Media and Press

Ralli nominated in Manchester Legal Awards
Wed 3rd Feb 10 - 8:41

As featured in the Manchester Evening News, January 20, 2010

THE finalists in the first ever Manchester Legal Awards can be revealed today.

The contest, launched by Manchester Law Society and the Manchester Evening News, will culminate in an awards dinner at the Midland Hotel on Thursday, March 4.

Prizes will be awarded in 17 categories, ranging from trainee of the year to partner of the year for individuals, small, medium and large law firm of the year and accolades for teams specialising in areas ranging from private client, property and litigation to crime, personal injury, employment and corporate and commercial.

There will also be an award for outstanding achievement for the lawyer adjudged to have made an unrivalled impact on the sector in the region.

The shortlist for that category comprises JMW managing partner Bill Jones, who formed the firm in 1978 with four people and has spearheaded its growth into an outfit with 29 partners and 160 staff, Eversheds’ Edward Pysden, who is celebrating 40 years in the profession and is currently a senior corporate partner acting for many major regional companies, and Rodger Pannone, who built his eponymous firm into a major national player and is a former president of the Law Society.

Addleshaw Goddard, Eversheds and Russell Jones & Walker are the finalists for large law firm of the year, while George Davies, Leech & Co and Turner Parkinson will battle it out for the medium law firm of the year award.

Just Costs Solicitors, McCool Patterson Hemsi & Co, Rowlinsons and Stripes are the finalists for the small firm of the year prize.

In the running for partner of the year are Irwin Mitchell’s Grahame Codd, Hill Dickinson’s Michael Morrison and Andrew Morton, of Pannone.

Firms which have made the shortlist in the team of the year categories include Hammonds, Goodman Harvey, Burton Copeland, DLA Piper, Stephensons, Lewis Hymanson Small, Beachcroft, Mills & Reeve, Ralli and John Pickering & Partners.

Fran Eccles-Bech, executive director at the Manchester Law Society, said: “We’ve been blown away by the fantastic reaction to the awards from the region’s legal profession, and genuinely stunned by the number and quality of entries we received.

“The dinner is a sell out. This event was long overdue and I am utterly confident it will now become an annual event.”

Team of the Year - Pro bono/community initiative

Eversheds
Hill Dickinson
Ralli