Blake Morgan in Wales is celebrating its success in the 2024 Chambers & Partners Guide, after securing impressive rankings for its practice areas and individual lawyers. The guide profiles the best-performing lawyers and legal firms across the UK, based on an in-depth independent research process.
This article is available in both English and Welsh language versions below.
This year, the guide honours 24 lawyers from the Cardiff-based firm, with corporate restructuring and insolvency partner Paul Caldicott, intellectual property expert Lee Fisher, property litigator Siân Jones, and employment lawyers Matthew Smith and Joanne Davies achieving the apex of recognition with Band 1 rankings. Clients commended Siân Jones as “absolutely fantastic to work with”, while the “exceptional guidance, service and support” provided by Matthew Smith also drew client praise.
Nine teams achieved the coveted Band 1 status, including Administrative and Public Law, Construction, Corporate M&A, Employment, Litigation, Real Estate, Real Estate Litigation, Restructuring and Insolvency, and Social Housing. Intellectual Property distinguished itself with a Band 2 ranking, and the Banking and Finance team rounds out the honours with a Band 3 acknowledgement.
In the spotlight among the firm’s lawyers is corporate and M&A specialist, Richard Jones, who climbed from a Band 3 to a Band 2 ranking this year. Richard’s clients described him as “highly regarded”, “pragmatic and easy to work with”. A further seven lawyers in Wales were awarded Band 2 status, with another three making their mark in the Band 3 category.
As well as recognising three of the firm’s Cardiff-based lawyers as ‘Senior Statespeople’, including the “invaluable” professional discipline expert, Graham Miles, the guide focused attention on the new generation of talent coming through.
The ‘Associates to Watch’ category welcomed construction expert, Kate Howell, commended for her “all-round excellence in the law”, and four of the firm’s commercial litigation team: Trish D’Souza, Sophia Farmer, Joanna Corbett-Simmons and Daniel Taylor. Clients praised Joanna as being “on top of her brief”, saying that “her communication is excellent and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her”, while Daniel’s clients also said that they “cannot recommend Dan enough. He is professional and really understands our business.”. In addition, Daniela Smith was identified as an ‘Up and Coming’ talent, in recognition of her “wide-ranging real estate expertise” as part of the “established” real estate team in Wales.
Client testimonials further underscored the firm’s commitment to excellence. The firm’s “solution-focused, experienced and practical” healthcare practice, whose team in Wales includes ‘Senior statesperson’ Richard M Jones and the “exceptionally well versed” Eve Piffaretti, came in for praise as part of the UK-wide rankings. The Welsh construction team also received high praise for its “sophisticated commercial understanding”, while the employment team was commended as “highly knowledgeable and expert “. Meanwhile, the Cardiff-based banking and finance team, led by Paul Duggan, was lauded for its “superb knowledge of the banking law landscape.”
Eve Piffaretti, Head of Office (Wales) at Blake Morgan, said:
It's been another standout year for our Wales-based teams and lawyers. The number of individual lawyers moving up in their rankings or being recognised for the first time truly underscores the depth of talent and commitment to client service within the firm.
TIMAU CYMRU BLAKE MORGAN YN CYFLAWNI ARGYMELLIADAU RHAGOROL YNG NGHYFEIRIADUR SIAMBRAU A PHARTNERIAID 2024 (CHAMBERS AND PARTNERS 2024)
Mae Blake Morgan yn dathlu llwyddiant yng Nghyfeiriadur Siambrau a Phartneriaid 2024, ar ôl derbyn argymelliadau gwych yn nifer of ddisgyblaethau, gan gynnwys cyfreithwyr unigol. Mae’r cyfeiriadur yn arddangos y cyfreithwyr a’r cwmnïau cyfreithiol sy’n perfformio orau ar draws y DU, yn seiliedig ar broses ymchwil annibynnol fanwl.
Eleni, mae’r cyfeiriadur yn anrhydeddu 24 o gyfreithwyr y cwmni sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghaerdydd, gyda Paul Caldicott, partner ailstrwythuro ac ansolfedd corfforaethol, Lee Fisher, arbenigwr eiddo deallusol, Siân Jones, cyfreithwraig eiddo, a Matthew Smith a Joanne Davies, cyfreithwyr cyflogaeth, yn cyflawni uchafbwynt y gydnabyddiaeth gydag argymhelliad Band 1. Cymeradwywyd Siân Jones gan gleientiaid fel un “hollol wych i weithio gyda hi”, wrth i’r “cyngor, y gwasanaeth a’r gefnogaeth eithriadol” a ddarperir gan Matthew Smith hefyd ddenu canmoliaeth gan gleientiaid.
Cyflawnodd naw o dimau’r cwmni statws Band 1, gan gynnwys Cyfraith Weinyddol a Chyhoeddus, Adeiladu, Caffael ac Uno Corfforaethol, Cyflogaeth, Ymgyfreitha, Eiddo Tirol, Ymgyfreitha Eiddo Tirol, Ailstrwythuro ac Ansolfedd, a Thai Cymdeithasol. Amlygodd yr adran Eiddo Deallusol ei hun gydag argymhelliad Band 2, a thalgrynnodd y tîm Bancio a Chyllid yr anrhydeddau gyda chydnabyddiaeth Band 3.
Hefyd yn derbyn sylw ymhlith cyfreithwyr y cwmni mae Richard Jones, yr arbenigwr Caffael ac Uno, a esgynnodd eleni o argymhelliad Band 3 i argymhelliad Band 2. Disgrifiodd cleientiaid Richard ef fel un “uchel ei barch”, “pragmatig a hawdd gweithio ag ef”. Gwobrwywyd statws Band 2 i saith cyfreithiwr arall yng Nghymru, gyda thri arall yn gwneud argraff yng nghategori Band 3.
Yn ogystal â chyfeirio at dri o gyfreithwyr y cwmni sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghaerdydd fel ‘Uwch Wladweinyddion’, gan gynnwys Graham Miles, arbenigwr disgyblaeth broffesiynol “amhrisiadwy”, hoeliodd y cyfeiriadur sylw ar y genhedlaeth newydd o dalent sy’n datblygu.
Croesawodd y categori ‘Cymdeithion i Gadw Llygad Arnynt’ Kate Howell, arbenigwr adeiladu, sy’n derbyn canmoliaeth am ei “rhagoriaeth gyffredinol yn y gyfraith”, a phedwar o dîm ymgyfreitha masnachol y cwmni: Trish D’Souza, Sophia Farmer, Joanna Corbett-Simmons a Daniel Taylor. Canmolodd cleientiaid Joanna am fod “yn feistr ar ei briff”, gan ddweud bod “ei chyfathrebu’n ardderchog ac ni fyddwn yn oedi cyn ei hargymell”, a dywedodd cleientiaid Daniel hefyd na allant “argymell Dan ddigon. Mae’n broffesiynol ac yn deall ein busnes yn dda iawn.” Yn ogystal, nodwyd Daniela Smith fel talent ‘Addawol’ i gydnabod ei “hystod eang o arbenigedd eiddo tiriog” fel rhan o’r tîm eiddo tiriog “sefydledig” yng Nghymru.
Roedd geirdaon gan gleientiaid yn tanlinellu ymhellach ymrwymiad y cwmni i ragoriaeth. Derbyniodd disgyblaeth gofal iechyd “profiadol, ymarferol ac sy’n canolbwyntio ar atebion” y cwmni, y mae ei dîm yng Nghymru yn cynnwys yr ‘Uwch wladweinydd’ Richard M Jones a’r “eithriadol o hyddysg” Eve Piffaretti, ganmoliaeth hefyd fel rhan o argymhellion y DU gyfan. Derbyniodd tîm adeiladu Cymru ganmoliaeth uchel hefyd am ei “ddealltwriaeth fasnachol soffistigedig”, wrth i’r tîm cyflogaeth dderbyn canmoliaeth am fod yn “hynod wybodus ac arbenigol”. Yn y cyfamser, clodforwyd y tîm bancio a chyllid sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghaerdydd, dan arweiniad Paul Duggan, am ei “wybodaeth wych o dirwedd y gyfraith bancio.”
Dywedodd Eve Piffaretti, Pennaeth Swyddfa (Cymru) yn Blake Morgan:
Mae wedi bod yn flwyddyn nodedig arall i’n timau a’n cyfreithwyr sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghymru. Mae nifer y cyfreithwyr unigol sy’n gwneud cynnydd yn eu hargymhellion neu’n cael eu cydnabod am y tro cyntaf yn wirioneddol danlinellu dyfnder y dalent a’r ymrwymiad i wasanaeth cleientiaid o fewn y cwmni.
