WHN Solicitors boosts legal rankings significantly

North West law firm WHN Solicitors has successfully enhanced its position among the leading legal firms in the region, with multiple specialist commercial teams and its family law team receiving high rankings in a well-respected independent guide to the UK’s best legal advisers. Chambers and Partners evaluates the top lawyers and firms through meticulous research and analysis, recognising only two per cent of lawyers globally in its guide.

In the 2027 guide, WHN achieved recognition for four of its legal teams and seven lawyers, showcasing its strength in commercial legal services and family law. This improvement is attributed to significant investment in its commercial teams, placing WHN alongside some of the region's most established city centre firms and reinforcing its status as a prominent provider of commercial legal advice outside Manchester and Liverpool.

Notably, WHN was newly ranked in Band 3 for Corporate/M&A: SME/Owner-managed Businesses, following its recognition as a practice to watch in the 2026 guide. The guide commended WHN’s expertise in “handling acquisitions, management buyouts and share sales”. Furthermore, team head Paul Matthews retained his individual ranking in Band 3, praised for his “high-quality, client-focused service to clients”, whilst Justine Harris Hughes was newly ranked as an Up and Coming lawyer.

WHN’s Real Estate Litigation team made a remarkable leap from Band 3 to Band 2, now positioned alongside some of the largest firms in the region. Team head Daniel Long maintained his Band 2 ranking, celebrated for his leading role in property dispute resolution. The guide recognised his “exemplary” and “commercial and pragmatic” approach, with referees asserting he “understands clients’ needs”.

In addition, the Real Estate team sustained its Band 4 ranking for property transactions valued up to £10m, with “highly respected” team head Nicola Phelps securing her Band 5 ranking for her expertise in development work. Sara Beaumont from the Commercial Litigation team also kept her individual Band 5 ranking.

The Family team retained its Band 5 ranking in Family/Matrimonial, with “knowledgeable, approachable and reliable” Tanya Magell advancing to Band 3. Alison Nolan, noted as a “very safe pair of hands”, gained recognition in Band 4 for the first time, showcasing the team’s growing expertise in finance and children’s law.

Highlighting its commitment to supporting SME and owner-managed businesses, WHN achieved a top Band 1 ranking in the North West for SME-focused firms and was additionally ranked in Band 3 nationally across its range of commercial services. Daniel Long, Director and Head of Commercial at WHN Solicitors, remarked, “Over the past year, we have continued to invest in the development of our commercial division in response to high demand from clients in the region for tailored, expert-led legal advice, as well as maintaining our commitment to provision of first-class family law and other private client advice.”

He further elaborated, “Our focus is on hiring experienced solicitors who understand the markets our clients operate in and apply their expert legal judgement to deliver maximum value to clients. In two years, our corporate and commercial team has grown to five legal experts, with a combined 70 years’ experience. We have also added experienced specialists to our commercial property and litigation teams and we anticipate further growth in the next 12 months. It is brilliant to see our strengthened teams recognised through our improved rankings and we would like to thank our clients and partners for trusting us to advise them on important issues across both their personal and professional lives, and for taking the time to share their feedback with Chambers and Partners as part of this year’s research process. We truly appreciate their loyalty and support.”

The commendations from Chambers and Partners follow the recent release of the Legal 500 UK Solicitors Guide, where WHN was acknowledged for the sixth consecutive year, with five legal teams and ten legal experts individually recognised. WHN Solicitors currently employs over 100 staff across multiple offices in the North West, reaffirming its commitment to providing high-quality legal services.