Scale is important;
it means we can always
draw on the right
specialist advice.
Legal 500 & Chambers
Hewitsons consolidates position as prominent regional firm in Legal 500
Hewitsons has once again featured strongly in the latest edition of The Legal 500, being portrayed as a prominent presence in central and eastern England.
The 2009 edition of the respected legal directory ranks Hewitsons as one of five regional ‘heavyweights’ in East Anglia, while a number of the firm’s teams and individuals based in Northampton and Milton Keynes were also highly rated.
Managing partner John Dix and senior partner Charles Hewitson, are joined by Clare Colacicchi, Dominic Hopkins, Richard Ingram, Deborah Sharples and Jason Williams on the list of leading individuals.
Commenting on the latest edition of The Legal 500, John Dix said: “This has been a year of consolidation for the firm in terms of our rankings both in Cambridge and Northampton. We are of course delighted to be mentioned again as a regional heavyweight and to receive so much positive feedback from clients on their experience with us.”
The Cambridge corporate and commercial team, again ranked in the top tier regionally, is lauded for its ‘pragmatic approach and excellent client focus‘. Clients say the team’s ability to act swiftly and competently is ‘without parallel‘ and that the group displays ‘great knowledge and negotiating skills, great leadership and fantastic customer service, all delivered on time and on budget’. Partner Helen Drayton is singled out for specific praise.
Meanwhile,the four partner strong Northampton corporate and commercial team is recognised as the largest offering in the town. It has risen from tier three to tier two in the latest edition and handled total transactions of £270 million in 2008.
The Cambridge and Northampton charity teams have both maintained a top tier ranking with more glowing praise from clients, who describe the advice of Barrister Chris Knight, head of the firm’s charity group, as ‘practical and grounded in experience’.
Despite a difficult 2008 for the commercial property sector Hewitsons’ Cambridge and Northampton teams both retained top tier ranking regionally. Elizabeth Jones was highlighted in the firm’s ‘very tenacious‘ M11 corridor development group, which ‘knows how to look after its clients‘.
Within the Cambridge construction team, Tim Richards and Colin Jones are described as ‘very knowledgeable, helpful and professional‘, and ‘work hard to understand the needs and aspirations of clients‘. Colin has recently taken over leadership of the M11 development initiative from Alan Brett, who maintained his Legal 500 leading individual status in his retirement year.
The ‘approachable and commercially minded’ Giles Betts and Elizabeth Swinburn have been credited with re-establishing the fortunes of the firm’s Cambridge employment team while Nick Hall’s Northampton employment team is praised for punching above its weight.
Both the Cambridge and Northampton agriculture and rural business teams retained top tier ranking regionally with Charles Hewitson described as a ‘first-class performer’ and Denise Wilkinson as ‘a good leader, thorough and speedy‘. It was also noted that Gareth Williams dealt with acquisitions and disposals worth a total of £10m in 2008.
Public sector clients talk about the ‘absolutely first-class‘ Cambridge team, which is ‘extremely responsive, forward thinking and astute‘, while Tim Richards’ skills are valued highly by clients.
When it comes to EU and competition law, Luisa Leone is ‘assertive, realistic and on the ball‘. The Cambridge team, ranked again in the top tier regionally, responds quickly and ‘very accurately with advice that is always succinct and helpful‘. Luisa is also mentioned in the top tier for her Cambridge sports law practice.
The Cambridge environment team was ranked in the top tier with Deborah Sharples praised for her ‘extremely knowledgeable, well prepared and professional approach’. Meanwhile, the planning team handles client care with ‘great skill and flexibility‘, coupling ‘practical, honest, realistic advice’ with ‘good value for money’. Deborah Sharples is also credited with building a formidable reputation for regulatory law in the area of Health and Safety.
Clients feel Hewitsons IP/IT team is ‘swift to reply and achieves excellent results‘, especially in copyright infringement cases. The ‘proactive and knowledgeable approach’ of Niel Ackermann and Mark Elmslie is also praised.
Robert McLellan, head of the Cambridge property litigation team, ‘always responds in good time’ say clients and has ‘excellent business acumen and industry knowledge’.
Clients value Hewitsons’ commercially aware Cambridge dispute resolution team, while the Northampton team led by Dominic Hopkins and John Shephard had a varied caseload in 2008, including for example a VAT-related judicial review against HMRC and acting for trustees in an £8m property dispute.
Hewitsons' professional service highlighted inChambers 2010
The professional service provided by Hewitsons has been highlighted by satisfied clients in the latest edition of respected legal directory Chambers.
Chambers 2010 again describes Hewitsons' legal expertise and professional approach on a par with major London firms.
John Dix, managing partner, said: “Client satisfaction is one of our firm’s key aims so it is very rewarding to read the positive feedback contained in the latest edition of Chambers. Once again we have received recognition across a broad range of practice areas which I think shows the real strength in depth we have and, of course, the high quality of our team.”
The Cambridge corporate finance team is credited as providing a solid, all-round service with partners James Lawrence – ‘cool-headed and commercially sensible’ - and Helen Drayton – ‘extensive knowledge, fantastic negotiating style and outstanding efficiency’ - picked out for special praise. The Northampton corporate team is described as a dominant force in the surrounding area with partner David Browne highlighted as a key individual.
Hewitsons’ charities and construction teams are both ranked in the top tier of firms regionally, the construction team rising up the ranks to cement its standing in the East Anglian market with partners Tim Richards and Colin Jones named as key individuals. The charities team is admired for its finely tuned education expertise and partner Chris Knight praised for his ‘quick yet impressively thorough and decisive advice on tricky problems’.
According to the guide, Hewitsons is one of the few large commercial firms in Northampton with a dedicated presence in the agriculture sector and partner Gareth Williams is recognised as an impressive practitioner. Charles Hewitson and Denise Wilkinson are named as key individuals in the Cambridge agriculture team.
The Cambridge dispute resolution team enjoys a varied caseload and clients describe partner Simon Biggin as ‘a pleasure to deal with because he's direct, down to earth and has more than his fair share of common sense’. The guide details the Northampton dispute resolution team’s high volume of work and impressive results, while key individual Dominic Hopkins is described by clients as ‘an excellent person and a very good litigator’.
Clients are also quick to praise head of private client Clare Colacicchi, who ‘exudes confidence and is technically able and meticulous’. Cambridge-based Daniel Curtis – ‘courteous, constructive and easy to work with’ - and David Bradley are also mentioned as key individuals.
The ‘heavyweight’ Cambridge commercial property team enjoys a busy practice, according to the guide and head of team Elizabeth Jones provides clients with ‘clarity and responsiveness’. Stephen de Loynes, head of the Northampton commercial property team is also named as a key individual.
According to clients, the commercial property litigation team has ‘a commercial ethos and doesn't get bogged down in minutiae’ while key individual Robert McLellan has ‘abroad and effective skill set’. Meanwhile, Hewitsons ‘creative’ IP group is ‘dedicated to finding a win-win solution’, with partnerNiel Ackermann‘creative and proactive’.
Deborah Sharples is named as a key individual in both environment and planning, the former practice which is classed in the top tier regionally, while Giles Betts is named as a key individual in the Cambridge employment team. The debt recovery team led by John Shephard is described by clients as ‘professional and efficient in their handling of claims’.
