Hall Brown Family Law has underlined its emphasis on developing young legal talent as a key ingredient for success in its latest round of promotions.

Six staff have all been rewarded for what co-founder and Managing Partner James Brown has described as their “consistently strong contribution” to the firm’s continued growth.

Hannah Pilling and Rebekah Edwards have both moved up to the ranks of Senior Associate, while Emma Whitehead, Ella Ashforth and Harriet Williams have all been made Associates.

In addition, Georgia King, a member of Hall Brown’s award-winning admin team has become an Accounts Executive.

The promotions follow another strong year for the firm, which is widely regarded as the North West’s leading family law specialist and has been named as one of the UK’s best places to work.

James said that the decisions to recognise all six colleagues was “thoroughly merited”.

“We not only pride ourselves on being the boutique firm where established family lawyers want to work but the kind of environment in which talented individuals who are more junior can really thrive.

“It is wonderful to see so many younger members of our team benefit from working alongside other very capable colleagues and go on to develop their careers with us.

“That can be seen both in the progress which they have made as people as much as their legal experience and the fact that so many have chosen to stay with us for so long.

“Our investment of time and effort to make sure that we recruit well in order to support our focus on helping clients and meeting the standards which we set when we first launched really has paid off.

“We believe that approach – growing our own legal stars, if you like – is an integral part of the success which we have enjoyed and will continue to be so well into the future.”

The promotions also illustrate how Hall Brown has truly become one of the country’s leading family law practices.

Both Hannah Pilling and Emma Whitehead have worked in the firm’s Manchester head office for a combined 10 years.

Only last week, Emma, who joined Hall Brown as a paralegal in September 2020, was shortlisted in the Lawyer of the Year category at the Insider Media North West’s Young Professional of the Year Awards.

Rebekah Edwards was among Hall Brown’s early intake of paralegals in Manchester in 2017, before moving to its London office five years ago.

Meanwhile, both Ella Ashforth and Harriet Williams joined Hall Brown in 2024 as solicitors in the Sheffield and Birmingham offices respectively.

Georgia’s promotion marks the latest step forward in her career with the firm since being appointed in March 2020.

Earlier this year, Hall Brown was named as Manchester’s top family law specialist for a third year in a row by one of the world’s leading legal industry rankings, Doyle’s Guide.

It meant the completion of yet another clean sweep in the most prestigious domestic and international tables for the firm, adding to prominent billing in Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, eprivateclient and the Times’ own rankings.

Legal 500 singled out Hall Brown for providing “a Rolls-Royce service”, lavishing praise on lawyers and support staff across all of its offices.

Hall Brown was also one of only 11 legal firms nationwide to feature in the Sunday Times’s list of the UK’s Best Places to Work, which was published last May.

Judges described how the firm’s continued growth since opening its doors in 2016 was due to “the culture and wellbeing of the team”.

That growth continued in January with the opening of an office in Liverpool, adding to existing premises in Manchester, Leeds, London, Sheffield and Birmingham.