October 10th 2023

Legal 500 Names Temple Heelis as a Leading North West Law Firm

For the fourth consecutive year, leading Lakeland law firm Temple Heelis has been ranked as a significant North West law firm in providing Private Client and Rural Land and Property expertise, and for the second consecutive year in Commercial Property.

Described as a ‘go to’ firm for specialist Inheritance Tax and Stamp Duty Land Tax advice and uniquely placed to act on a diverse range of agricultural and rural issues, as well as having strong capabilities in commercial real estate, six of the firm’s lawyers are mentioned by Legal 500 in their findings.

“We are all delighted with the latest Legal 500 rankings and commentary,” says Temple Heelis’ Managing Partner Jamie Hamilton. “The Legal 500 research and assessment process spans many months each year during which we provide written evidence of our performance, undertake interviews and provide details of clients and professionals who can be contacted anonymously for feedback.”

Jamie continues: “To be described as ‘going above and beyond’, ‘very thorough and diligent’, ‘an exceptional client experience’, ‘quick to respond and available as much as needed’, and ‘very approachable, organised, efficient, customer-focused’ is a real testament to the service which we aim to provide. I am delighted with the Legal 500 results again this year and acknowledge the tremendous efforts of all my colleagues, both those with client-facing roles and those unsung heroes behind the scenes.”

Temple Heelis’s 11-strong Private Client department, headed by Robert Kornas, is a significant force in the region with particular expertise in advising high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and families in estate planning, inheritance tax, property and capital gains taxes, trusts, Court of Protection work and probate. Qualities such as compassion, listening skills, legal rigor, meticulous attention to detail and real understanding of clients’ circumstances are among the many comments made by Legal 500 and clients whom they contacted.

The Legal 500 | United Kingdom | North West | Private Client | Personal Tax, Trusts And Probate

The firm’s specialist Rural Land and Property team, headed by Peter Dodd, advises both individual and business clients on all issues relating to rural, agricultural and water-related matters including septic tanks, private water supplies, drainage issues, rights of way, encroachment issues, Wills and Trusts, and commercial property sales, acquisitions and leases. ‘Very approachable’, ‘knowledgeable, ‘negotiating and finding solutions to complex situations’, ‘very thorough and diligent’ are ways in which the Legal 500 describes Peter Dodd and members of this team.

The Legal 500 | United Kingdom | North West | Private Client | Agriculture And Estates

‘A delight to deal with’ is how Legal 500 describes the firm’s Commercial Property head, Lucy Benton, who is also named this year as a ‘Rising Star’ in the results. With strong capabilities across commercial property, including sales, acquisitions, portfolio management, refinancing and all landlord and tenant issues, the department is noted for its particular hospitality and leisure sector focus, as well as health care expertise.

‘Thorough, commercial and a problem-solver’, a ‘can do attitude’ and working towards ‘the best outcome for clients’ is how Legal 500 describes Lucy and her team.

The Legal 500 aims to ‘offer all those buying legal services in the UK reliable and up-to-date information on the very best firms and individuals operating in a dynamic legal environment’. According to the Guide’s Editor, the rankings reflect months of extensive analysis by the independent research team who conduct thousands of interviews, read tens of thousands of submissions in order to select the very best law firms and lawyers in the UK. They also indicate they canvass views from more than 40,000 clients and in-house lawyers.