Sustained growth and specialist sector practices recognised by Legal 500 2026 rankings

HCR Law’s sustained period of growth, driven by increasing client demand, has been recognised in the 2026 Legal 500 rankings, with leading results across multiple practice areas throughout England and Wales.

The Legal 500 is a globally respected directory for legal services, based on research conducted among clients and peers.

In this year’s rankings, HCR Law has achieved a combined record of 70 firmwide rankings and 65 individual lawyer recognitions. Notably, the firm secured 10 first-time rankings across a diverse range of specialist practice areas and geographic locations. In addition, eight practice areas improved their tier positions compared to the 2025 results.

Our Welsh office in Cardiff, which is celebrating its five-year milestone in 2025, saw five teams improve their rankings. Notably, Agriculture and Estates progressed to Tier 1, while Sports moved up to Tier 2. Two practice areas also received first-time recognition. Private Client: Contentious Trusts and Probate, recently strengthened by the arrival of Richard Adams – who has been recognised as a Next Generation Partner – was awarded a Tier 3 ranking; while in Crime, Fraud and Licensing, the team also achieved a new Tier 2 ranking for 2026, with Aled Owen highlighted as the practice head.

The firm’s growth across East Anglia has also been recognised, with 15 practice areas ranked as part of our full-service legal offering. In terms of individual recognition, Natalie Minott, Head of Office for Cambridge, was named a Leading Partner in Real Estate and Property Litigation. Meanwhile, Frank Brumby was awarded a prestigious Hall of Fame ranking, in the same 12-month period in which he became Head of Office for our newly launched Norwich office. This expansion marks a significant step in strengthening HCR Law’s presence across East Anglia, enabling us to better serve clients throughout the region.

The London office, which recently moved into its new address at WTW in the City of London, maintained its rankings across strategic and specialist practice areas. The Insurance and Risk team, led by Jonathan Edwards, was ranked in the Insurance category, after receiving recognition as a finalist in the Best Newcomer category at the British Insurance Awards earlier this year. Additionally, the specialist Partnership division within the Corporate and Commercial practice, led by Robert Capper and Rachel Khiara, was once again ranked in the Legal 500.

In the West Midlands and Birmingham areas, we have four new practice areas ranked for the first time: Employment (across two categories), Banking and Finance and Commercial Property.

Our Corporate and Commercial practice was ranked across all strategic regions where HCR Law has an office presence, maintaining a Tier 1 ranking in the West Midlands and Birmingham. This recognition follows a recent accolade for the Corporate team, which was once again named the leading legal adviser for M&A activity across the UK, as reported by Experian.

Similarly to Corporate and Commercial, the Family practice achieved recognition across England and Wales. In both the South West and Wales the team was awarded a Tier 2 ranking, building upon the Tier 3 ranking in 2025. Additionally, in the South East, the team received a first-time Tier 3 ranking.

Of the 70 firmwide rankings and 65 individual rankings, the 10 first-time rankings span the following practice areas:

• Banking and Finance
• Crime, Fraud and Licensing
• Employment: Health and Safety
• Employment: Immigration (both in the West Midlands and South East)
• Private Client: Contentious Trusts and Probate
• Private Client: Family
• Real Estate: Commercial Property
• TMT: Intellectual Property
• TMT: IT and Telecoms

Alongside the team rankings, HCR received 197 individual lawyer mentions, including 36 Leading Partners. The directory also recognised 10 Leading Associates, 14 Next Generation Partners and five colleagues listed in the Hall of Fame.