Fox Williams success in 2023 legal directories

The strength of Fox Williams’ legal offering continues to earn significant recognition following the publication of the latest Chambers, Legal 500 and Times Best Law Firms rankings.

In Legal 500, the firm has been promoted a band in Real Estate: Commercial property corporate occupiers with one market commentator saying: “Fox Williams have a great team with an in depth understanding of the industry and commercial awareness; offering focused, proactive legal advice.”

The firm also maintains its Band 1 rankings for M&A: smaller deals up to £50m; Partnership and Travel. Quotes from the guide include:

“A truly outstanding team. [A] top choice for partnership and LLP disputes. Very experienced. Excellent on litigation tactics and achieving a result for clients. An all-round top notch team.”

“Fox Williams offers exceptional expertise of the regulatory framework underpinning the travel industry. The firm provides pragmatic solutions to difficult problems, and has been very effective in helping the travel industry negotiate the disruption and dislocation caused by Covid -19’s suspension of travel.”

In Chambers, the firm was newly ranked in the International Arbitration: Highly Regarded section, has been promoted a band in the Corporate/M&A: £10-100 million rankings and maintains its top tier status for Partnership, and Travel: Regulatory & Commercial.

For Corporate/M&A, Fox Williams is praised as being “very knowledgeable and able to handle a variety of different subject matters, including some fairly unique sub-specialties.”

Its Partnership team is called “very responsive and proactive. Everyone I dealt with was knowledgeable, friendly and always on hand with great advice.”

The travel team is noted for its “excellent understanding of issues facing the travel industry.”

The firm has also performed strongly on an individual level. In Chambers, Richie Clark (Corporate/M&A: £10-100m) Aron Pope (Partnership: Contentious) and Ed Livingstone (Associate to Watch in Partnership: Contentious, and Partnership: Non-contentious) are all new entries into the rankings.

Mary Elliott (Corporate/M&A), David Murphy (Employment: Employers), Simon Bennett (IP), Liz Ruff (Real Estate: £10-50 million) and Phil Hope (Real Estate: £10-50 million) have all been promoted a band in the rankings.

In Legal 500, Jane Mann (Employment: Employers) and Pollyanna Deane (Insurance: Corporate and Regulatory) are listed in the Hall of Fame. Richie Clark (M&A), Gavin Foggo (Partnership and Commercial Litigation: mid market), Dan Sutherland (Partnership), Peter Wright and Sona Ganatra (both FS: Contentious), Ben Giaretta (International Arbitration), and Rhys Griffiths (Travel) are all listed as leading individuals.

Three lawyers are listed as next generation partners: Mary Elliott (M&A), Lucy England (Aviation and Travel) and Aron Pope (Partnership). Four lawyers are listed as rising stars (associates): Sebastian Sayer (FS: Contentious), Mary Majewska (Commercial Property: Commercial occupiers), Rebecca Richardson (Commercial Litigation: mid market) and Kate Felmingham (International Arbitration).

In Chambers the following partners and lawyers maintain their existing rankings: Stephen Sidkin (Commercial Contracts), Joanna Chatterton and Tom Pennington-Hare (both Employment: Employer), Aron Pope, Jane Mann and Joanna Chatterton (all Employment: Senior Executive), James Carlton (Financial Crime: Individuals) Peter Wright, Sona Ganatra (Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory) Chris Finney (Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory), Gavin Foggo (Fraud: Civil), Ben Giaretta and Peter Ashford (both International Arbitration); Aron Pope and Gavin Foggo (both Partnership: Contentious), Daniel Sutherland (Partnership: Large International Structures, and Partnership: Non-contentious) and Rhys Griffiths (Travel: Regulatory & Commercial).

Commenting on the release of the rankings, senior partner Paul Osborne said: “It’s extremely gratifying that our success as a firm continues to be reflected in the legal directory rankings, including our market leading partnership and travel group practices.“

“The increased ranking for both our corporate and real estate teams is just reward, given the strength and excellence of these practice areas. The individual rankings are equally as impressive and I’m delighted for all the lawyers who have been deservedly recognised across Legal 500 and Chambers.”

The Times Best Law Firms 2023

Fox Williams has been recognised in The Times Best Law Firms 2023 (published 3 November 2022) for its capabilities in Commercial dispute resolution (mediation, litigation, arbitration).

For this report, solicitors and barristers in England & Wales are asked to recommend the best law firms (other than their own) for legal work in a number of categories. Those firms with the most votes from thousands of respondents made it into The Times Best Law Firms 2023.

Full details of rankings

20 ranked practice areas in Legal 500 UK 2023: Aviation, Commercial litigation: mid-market, Commercial property: corporate occupiers, Employment: Senior Executives, Employment: Employee share schemes, Employment: Employers, Equity capital markets – small-mid cap, Financial services: contentious, Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory, Fintech, Fraud: Civil, Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals), Immigration, Insurance: corporate and regulatory, Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design, International arbitration, M&A: smaller deals, up to £50m, Partnership, Retail and consumer, Travel.

14 ranked practice areas in Chambers UK 2023: Capital Markets: AIM, Commercial Contracts, Corporate/M&A: £10-100 million, Employment: Employer, Employment: Senior Executive, Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Individuals), Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property: Law Firms With Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, International Arbitration, Partnership, Partnership: Large International Structures, Real Estate: £10-50 million, Retail, Travel.