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Brabners Chaffe Street ranks high in Legal 500 and Chambers UK
11/11/2010

Brabners Chaffe Street has been recognised as a leading firm for legal expertise by the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession. The firm has had four key practice areas in its Preston office ranked in the Legal 500 report for the first time as a group and is seen as a leading firm for legal expertise outside of the two major commercial centres of the North West. The Property, Corporate, Litigation and Employment practices all received coverage in the annual report and the Partners who head up each of the four practice areas were recognised as leading players in the Preston legal sector.

The continuing challenges in the commercial property sector have not affected the strength and quality of real estate legal advice given by the firm which remains in the top tier. The ‘commercially focused' and ‘extremely knowledgeable' Ross Shine heads up the team and specialises in brownfield sites and infrastructure projects. Clients include CSL, Dixon Adflow and Lancashire Police, and rate the firm as ‘excellent' and ‘efficient'. Notable work included advising on the politically challenging National Football Museum relocation.

The firm's Corporate and Commercial practice has a top tier ranking in the publication. The ‘approachable' John Boydell heads up the practice, which provides the most comprehensive corporate service north of Manchester, and handles deals in the £100m+ bracket. Boydell is described as ‘technically excellent' and ‘reliable', with ‘an excellent knowledge of business'.

Commercial Litigation practice at the firm remains in the top tier in the Legal 500 report. Dispute resolution expert Stuart Irons joined Brabners Chaffe Street as practice head from Pannone. He is well known for his expertise in resolving property disputes, is well regarded for commercial contract disputes and heads up an effective debt recovery and insolvency team.

The publication acknowledged that the Employment practice at the firm receives a wealth of positive client feedback, notably for taking time to understand its clients' business and Partner Kevin James is ‘very knowledgeable, with an excellent reputation'.

In addition Agriculture at the firm has jumped from third to top tier, with the publication documenting that Brabners Chaffe Street is well respected, acting for several landed estates and Helen Ryan, Associate at the Preston office, is recommended. Expertise at the firm includes property, mineral rights, and agricultural management work.

Brabners Chaffe Street also has one of the strongest tax and trusts teams in the region, following its merger with Bremners, a high-quality private client firm. The team's approach is described by Legal 500 as ‘highly professional'; they are ‘good people to work with'. The firm is on the Camelot panel, acts for a number of sports personalities, and is recommended for its trusts work. In Preston the team is headed up by Barrister Stephen Marriott.

In the Chambers UK 2011 Directory rankings remained high with Private Client and Social Housing going up a tier. It was reported that clients value the ‘commercial, down-to-earth and practical' finance lawyers at Brabners Chaffe Street, they are impressed with its corporate team's ‘good organisation and high level of partner-level input' and find the dispute resolution team has ‘got strong business acumen and a commercial approach.' Real estate clients applaud this ‘highly professional and well-connected practice' for its client-friendly approach. ‘We are never passed from pillar to post and there is proper partner involvement from beginning to end,' one source said.

Ross Shine, a Partner in Brabners Chaffe Street's Preston office comments: “The rankings we have achieved in this year's Legal 500 and the latest Chambers directory are an exciting prospect for the firm. The upgraded ranking of a number of our practice areas illustrates that we are a firm that has strength in depth across all disciplines. We are dedicated to providing the best legal advice for our clients and by providing a partner-led service and attracting excellent feedback across all practice sectors, we are one of the few firms in the region that excels in both commercial and private client work.”


For further information contact Ross Shine at Brabners Chaffe Street on 01772 823 921

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