Women and Winning: Hall Brown Celebrates IWD and Another Brace of Award Wins 

Published on 08 March, 2019 | Sam Hall

One of the country’s leading law firms has decided to celebrate International Women’s Day by throwing its weight behind a Mancunian landmark’s campaign to commemorate the mother and daughter who contributed to its success.

Hall Brown Family Law, which has its headquarters in the city, has supported the decision to rename the well-known pub, Mr Thomas’s Chop House, after the founder’s wife and daughter.

Sarah Studd took up the running of the hostelry in the late 19^th-century when her husband, Thomas, became too ill to work. She was, in turn, succeeded by her daughter, who was also named Sarah.

The pub’s current proprietor has now renamed it Mrs Sarah’s Chop House in their honour.

Sam Hall, Hall Brown’s Senior Partner, has revealed that he and co-founder James Brown had decided to treat staff to lunch at the Chop House both in order to recognise the name change and mark International Women’s Day.

Their gesture coincides with yet further success for Hall Brown, which scooped two prizes – Pro Bono/Community Initiative Award and Small Law Firm of the Year Award – at the Manchester Legal Awards.

Mr Hall said: “We felt that it was not only important to do something on International Women’s Day but to do something which made a very relevant point.

“The Chop House is more than simply an historic city centre pub. It has a place in which many professionals working in the business district that surrounds it, including ourselves, have done business over the years.

“Learning of plans to pay tribute to the relatively unknown individuals who had been instrumental in its development, we felt it was only right to show our support.

“We understand the significant, positive impact which women can have on a business.

“Much of the success which Hall Brown has enjoyed since we launched can be attributed to the hugely talented women with whom we work.

“Claiming further titles in Manchester’s most prestigious legal awards is yet another indication of how important a role they play in building Hall Brown’s reputation and making it a great place to work.”

Hall Brown claimed the Pro Bono/Community Initiative Award for its central role in reviving a pioneering court system designed to help prevent the children of parents addicted to drugs or alcohol from being taken into care.

The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) National Unit was forced to close late last year due to a lack of Government funding.

However, a group of private backers and philanthropists pledged more than £280,000 for a new national partnership to continue its work after Hall Brown launched a fundraising campaign.

Last night’s prizes mean that Hall Brown has won three titles at the Manchester Legal Award in the last two years after it was named Family Team of the Year in 2018.

In November, Hall Brown also achieved Tier One status in the renowned Legal 500 rankings and being named among The Times’ 200 Best Law firms in England and Wales.