Strength In Depth Brings More Repeat Recognition For Hall Brown 

Published on 28 June, 2024 | Izzy Walsh

Hall Brown Family Law has described its second repeat awards success in less than a fortnight as evidence of its all-’round strengths.

The firm has retained its title as the UK’s top Boutique Family Law Firm in the eprivateclient Excellence Awards just weeks after being named as Medium-sized Law Firm of the Year in the Manchester Legal Awards (MLAs) for the second year in a row.

In addition, four of Hall Brown’s senior lawyers have been included once more in a ranking of the best family law advisors to high net worth clients.

Partners Andrew Newbury, Beth Wilkins and Izzy Walsh feature in the list compiled by Spear’s, a magazine for some of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Ms Walsh, who is also Head of Hall Brown’s London office, said that the latest prizes and plaudits demonstrated the firm’s “consistency and quality”.

“We really are thrilled to win another prestigious eprivateclient award and to be again considered by Spear’s to have some of the country’s leading specialists.

“What it shows is that we have some very talented individuals in an extraordinarily strong team which delivers for clients time and again, no matter their circumstances or the complexity of their requirements.

“That is true as much for our support team as much as our lawyers and is why Hall Brown is regarded as an attractive place to work by so many of our peers in the legal profession.

“They see the excellence which we already have in our ranks and how we do our best to help those who join us realise their full potential.

“The continued rise which we are seeing in instructions to act on matters involving high value assets and a high level of complexity, often extending across a number of jurisdictions, is evidence of the trust which clients have in us too.

“It is one reason why we believe that our prospects for the future and for more of the success which we have already enjoyed are very good.”

Hall Brown was one of 10 firms honoured at the eprivateclient Excellence Awards during a ceremony at London’s Nobu Hotel attended by more than 200 people.

The Family Law Firm (Boutique) was sponsored by the wealth management firm JM Finn and judged by senior representatives of some of the UK’s leading private banks and financial advisors.

They described how Hall Brown’s performance was “setting them apart from their peers”, being particularly impresed by the firm’s record on talent recruitment, management and retention.

Hall Brown’s triumph marks something of a rare double win, immediately following its second consecutive Manchester Legal Awards (MLAs) success.

Both those awards comes barely a month after Hall Brown became one of only two legal firms nationwide and the only boutique practice to be named by the Sunday Times as one of the UK’s 40 Best Places to Work.

Along with Andrew Newbury, Beth Wilkins and Catherine Bell, Ms Walsh keeps her place in a guide which Spear’s states is “an indispensable guide for HNWs and UHNWs in search of legal advice in the UK and beyond”.

Ms Walsh is included for her skill in handling high value financial cases extending across multiple jurisdictions, while Mr Newbury and Ms Wilkins are singled out for their ability in acting on behalf of high-profile figures.

Ms Bell is recognised for her work dealing with entrepreneurs and on complex children’s cases.

Spear’s Head of Research, Ian Douglas, added that: “Navigating a separation can be stressful and emotionally taxing for high-value clients who may be dealing with issues around complex assets, child custody arrangements which span international jurisdictions, and the enforcement of pre- or post-nuptial agreements.

“With the help of our specialists, couples can successfully negotiate a fair settlement and plan for their lives post-divorce.”

Over the last 12 months, Hall Brown has seen strong growth among the ranks of its fee earners and administrative team.

It has also revealed that turnover has risen by one-sixth to £7.2 million in the same period and now employs a total of 69 people – 50 of whom are fee earners – at its five offices in Manchester, London, Sheffield, Leeds and Birmingham.

Last October, Hall Brown retained its position as one of the best law firms in England and Wales in a classification compiled by The Times newspaper for the sixth successive year.

The firm also appeared in the top echelon of family law practitioners in rankings drawn up by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners respectively.

Having been dubbed “the crème de la crème” by Legal 500, Hall Brown was referred to as “incredible” by Chambers and Partners.