Hall Brown Family Law has been named as Manchester’s top specialist for a third year in a row by one of the world’s leading legal industry rankings.

The boutique firm is once more the only one to be placed in the first tier of family law practitioners in the city in the latest edition of the prestigious Doyle’s Guide.

In addition, Hall Brown has the distinction of seeing more of its lawyers singled out among the city’s family law elite than from any other firm.

Eight Hall Brown fee earners in total are included across five individual categories.

Founding partners Sam Hall and James Brown make up half of Doyle’s list of the city’s Pre-Eminent family lawyers and, with Partner Andrew Newbury, have both earned another nod as Manchester’s most capable advisors to High-Net-Worth clients.

Andrew and fellow Partner Claire Reid also feature in a separate tier of Leading Family and Divorce lawyers.

Melanie Kalina, Head of Hall Brown’s dedicated Children Law team, is identified as one of Manchester’s best Children lawyers, while Sarah Manning, who leads the firm’s Non-Court Dispute Resolution (NCDR) unit, is highlighted among the city’s top family law mediators.

The hugely experienced Partner Beth Wilkins is ranked in the area’s most recommended lawyers and Senior Associate Madelaine Hailey is again hailed as a Rising Star.

James Brown, Hall Brown’s Managing Partner, said that the Doyle’s rankings provided further illustration of the firm’s renowned strength in depth.

“We launched with the intentions of offering the very highest standards of support for people dealing with some of the most challenging episodes of their entire lives.

“Therefore, we really do appreciate each time someone notes the efforts of everyone in the firm to meet that objective.

“We count ourselves as incredibly fortunate to have so many talented colleagues at different stages of their careers, all of whom make a very important contribution to the work we do on behalf of clients and, as a result, the reputation of Hall Brown.”

The Doyle’s Guide is one of a handful of respected legal rankings worldwide and has a specific focus on lawyers and law firms in the UK, Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions.

It bases its conclusions on carefully vetted opinions within the legal industry and client feedback.

Doyle’s is the first of the year’s rankings of the legal profession. Its publication comes just months after Hall Brown’s retention of its place in the Times Best 250 Law firms classification meant that it completed yet another clean sweep of the country’s premier legal tables.

Hall Brown was the only specialist family practice based in the North West in 2025 to earn a place in the top tier of Doyle’s, Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, eprivateclient and the Times’ own rankings.

The firm was also the only Manchester-headquartered law firm to be considered one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work.

The Doyle’s results come just a month after Hall Brown opened a new office in Liverpool – its sixth in total, adding to premises in Manchester, London, Sheffield, Leeds and Birmingham – as a result of further strong demand for its services.

The firm now employs 84 staff nationwide, 62 of whom are fee earners.