.
Practice areas that achieved Tier 1 ranks included Corporate and Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Finance, Private Client, Public Sector, Real Estate, and Technology, Media and Telecoms. Within the Real Estate sphere, the “very skilled and knowledgeable lawyers across all seniorities” within the Construction team in Wales drew commendations from their clients, securing the team a rise to Tier 1 from Tier 2 in 2023.
Overall, 83 of the firm’s lawyers were recognised individually this year, some in multiple categories. Bradley Albuery, Simon Burge, Claire Rawle, Robin Havard, Eve Piffaretti, Bruce Potter, Daniel Scognamiglio and the firm’s chair Kath Shimmin were all awarded the most prestigious ‘Hall of Fame’ status. Daniel Scognamiglio has been described by clients as “a standout practitioner” alongside the “friendly and knowledgeable” Claire Rawle, and “calmly reassuring” Simon Burge, who is said to “combine experience, wisdom and attention to detail”. Eve Piffaretti was credited for her “expert and sensible advice”.
18 promising individuals also stood out as ‘Next Generation Partners’. Client testimonials praise Katie James with her “first-rate knowledge and experience”, the “seriously impressive” Gemma Spiceley, “proactive, responsible and knowledgeable” Lisa Davies, “highly skilled negotiator” Richard Jones, “exceptionally gifted” Louise Howells, “first-rate procurement litigator” Joanne Thompson, and the “bright, very focussed and responsive” Gillian McCue.
Nicola Diggle was “highly recommended” by her clients, and Jennifer Williamson was praised for her ability to “always put [her clients] at ease” in challenging situations. Rajiv Joshi was also credited for being “very good at identifying the critical issues in any legal matter”, Ben Brice was recognised for his “simple and straightforward clarity”, and Michael Ward was described as a “credit to Blake Morgan”.
Alongside these, an exceptional 31 lawyers were rated as ‘Leading Individuals’, with an additional 26 lawyers listed as ‘Rising Stars’ in the directory.
Kath Shimmin, chair at Blake Morgan, said:
It’s fantastic to see so many of our lawyers and practice areas being recognised for their achievements and hard work in this year’s Legal 500. The high rankings achieved across the board speak to the outstanding service delivered to our clients by our talented lawyers throughout the firm, and I’d like to thank everyone for their commitment and dedication over the last year.
“Building upon the success of previous years, we’re especially proud to see an increase in the number of practice areas awarded high-level rankings. Our Welsh Construction team, London M&A smaller deals team, Commercial Litigation mid-market team, and South East Contentious Trusts and Probate team all rose up the rankings this year – a testament to everyone’s exceptional efforts.”
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