Our teams of lawyers at Howes Percival LLP are made up of highly talented individuals – a view endorsed by the recently published Legal 500 guide which praises each Howes Percival commercial unit.
The Legal 500 is the largest and most in-depth survey of the UK legal market; in compiling the survey over 800 law firms are analysed and over 3,000 references are taken from clients. Technical ability, strength in depth, market share and general client recommendations are just some of the areas looked at when assessing the performance of a firm.
We would like to thank all those who were contacted by the Legal 500 research team to speak about the service delivered by Howes Percival.
Banking and Finance
At Howes Percival LLP- ‘a regional firm that is comparable to larger London firms for quality of service’ - Keith Gilbert has snared a number of banking instructions from London firms and has provided a steady stream of advice on refinancing, property financing and revolving credit facilities in a difficult year.

Commercial Litigation
Geraint Davies at Howes Percival LLP demonstrated his team’s general commercial litigation credentials last year with substantial instructions from HMRC to recover £10m, and from various public companies on contractual and licence agreement disputes including a £1m claim for a major new client.

Commercial Property
Howes Percival LLP’s mandates range from acquisitions, disposals and portfolio management for high street retail brands such as Wickes, to development and investment site acquisitions; it handled £100m of the latter in 2008.

Corporate Finance
Attracting a steady stream of corporate finance transactions, Howes Percival LLP's team in Leicester, headed by Jit Singh, completed 25 deals in 2008, including acquisitions for longstanding clients Benson Box and Nampak. In Northampton, Gerald Couldrake was similarly active in M&A, with both offices moving quickly to complete acquisitions under the extreme time pressure of purchases from administrators. Appreciative clients ‘will entrust sensitive and complex matters to them’.

Employment
Howes Percival LLP provides a prompt and responsive service to a raft of employers through its substantial Leicester and Northampton teams. A highlight was a reported case in which the firm successfully defended a complex disability discrimination matter. The ‘talented and knowledgeable’ Paula Bailey and Graham Irons continue to ‘identify what clients really need and deliver it consistently’.

Insolvency
Howes Percival LLP has recently won significant instructions on complex niche matters requiring innovative solutions to insolvency scenarios.

Private Client
The ‘excellent’ Tim Addinell at Howes Percival LLP in Northampton is praised for his ‘commercial, pragmatic and balanced advice’.

Property Litigation
Howes Percival LLP has added new clients such as Wickes and Travis Perkins, who join the likes of Christian Salvesen plc and Goldsmiths Group plc. A highlight was succeeding in the Court of Appeal on a city centre development case. Geraint Davies is recommended.