Willans is excited to have received a number of new and improved recommendations in the latest editions of independent national legal guides, Chambers UK and The Legal 500, with recognition having been awarded to our family lawyers, our employment team, and across the firm.
Following the releases of the 2027 guides from Chambers UK and The Legal 500, we’re excited to have received a number of recommendations for lawyers and services across the firm, including new rankings for Kristie Silsby, Joeli Boxall, and our employment team.
Family lawyers Kristie Silsby and Joeli Boxall have both been recognised by Chambers as ‘associates to watch’ within the South West region, joining partners Sharon Giles and Jonathan Eager in the family & matrimonial regional rankings. Along with a departmental ranking, the inclusion of Kristie and Joeli means that all of the firm’s family lawyers are now recognised by the prestigious guide.
Our highly rated employment law team has also received a ranking from Chambers UK for the first time, whilst head of department, Jenny Hawrot, retained her ‘up and coming’ status as one of the South West’s leading legal professionals in her field.
The firm received 15 rankings from Chambers this year, with six departments – including corporate & commercial, agriculture, litigation, and real estate – and nine individuals, including head of corporate & commercial, Chris Wills, who received top band recognition.
Meanwhile, the firm has been recommended 45 times by The Legal 500 in their South West regional guide, including 12 departments that saw our expert employment team retain its tier one status, whilst our corporate & commercial team moved up to tier two.
Paul Gordon and Chris Wills were both named ‘leading partners’ within their fields again, with Nick Southwell and Jenny Hawrot recognised as ‘next generation partners’ for the fourth consecutive year. Hifsa O’Kelly, Charlotte Cowdell and Emma Thompson also retained their ‘leading associate’ status.
Receiving Legal 500 recommendations for the first time are inheritance & trusts disputes specialist, Claire Cox, corporate & commercial partner, Peter Raybould, and real estate’s Annabel Hull and Li Garrod.
This follows the summer’s strong annual rankings in the latest Chambers High Net Worth guide, which saw three partners and two departments at Willans recognised as go-to advisors – including first-time recognition for both Claire Cox and the wider inheritance & trusts disputes team.
Managing partner, Bridget Redmond, said: “To receive new recommendations is a testament to our teams’ and lawyers’ abilities to strengthen and improve year after year.
“We’re very proud of our consistent recognition from independent national legal guides, and would like to congratulate everyone who has been included this year for their exceptional work across our private client and business client offerings.”
Chambers UK and The Legal 500 are both independent national legal guides that conduct thorough research yearly to identify the best law firms and lawyers across the country. A full view of both 2027 guides can be found at chambers.com and legal500.com.
