PROPERTY LAW FIRM
Sponsored by
Winner: Blake Morgan
Now came the time to honour property lawyers. The judges were looking for “a law firm whose property team has enjoyed an exceptional year, either in terms of volume of work, quality of instructions, or both.”
And they had narrowed their search down to five strong contenders:
• Blake Morgan • Coffin Mew • Lester Aldridge • Moore Blatch • Shoosmiths
Having seen sustained growth over the past seven years, Blake Morgan’s property division has become the South Coast’s largest real-estate team with more than 50 lawyers. With Portsmouth and Southampton offices, the Blake Morgan team has a dominant market presence and expertise in commercial development, housebuilding, social housing, retail and leisure, and corporate occupier work.
One of the South Coast’s fastest growing and most ambitious law firms, Coffin Mew, aims to double turnover over the next two years. It has 160 staff, offices in Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Gosport and London. A 75-strong real estate practice sits at the heart of the firm
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– over 5,000 transactions were completed last year.
With 83 dedicated professionals Bournemouth-based Lester Aldridge also has one of the largest regional real-estate teams, achieving turnover growth of 64.5% in the past five years. Underpinned by quality advice from legal strength in depth, LA takes pride in its expertise in sectors such as care, housebuilding, medical, and ports and marinas.
Turnover within the Moore Blatch real estate division has increased from £2.5 million to £6.8m over the past four years, during which time its resourcing has tripled in size. Led by 13 partners and 27 other fee earners, the division comprises dedicated teams covering land development, commercial property, residential and rural property.
The 13-strong Shoosmiths Solent team led by Joanne McGuinness has had an exceptional year of wide-ranging complex transactions and major projects. Sector work includes national transport/ infrastructure, hotels/leisure, healthcare, retail, planning, and strategic property schemes. One client described the team as“ the perfect combination of first-class legal advice coupled with friendly and hardworking people.”
Mike Greenwood, regional managing partner of sponsor Vail Williams, announced the winner – “a highly-regarded and very active property team” – Blake Morgan.
After making his way to the stage to be the first ever recipient of the South Coast Property Law Firm of the Year Award, Sean Palka, partner and head of real estate at Blake Morgan was plainly delighted for his firm to have won the South Coast title and gained bragging rights for the year within local legal circles: “Yes, there is a very strong legal market here, a lot of competition and a lot of very good people.
“We are by far the biggest on the South Coast, rivaling many mid-tier City firms, and are unique I think in the number of lawyers we have under one roof, and the specialisations we have focused on, plus the calibre of our lawyers.
“We have got a very good team spirit so winning Law Firm of The Year is a credit for the most junior to the most senior partner. I think everybody has pulled together this year and team camaraderie has shown through.”
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – SEPTEMBER 2016
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