24 focus on oxford


Heart of the city is home to Withy King


With its feet planted firmly in the centre of Oxford, Withy King is proud to share the personality, culture and character of this most famous of university cities, writes Alison Dewar


Managing partner Graham Street is adamant that providing top quality legal services to local businesses and local people is at the heart of the firm’s ethos and says its success is built on a sense of community responsibility.


The firm’s arrival at the top table of leading Oxfordshire law firms followed its 2008 merger with Marshall & Galpin – then the city’s oldest legal practice – and its impressive growth since means the Oxford office is now home to 55 lawyers and support staff.


Street believes the firm’s range of commercial and private client legal skills, together with its commitment to always putting clients first, helps set Withy King apart from its competitors.


“As a firm, we’re both progressive and ambitious. We’ve worked hard over the last five years to earn our reputation as one of Oxford’s leading law firms serving our home city as well as the wider region,” said Street.


“Our clients are at the heart of what we do and our vision is to build lasting relationships by putting their interests first. Our focus is on client service and value. What differentiates us is not what we say we do, but the fact that we actually do it – and that’s been a key part of our success.”


Within the commercial practice there are six broad areas of expertise: corporate, intellectual property, employment, commercial property, construction, and property disputes. Key sectors include healthcare, charities, IP, media and technology, together with corporate finance where, says Street, there is now a welcome return to increased levels of activity, especially on the mergers and acquisitions side.


For private clients, Withy King offers the full spectrum of legal services, including marital disputes, personal wealth and inheritance tax issues and, increasingly, Court of Protection cases.


The practice also has specialist litigation, personal injury and clinical negligence teams, with a well-deserved reputation for excellence that goes well beyond the Thames Valley.


Among the ways in which Withy King demonstrates its local commitment is through its Oxfordshire Business Barometer, a quarterly survey of Oxfordshire-based


www.businessmag.co.uk Graham Street, managing partner, Withy King LLP


business decision-makers. Launched two years ago, the Barometer is designed to provide a platform for local businesses to express their views and a snapshot of what’s happening in the local economy.


Just last month, the Oxford team hosted an Economic Question Time event for the county’s business community at Said Business School, featuring guest speaker Mark Berrisford-Smith, chief economist at HSBC. He was joined on the panel by (among others) Oxford partner Richard Baxter and Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, for a lively and stimulating debate about the issues affecting local businesses.


A commitment to “giving back” also figures highly on the Withy King agenda. Staff receive two days leave a year to participate in charitable or fundraising initiatives and in 2012 the firm, which also has offices in London, Thame, Abingdon, Swindon, Marlborough and Bath, raised over £50,000 for its nominated charities.


Closer to home, this April saw Oxford’s Withy King team help raise £3,000 by taking part in the Helen & Douglas Retail Apprentice Challenge, adding much-needed funds for Oxford-based Helen & Douglas House, which provides hospice care for children and young adults.


As Street concludes: “We very much regard ourselves as being part of the fabric of Oxford and being located in the centre enables us to share the vibrancy and buzz of this


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2013 Key partners in the Oxford team


Richard Baxter helps owner-managers get to grips with all aspects of company law and works closely with them to find solutions to their daily challenges, ranging from shareholders agreements and contracts to advising on the most profitable way of off-loading key assets.


Andrew Chalk leads the commercial property team, working with the owners of properties in the rural, agricultural, equestrian, charitable and commercial sectors on complex transactions, issues and disputes.


Mark Emery is an employment expert specialising in contractual and litigation issues; he also sits as a part-time employment tribunal judge.


Simon Bassett deals with all aspects of family law, working closely with individuals on many of life’s most challenging scenarios, including separation and divorce, financial affairs and complex settlements, cohabitation and pre-nuptial agreements.


Tracy Norris-Evans heads the personal injury and clinical negligence teams. She helps secure justice and compensation for people with complex personal injury claims and handles clinical negligence cases of maximum severity, especially those involving children.


Tom Gilman helps people make the most of their private affairs, including Wills, inheritance tax, powers of attorney, court of protection, probate and estate administration, trusts and estate planning.


wonderful city. We see real synergy between our business and the cultural heritage, personality and character of Oxford, and I don’t think we would feel such a strong connection if we were based out of town.


“Being here gives us a real sense of belonging and, as we continue to grow that’s very important to us. Withy King has already emerged as a serious player in Oxford and, thanks to the level of investment and amount of activity taking place across the entire practice, we see plenty of scope for further growth and development in the future.”


Details: Graham Street 01865-792300 graham.street@withyking.co.uk www.withyking.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60