Stewarts has again achieved excellent results in the latest edition of the Chambers guide to the UK’s leading firms and lawyers.
A record 61 individuals from Stewarts are ranked in the guide, and our teams in London and Leeds earn 17 department rankings.
Top-ranked teams
Our Divorce and Family team is once again ranked in Band 1 of the Ultra High Net Worth category within Family and Matrimonial Finance. Chambers notes that the team is particularly widely praised for its bench strength, reflected in the rankings for 17 individuals in the team, more than any other firm. “They are without question the pre-eminent law firm in London,” Chambers’ interviewees say. “Their associates are excellent, their partners are the best and there is no question that if you want the very best representation, you go to Stewarts.” For the 12th consecutive year, our Leeds team also scores its own ranking.
Once again our Personal Injury department is top-ranked in both London and Leeds. The team “maintains an excellent reputation as a go-to for claimants in complex catastrophic injury claims including brain, spinal, tetraplegic and fatal injury claims,” the guide says. “There is no better or well-oiled department – they are just superb,” a source said. “Every single one of them is absolutely brilliant.” Fifteen individuals in the team score rankings, more than in any previous year.
Also maintaining their Band 1 ranking, in the Travel section, our International Injury team is described as “the top of the top” by interviewees. Chambers says the team is “routinely sought out for its substantial experience handling cases involving issues of international law, particularly those arising out of aviation disasters and overseas RTAs.”
Our Aviation team again receives its own top ranking this year for its claimant work, for which Stewarts is “widely regarded as the go-to firm” according to the Chambers editorial. The new edition highlights the team’s work acting for the families of deceased victims in the Shoreham Airshow disaster, during the inquest which provided the conclusion of unlawful killing.
Top ranked again in Leeds and ranked for Commercial and Corporate Litigation in London, our Commercial Litigation team are “forensic and thorough. The depth and breadth of their team is very strong.” The guide describes the London team as having “very strong expertise in handling complex, international litigation cases,” while in Leeds the practice is recognised as “more than equal to the challenge of dealing with an array of leading London firms.”
New categories and continued success
In the newly introduced Family/Children Law category, our team debuts in the upper rankings. “The Stewarts family law team offers deep expertise in private children law alongside its top-quality finance practice,” Chambers says. A source shares: “There is a very high level of experience and commitment within their team and I’ve always had a high level of service and response in what is often a very worrying and concerning landscape.”
Our Clinical Negligence teams are again ranked in both London and Leeds: “They will always be a go-to firm for complex claimant work.” The guide highlights our lawyers’ expertise in brain and spinal injury cases, with one interviewee left “in awe of their knowledge, professionalism and determination.”
Stewarts earns rankings in the Banking Litigation and, for the second year since its inception, the Group Litigation (Claimant) categories, acknowledging work completed by our departments in tandem including our Tax Litigation, Competition and Securities Litigation teams.
Chambers describes our Competition Litigation team as “able to handle high-value proceedings on behalf of domestic and multinational clients” and notes the firm “handles a plethora of significant, high-profile cases.” Interviewees said the department’s “ability to handle complex and sophisticated matters is very strong. The depth and breadth of their team is impressive”
Our Fraud team “really know what they are doing and don’t miss a trick, both procedurally and knowing how to put the client’s best case forward.” The guide acknowledges that Stewarts “benefits from being conflict-free and is prepared to take on banks in heavyweight litigation as well as being experienced in advising on fraud cases with insolvency elements and related directors’ duty claims, as well as claims related to cyber-fraud.”
In the UK-wide contentious tax category, our Tax Litigation and Resolution team maintains its ranking from previous years, while head of department David Pickstone rises to Band 2 of the individuals table. “Stewarts provided an outstanding level of service and also had a personal touch that went above and beyond what is requested,” a former client told Chambers.
Also ranked once again, our International Arbitration team is highlighted for commercial arbitration work. “Stewarts has outstanding personnel with excellent command of the issues and the law. The personnel are also specialists in complex disputes,” sources say.
New individual entries
Following the launch of our Policyholder Disputes team in September 2022, Aaron Le Marquer and James Breese debut in the guide in their first year of eligibility as Stewarts lawyers. Feedback from Chambers sources says the team “efficiently navigates through complex matters and provides a consistently high standard of service,” and is notable both for Covid BI-related claims and high-calibre matters involving professional indemnity and political risk.
Joseph Lappin, Head of Employment, rises into the band rankings of the Senior Executive work category this year, and is joined by fellow partner Charlie Thompson who is ranked for the first time in the 2024 guide. Both are recognised for combining technical ability with client service: “It is not just knowledge of the law and experience that stands out, but ability to connect with the client and fully understand a situation including its background and sensitivities.”
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