A Cumbrian law firm is among the top legal practices in the UK.
Burnetts has been named among the companies in the The Legal 500 UK Solicitors 2025 Rankings with nine recommended practice areas, eight lawyers listed as Leading Individuals, two Next Generation Partners and four Leading Associates.
Legal 500 rankings reflect the result of months of extensive analysis by its research team, who conduct thousands of interviews with private practice lawyers and reads through tens of thousands of submissions in order to select the very best lawyers and law firms in the UK.
Burnetts has five of its departments achieve top tier rankings in the guide: Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Medical Negligence and Serious Injury, Agribusiness and Commercial Property.
Burnetts’ Corporate team receives much praise in this year’s edition following a year advising on numerous stand out transactions including the sale of Carlisle United FC.
Michael Walby is described as “one of the best” and new entry Jennifer Bell as “outstanding”. They are the only two Corporate lawyers in Cumbria named as Leading Partners, a status given by Legal 500 to the strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by clients and peers alike.
The top tier Corporate team is praised as standing out in the region for its M&A capabilities with one client commenting “the depth and breadth of technical knowledge as well as commercial experience is what sets the Burnetts corporate team apart from their competitors.
Working on large corporate restructuring projects, refinancing and M&A transactions is complex and timing is critical, the Burnetts team never lets you down on delivery and support in making the process run smoothly.”
Described as a great team that cares about their clients, the Commercial property team at Burnetts has once again been ranked highly.
The ‘extremely knowledgeable and conscientious’ Helen Hayward and co-head Robbie Mather lead the team which includes Rebecca Davidson, described as a Rising Star in the commercial property field. The team’s strength in depth is highlighted further by Ben Crystal and Sophi Al-Tikriti, who are regularly involved across a wide range of commercial property work.
The Dispute Resolution team at Burnetts is one of the leaders in the field in the area. Head of department and Leading Individual James Johnston sets a high standard for the rest of the team to follow.
Alongside James, Senior Associate Georgina Nicholls is recognised as a Leading Associate, gaining recognition for the team’s outstanding work in contractual and commercial litigation across a wide variety of sectors, including charities and construction, shareholders’ disputes, professional negligence claims and insolvency issues.
The team also specialises in contentious trusts and probate work, with Johnny Coulthard being highly recommended. Johnny was recently promoted to partner in recognition of his continued excellence in this field. Agribusiness disputes are another core pillar of work for the team, and the group is regularly instructed to act on proprietary estoppel cases, partnership disputes, and farming company matters.
Ranked as top tier in the Legal 500, the Medical Negligence and Serious Injury team at Burnetts is described as a team that is “down-to-earth and approachable … stocked with experienced litigators in whom Claimants can place their trust to chat through the difficult litigation process.”
Spencer Knaggs, the team’s head of department, is named as a Leading Partner alongside Michelle Armstrong. Lynne Hall’s practice in Cockermouth specialises in misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis of cancer claims.
Leading Partner Joanne McKenzie heads the Agribusiness team at Burnetts with a can-do attitude, covering advice on structuring of agribusinesses, renewable energy projects, dispute resolution and wills, trusts and probate issues.
Richard Miller, who is also named as a Leading Partner, assists farmers, estate owners and agri-related businesses with a wide range of banking and property finance-related matters. Diane Barnes and Megan Richardson are also key components of the top tier team that is “agriculturally minded” and that “understands farming.”
“Very helpful and understanding” summarises the Family team at Burnetts. Led by Mark Ward, the team handles a range of matters, encompassing financial cases with significant assets and children matters, including cases involving the local authority. Senior Associates Elizabeth Wilson and Emma Armstrong – who is described as a force to be reckoned with – advise on all aspects of family law.
It was another successful year for the very experienced and extremely practical Banking team. The rankings state that the team has a strong track record for being highly deal focused.
The team was bolstered in late 2023 when Nicola Nutley became head of department and she has excelled in this role, taking the team from strength to strength.
The Employment team has been described as a “friendly efficient team giving sound advice and support.” David Gibson leads the team which advises private and public sector employers and senior executives on all aspects of employment law with notable expertise in corporate support work. Anna Lovett, who was promoted to Partner in April 2024, has a broad practice that spans day-to-day HR advice, tribunal claims, and corporate support on transactions and business closures.
Nick Gutteridge, managing partner at Burnetts, said: “We have an exceptional team of people who work incredibly hard and genuinely care about our clients and these rankings demonstrate that.
“We have an ethos at Burnetts of empowering people to thrive and I feel that Legal 500 has recognised that not only do we empower our team to thrive, but this ethos also applies to our clients too.”
Harrison Drury, which has an office in Kendal, was also recognised in the Legal 500. The firm’s corporate and commercial, licensing, commercial litigation, commercial property, property litigation, insolvency, and family law teams have all been ranked again in the prestigious Legal 500, with the corporate team moving up a tier.
