Wilkin Chapman has received extensive praise in this year’s Legal 500 ranking - a leading legal directory which is widely recognised as a de facto list of the UK’s very best law firms.
In the newly released 2023/24 UK directory, we’re thrilled to reveal the firm has been ranked across an impressive 16 practice areas in the Lincolnshire & Yorkshire regions in which we operate.
The Legal 500 is a comprehensive ranking system, mainly based on extensive research undertaken with clients, of the very best law firms from around the globe, in 150 different jurisdictions. It is broken down into different locations, with the UK having two distinct lists: one for firms in London and one for those operating across the rest of the country.
Even being included on the list is an incredible accolade, featuring “teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel” among fierce competition.
This year, our rankings across 16 separate practice areas in the definitive ‘legal bible’ include two new entries for the firm in the Yorkshire region for our work in corporate and commercial and agriculture, as well as moving up tiers in personal injury in the Midlands and wills, estates, tax & trusts in East Yorkshire.
The Legal 500 ranks firms in four tiers of expertise, with one being the highest. A ranking of level one typically indicates a prolonged dedication to providing high-quality advice over a number of years, but rankings can also be affected by a company’s growth, uptake of new technology, or by the reputation of its clients - among other complex factors.
As there are multiple categories, we’ll explore them in more detail below:
Our offices across the entirety of the East Midlands have been widely praised as demonstrating “an incredible grasp” of “new and emerging” markets. We’ve maintained the top ranking of Tier 1 in dispute resolution (debt recovery) across the region.
Feedback from the report said:
“The recoveries department at Wilkin Chapman offers a comprehensive debt recovery and insolvency service, handling the full range of matters in the sector. PPI recoveries is a particular area of expertise for the practice, which is also well versed in local authority, credit union, commercial and utilities sector work.
Practice head, Chris Grocock, has over 30 years of experience in debt recovery and insolvency work in the commercial, financial and public sectors, while Elizabeth Gilliatt handles contentious debt recovery matters for both claimants and defendants. Other names to note include Mark Taylor, an ‘incredible asset’ who handles credit management for public and private sector clients.”
Elsewhere in the East Midlands, our team led by specialist, Rachel Dicken, has also maintained a tier 1 ranking for our work in real estate and commercial property.
The report praises the “fresh, proactive and innovative service delivered in a timely cost-effective way” by the team, adding that “there is a great spread of expertise and a positive approach to their services and finding solutions.”
Our agriculture team for the East Midlands is active across the entire spectrum of the sector, regularly acting for internal drainage boards and NFU members on complex disputes and transactions and agricultural tenancies.
The team, led by Catherine Harris, specialises in acting for estates and internal drainage boards on complex transactional work and farming subsidies.
Other areas Wilkin Chapman has ranked highly on the Legal 500 for its professional and proactive legal advice include:
Midlands region
Dispute Resolution - Commercial Litigation (Tier 2), region: Elsewhere in East Midlands
Public Sector (Tier 2), region: East Midlands
Real Estate - Property Litigation (Tier 2), region: East Midlands
Employment - (Tier 2), region: East Midlands
Private Client - Family (Tier 2), region: East Midlands
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence - Claimant (Tier 2, ranking improved), region: East Midlands
Corporate & Commercial (Tier 3), region: Elsewhere in East Midlands
Private Client - Contentious Trusts and Probate (Tier 3), region: East Midlands
Yorkshire region
Corporate & Commercial (NEW ENTRY: Tier 2): region: Hull & East Yorkshire/Yorkshire & Humber
Private Client - Family (Tier 2), region: Elsewhere in Yorkshire
Private Client - Agriculture & Estates (NEW ENTRY: Tier 3), region: Yorkshire & Humber
Private Client - Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate (Tier 3, ranking improved), region: Yorkshire & Humber
Finance - Insolvency & Corporate Recovery (Tier 4), region: Yorkshire & Humber
We want to thank our entire team for their tireless work in providing high-quality, effective legal advice to our growing list of clients. Because of your incredible dedication and drive to deliver, we’re enjoying a fantastic performance on the Legal 500.
Secondly, we’d like to say a resounding ‘thank you’ to our clients and partners who kindly (and anonymously!) contributed feedback to the judges; without such candid feedback and kind words, we wouldn’t be enjoying this incredible accolade.
If you’d like to explore how our leading team of experts can help you, get in touch today.
