Two top Bath law firms are celebrating their inclusion in a prestigious annual legal guide that recognises their commitment to their private wealth clients.
Published every July, the independent Chambers High Net Worth Guide ranks the top performing lawyers in the field based on interviews with clients and the quality of work.
Chambers HNW speaks to clients as part of its research to find out which lawyers they would recommend and choose to work with again.
The guide offers market-leading rankings, reviews and insights to the world's leading professional advisers, covering private wealth management work and specialists across key jurisdictions.
Bath-headquartered national law firm Stone King and three partners in its private client team have been included in the latest guide while Mogers Drewett’s private client partner David Hill has been recognised for the fourth year in a row.
Stone King has been top ranked in Band 1 for private wealth law in Somerset while the trio of private client team partners – Alison Allen, Dan Harris and Andrew Mortimer – have all retained their rankings.
Dan has also been further ranked in the South West category as a foreign expert for France.
Clients Alison, who is both chair and head of Stone King’s private client sector, told the guide she is “exceptional in her empathy with clients and her overall care in ensuring the right outcome for her clients” and that she is “very knowledgeable and is a very caring and supportive adviser”.
Alison, who joined Stone King in 1998, acts for a wide range of clients including on inheritance tax, trust drafting and administration, Wills, including complex and tax-efficient Wills and administration of estates. She also acts as attorney and trustee for vulnerable clients.
She said: “I’m delighted that Chambers HNW have found that our clients are extremely happy with the outcomes achieved for them, we try our best to understand our clients’ needs and respond to those with sensitivity.
“I became a lawyer to help people and that is something I am pleased to be able to do.”
Dan, who is the firm’s head of international and cross-border, was recognised for being “very wise, very calm and steady. He is really good at settling clients’anxieties”.
Another client said: "Dan’s coup de grâce is his ability to come up with creative solutions to areas of private international law that are uncertain or conflict, often to the dismay of a taxing authority." While a third added: “Far from being bookish as one might think, he is very amenable, unassuming and approachable with clients”.
Dan advises UK and overseas private clients as well as charities and other solicitors on succession and taxation issues in all jurisdictions of the world, said: “I advise clients on all aspects of cross-border estate planning and probate work, across many jurisdictions and complexities.
“I am also pleased to act for some of the UK’s largest charities, providing advice on some extraordinarily complex cross-border legacies, as well as providing training on cross-border charity legacy administration and marketing.”
Andrew specialises in estate planning advice, particularly inheritance tax planning, and strategic advice to families on managing and passing on assets and businesses, amongst other areas.
Feedback garnered from Chambers HNW said he is “able to think on his feet and communicate very effectively”.
Andrew said: “Helping clients achieve the best estate planning advice is vitally important and I am pleased my work has been recognised once again by Chambers.”
Steven Greenwood, managing partner at Stone King, which also has offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and London, said the trio’s rankings were very well-deserved.
“We regularly see examples of our lawyers going above and beyond for our clients and really helping them with their legal matters,” he said.
“So congratulations are due to Alison, Andrew and Dan for again being recognised by Chambers.
“It is good to see their hard work rewarded in this way; it is also a nice boost for the teams supporting the lawyers and the wider firm too, especially with our top ranking being retained.”
Meanwhile, clients of Mogers Drewett private client partner David Hill said he showed “great empathy for delicate and personal situations”, adding “he very supportive, friendly, and will go the extra mile to explain complex issues in straightforward ways”.
David’s practice includes estate and succession planning and professional advisers interviewed for the guide said: “From a personal observation, David relates well to his clients and expresses himself to them in a comprehensive and fully understandable way and that’s why we work alongside him”.
David added: “I am delighted that our clients are happy with the service they receive.
“Developing long term relationships with all our clients and professional partners is at the heart of what we do.”
