Date 15 September 2006

SA Law’s highly favourable reviews in the 2005 edition of “The Legal 500” independent guide to the UK legal industry were surpassed last night at the unveiling of the latest edition in London.

Barely four months after launching the new firm last year, the research body immediately recommended all of SA Law’s departments as being leaders in their field. 2006 builds on that success, with even more editorial coverage and a rise in tier ranking for three practice categories.

The Corporate and Commercial team held its second tier position with the fabulous accolade of being considered a “thorough, knowledgeable and highly personable” team led by Christopher Wilks. Head of Inward Investment and International Trade Glenn McDonald was also singled out – praised for his “excellent business acumen” and with reference to our recent partnering with East of England International to provide advice to foreign start-ups and overseas traders.

The Litigation and Dispute Resolution department was awarded a rise in tier ranking to second tier, with an extremely favourable nod to its leader Robert Ryall. He was recommended “without reservation” by clients for a range of disputes including professional negligence, property and pensions claims.

The Employment team also moved up into a second tier position with editorial comment that praised the “knowledgeable” team and their capacity for dealing with restructuring programmes, insolvency-related issues and immigration.

Keith Docking and Marylin Bell’s Family department has been awarded a first tier ranking – now considered one of only two standout leaders in this field across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. For the first time, SA Law’s work in the field of personal tax, trusts and probate also received a mention.
Rankings awarded last year for IT, IP, media/entertainment and sport were mirrored in the latest edition, with a first mention for Emma Lambert for her exceptional IP work over the last 12 months.

Thank you again to all clients who agreed to take part in The Legal 500 research. The process kicks off again soon for the 2007 edition, where we plan to do even better