Cheltenham ranked in Chambers and Partners 2023

HCR’s Cheltenham team has been ranked in the Chambers and Partners 2023 legal directory.

Head of the Cheltenham office, Kristine Scott who is also Head of Education and Charities sector at HCR, is ranked UK-wide for her expertise in education law and and safeguarding issues and is said by a client to be ” first-class. Kristine is brilliant, approachable and supremely professional.”

Partners Oliver Daniels and Kate Hickey, also in the Cheltenham Education team, also receive a special mention

Oliver is praised for  “frequently assisting independent schools and academies with restructuring, parental complaints, whistle-blowing disclosures and TUPE aspects of school mergers.

“Oliver is a trusted adviser” says one client, while another says “he is our go-to lawyer.”

Chambers and Partners notes Kate Hickey as “a specialist education lawyer, adept at advising on corporate and governance issues in the education sector and frequently represents schools in financial distress.”

Continuing to speak highly of the firm’s Family team, clients and peers say that the team “are able to advise on complex matters with disputed pensions and tax issues, or involving international elements.”

Family lawyer Carolyn Green is also noted for her “significant expertise in financial remedy proceedings”, with one client saying “she’s great with clients and does really good-quality work.” Head of the Family team James Grigg, is said to be “brilliant with clients and very much an expert.”

The Corporate team is “a well-reputed team” that “advises a range of companies, private equity houses and management teams on a full range of corporate matters” and “delivers expertise across a range of sectors, including banking, healthcare and retail.” Tim Ward is noted as handling “a variety of corporate and M&A matters.”

One client notes that “the [R&I] team have an excellent grasp of the commercial issues involved in their cases” and is known for assisting “insolvency practitioners in their capacity as administrators, trustees and liquidators and with matters involving the sale of assets and debt recovery claims” as well as undertaking work “for distressed companies across a range of sectors, including education, retail and hospitality.” Clients say head of R&I in Cheltenham, Robin Koolhoven is “quick to grasp the key issues in a case.” Paul Grundy is an ‘associate to watch’.

Chambers and Partners 2023 also praises the Dispute Resolution team because it is “active on a broad range of contentious commercial matters. The team’s areas of expertise include financial mis-selling, breaches of directors’ duties and shareholder litigation, along with contractual disputes.” Clients say “their advice is practical and they are always responsive” with another saying “it is an excellent team at all levels.” Head of team Adam Finch is described by his clients as being “practical and always looking for the best solution” and “always easy to deal with, knowledgeable and supportive.”

Partner Mark Carter is said by a client to be “excellent. He is highly capable and responsive.” The directory mentions Mark  as being “well versed in handling a variety of property transactions as well as advising on lease negotiations and financing.” The Real Estate team is “an established practice offering advice to public and private sector clients on property acquisitions and disposals. The firm is often sought out to handle matters for clients in the education and charity sectors.”

Head of office Kristine Scott said, “I am delighted to see our rankings and recognition in the latest Chambers and Partners legal directory. The rankings are well-deserved and show a breadth of expertise across the board. The feedback from clients shows our commitment to getting positive results for them; congratulations to all those who have been mentioned.”