Blake Morgan South Coast teams celebrate top rankings in Chambers & Partners Guide 2023

Leading law firm Blake Morgan is celebrating success in the 2023 edition of the prestigious Chambers & Partners Guide, which recognises and recommends the best-performing lawyers and legal firms across the UK. Twelve of the firm’s teams based across the South Coast were selected for praise in the Guide, along with 18 individual lawyers – showcasing the firm’s wide range of specialisms and excellent client service.

Practices areas granted the highest ranking, Band 1, included Banking & Finance, Intellectual Property, and Professional Negligence – with the Intellectual Property team praised for being ‘extremely knowledgeable’ and a ‘safe pair of hands’. Six teams secured a Band 2 ranking, including Construction, Corporate M&A, Employment, Family/Matrimonial, Pensions, and the Real Estate team, who clients described as giving ‘really great and attentive client service’. Clients particularly lauded the Family/Matrimonial team, saying ‘they provide a quality service with sound advice, empathetic handling, professional legal work, and strong supporting services’.

The Chambers and Partners Guide also recognises lawyers who are leaders in their fields of expertise. Of the 18 lawyers based on the South Coast ranked this year, four achieved the top Band 1 ranking: Jill Bainbridge, Kath Shimmin, Simon Burge, and professional negligence expert, Richard Portlock. Jill was praised for her handling of complex intellectual property work, and head of the South Coast family practice Simon was praised for his ‘excellent all round advice’. Particular recognition was shown to banking and finance expert Kath Shimmin, who a client described as being ‘at the top of her game’ and one of the key reasons they keep returning to Blake Morgan.

The future of the firm and the sector is also in safe hands – with the Guide shining a spotlight on three ‘Associates to Watch’: Ben Evans, John Shallcross and employment expert Vicky Schollar, who was described as ‘very reliable and effective.’ The Guide also recognised three ‘Up & Coming’ lawyers: corporate lawyer Gemma Spiceley, family expert Jennifer Williamson, and the ‘proficient and astute’ professional negligence lawyer, Michael Colledge. Clients were fulsome in their praise for Gemma, saying they ‘could not have wished for a better lead contact’, while Jennifer was lauded for being ‘thoughtful, accurate, imaginative and empathetic in equal measure.’

Across Blake Morgan’s five UK offices, the Guide ranked 33 teams as Band 1 or 2, while 60 individual lawyers were ranked – seven of whom were named as ‘Senior Statespeople’. These rankings highlight the strength and depth of the talent across the firm.

Kath Shimmin, Chair at Blake Morgan, said: