Blake Morgan teams in the Thames Valley celebrate success in Legal Directories

Blake Morgan’s teams and leading individuals have been recognised for the strength and depth of their expertise in 2018 edition of the prestigious Legal 500 directory and the Chambers & Partners 2019 UK rankings.

Both directories review and recognise the strengths of law firms and their lawyers across the UK and recommends them based on feedback from clients and peers.

In this year’s Legal 500 directory, Blake Morgan has received ‘Tier 1’ rankings in 15 practice areas across the firm’s Oxford and Reading offices – including Corporate and Commercial, Employment, Family, Commercial Property, Local Government and Education. This is an increase on the 13 Tier 1 practice areas in 2017’s directory and reflects the firm’s focus on deepening local understanding and knowledge.

The directory also lists 10 Blake Morgan lawyers across the Thames Valley as ‘leading individuals’ – an accolade that recognises those individuals who have demonstrated sector leadership and expertise. A further 48 are ‘recommended’ by the guide.

Among the list of leading individuals is partner Penny Rinta-Suksi who leads Blake Morgan’s Local Government England team and delivers “an exceptional service to clients” and has an “in-depth knowledge of the local government sector”. Partner and team leader in the firm’s Family Practice group, Christine Plews, is recognised too and is described as a “very experienced and dedicated family lawyer”. The Thames Valley Construction team is also singled out for praise, with the directory noting the team is “excellent on all counts” with “knowledge and experience of construction law that is second to none.”

Corporate partner Guy Constant is also singled out as a Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’ member – the highest accolade the directory can give – who leads a team with a “strong reputation” for delivery in Corporate and Commercial activity

Blake Morgan also performed strongly in the Chambers and Partners 2019 UK guide. Across the Thames Valley and South, seven teams were ranked in the top band for quality and service, including the firm’s Employment, Family, Planning and Intellectual Property teams. The firm’s Pension team was also listed and described as “highly regarded” with “great knowledge and flexibility”.

Ten lawyers from across the Thames Valley and South were also listed as top-tier professionals, including Head of Planning Guthrie McGruer and Head of Construction Richard Wade. William Downing, Head of Employment Law in the Thames Valley, was also listed in band one and was praised for “exceptional client service and excellent practical legal advice.”

Mike Wilson, Managing Partner at Blake Morgan, said: “We’re delighted with the listings this year – it’s been another year of strength for our teams across the Thames Valley.

“The results show that our focus on service, professionalism and expertise matter to our clients, who – in turn – recognise the quality of our partners and their teams. We’re particularly proud that we’ve secured top tier rankings for 15 practice areas in Legal 500 and 10 in Chambers UK across the Thames Valley, that’s a huge achievement and one that goes to show how highly our services are valued.”

Across the UK, Blake Morgan saw 32 practice areas highlighted as best-in-class ‘Tier 1’ in this year’s Legal 500 and 20 practice areas listed as Band 1 in the 2019 Chambers UK rankings.

A total of 30 lawyers from Blake Morgan’s offices in England and Wales were named elite ‘leading individuals’ and 166 lawyers were listed as ‘recommended’ for their levels of service, expertise and excellence in the Legal 500.  In the 2019 Chambers UK guide, 22 individuals were awarded Band 1 individuals and 12 ‘associates to watch’.