At Birketts LLP , ‘the property litigation team is of the highest quality’, and the firm ‘easily competes with the major City and national firms’. Practice head Richard Eaton, whose current caseload includes numerous matters for music studios in London, and partner James Robinson are the key practitioners in Ipswich. Alice Harris is ‘proactive, intelligent, with a great eye for detail’. John Scannell and senior associate and barrister Simon Woodhead in Norwich are the main practitioners in Norwich. Legal director Lynsey Ellard in Cambridge is ‘very astute and knows when to take a measured approach’. Legal director Laura Tanguay in Ipswich and associate Stephanie Butler in Cambridge are ‘outstandingly able and hardworking’.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘The property litigation team is of the highest quality.’
‘Laura Tanguay and Stephanie Butler are outstandingly able and hardworking. They are talented solicitors with an impressive grasp of law and procedure. They also demonstrate a high standard of client care, even or especially when the case becomes difficult and testing.’
‘Lynsey Ellard - is an extremely capable lawyer, very astute and importantly knows when to take a measured approach and when (and how) to increase the pressure as the need arises.’
‘We have used Birketts LLP for many years now, they acted for us when we sold our business, very good and very happy. Dispute resolution, Mrs Alice Harris, superb.’
‘Alice Harris who deals with any dispute resolution matters that we may have is superb. Mrs Harris is a young lady but her style of working is very much old school, she responds to telephone calls, letters and emails very promptly and makes most things crystal clear to Luddites such as I. Were Mrs Harris to ever leave Birketts I would like to think that we would be her very first clients at her new firm.’
‘James Robinson at partner level provides excellent all round commercial advice alongside deep sector specialism for telecommunications matters.’
‘The property litigation team is led by Simon Woodhead, a former barrister, whose knowledge of his subject, powers of analysis, determination to do his best for his client, and general resourcefulness add up to a very powerful package for the client. The product is as good as anything offered by the Magic and Silver Circle firms in London, but at regional prices.’
‘Professional, friendly and prompt service. I like the way we have plenty of Partner involvement.’
‘Highly efficient.’
‘Alice Harris. Proactive, intelligent, great eye for detail and honest opinions.’
‘Highly efficient.’
‘Specialist advice on technical property matters including planning and telecommunications code.’
‘I have had dealing with Birketts for number of years now in my business and personal time.I have alway found whatever part of Birketts you require they alway have someone who proficient in that field you require.’
‘I have had a long dealing with Laura Tanquay and all her team. I felt Laura and all her team easy to deal with very professional and by chance you cannot get hold of Laura there is alway a member of her team you can and alway come back to you with an answer to your query.’
‘Strong team led by Richard Eaton. Easily compete with the major city and national firms’
‘Richard Eaton - knowledgeable, persuasive personable effective.’
'Birketts provided exemplary service, thought outside the box and delivered a solution acceptable to all parties. Their secret is, whilst remain steadfast in the goal to produce the best result for their client, recognise that a playing a stand off blame game is not of benefit. Great job again this year, Birketts.'
'James Humphreys is calm, reassuring and a pleasure to have on one's side.'
‘I think Birletts are an excellent prop lit firm: they offer real expertise and specialism, some outstanding lawyers, excellent service, and all at a lower price than the bigger firms they compete with.’
‘James Robinson is truly excellent. I work with a lot of prop lit solicitors, and James really stands out. He really deserves his formidable reputation. He has incredible knowledge of the property business combined with technical legal knowledge and great judgment. A first rate practical lawyer.'
'Richard Eaton is very experienced and technically good.’
‘Since employing Birketts to act for me in a boundary dispute, I have been hugely impressed by the way that my case has been handled from the outset. The attention to detail of my case was impressive, as was the clear advice that laid out the options for me to consider. In litigation nothing is certain, but I was given honest and realistic advice at every stage. My overriding impression was that I was treated as a "person" rather than a "case", which is the highest praise that I can give.’
‘My case was at first referred to Senior Associate Alice Harris at which time much was to be decided. Alice impressed me by the way she attended to detail and to seek a resolution without the need to litigate. Alice's maternity leave meant that my case was handed to her Senior Associate colleague, Laura Tanguay. This was handled with the utmost professionalism and appeared to me, as a client, to be seamless. Laura Tanguay has advanced my case in a thoroughly professional manner, whilst still retaining a personal touch that is much appreciated. I could not have wished for better representation.’
‘I’m so glad I chose this company, which is highly professional and experienced with complex litigation involving many defendants, some of whom lack capacity. Everything was explained clearly, and the communication was excellent throughout. The whole process was completed remotely, which was an advantage.'
'Stephanie Butler was very helpful during a stressful time for me and went above and beyond to ensure I felt at ease. It could not have been an easier process from start to finish and everything was explained to me so well along the way. I recommend Birkett Solicitors to anyone needing advice on litigation. Birkett clearly communicated with Barristers and the High Courts in London over six years. Stephanie has an outstanding ability to understand complex advice from barristers.'
'The best point about Birketts they have many different departments with some very experienced professionals. So whatever the need, Birketts have the resources with the company to help.’
‘Very professional and knowledgeable answered all my queries and immediately helped me through every step of the process, which I would highly recommend.’
‘The most striking about the Birketts Property Litigation team is its strength in depth and the specialist teams available to provide support such as Cost Budgeting, Land Registry or mortgage issues. Size is obviously critical in this respect but so is the obviously harmonious and positive relationship between departments and offices without which size could be a problem!’
‘Over the four years or so we have been working with Birketts we have principally involved with three individuals - all outstanding. Laura Tanguay who went on maternity leave and handed the case over to Stephanie Butler and Richard Eaton, Partner & Head of Property Litigation. Stephanie has borne the brunt of dealing with the obstructive and irrational other party in our dispute while Richard has brought immense experience and the necessary gravitas without ever being less that approachable. All three ( and their excellent secretaries) Have been calm, friendly and supportive during a very trying time for us. It is never a good idea to have a dispute with your neighbours but if you have no choice you need the best people on your team. We could not have a better team thasn Birketts.’
‘The team is knowledgeable and pragmatic, offering potential solutions to problems based on past experience in an attempt to resolve disputes. This is an unusual client-centric approach in this field.’
‘The members of the team are approachable, responsive and open in communications. They offer sound practical guidance and are able to steer clients through a landscape which is often unfamiliar and difficult whilst maintaining a strong working relationship.’
‘A friendly and approachable team, always there to help, even when it may seem like a trivial question. Their responses are easy to understand for a lay person, and they don’t just come back with lots of legal wording which can’t be understood and is why the question has been asked, because something is unclear.’
‘Friendly, willing to help and go the extra mile. I am sure they are all exceptionally busy like we are, but they always respond quickly or acknowledge the contact and conform they are looking it to it. They are significantly cheaper than their competitors, but the service is just as good, if not better.’
‘The Property Litigation Team at Birketts is excellent for their welcoming approach, team ethos and the meticulous care they take in preparing cases. Lay clients are reassured by their support and their hard work, whether it is the clear advice about the legal issues or the careful analysis of evidence. They work well together are are able to step in and advise in many matters regardless of the allocated solicitor.’
‘Laura Tanguay is an exceptional service provider.’
‘An excellent and welcoming team. They are commercially minded and if problems arise then they often advise on the solutions in a prompt and detailed manner. Very responsive to requests often responding in detail within 24 hours. The team is made up of very friendly and professional individuals but more importantly they provide and honest, professional and solution driven service with the utmost integrity. It is also very impressive that their knowledge of property and estates can not be matched by other firms I have instructed. Our business has historically used multiple firms but in recent years we have relied on Birkett's more given that we trust them 100% to do an excellent job.’
‘James Robinson will often respond to requests/questions within 24 hours and is often followed by a courtesy phone call. His property knowledge is not only superb but he is also able to describe situations and solutions in a way that anyone can understand. His drafting of contracts/legal letters is exemplary and requires little input from the client. When issues do arise, James will also have a solution prepared rather than waiting for me to ask the question.’
‘Myself and my parents have used Birketts Property Litigation Team for many years in supporting and dealing with the many issues we have had with our residential and commercial tenants. They are extremely approachable, conscientious and clear in their advice. They provide a budget for fees and generally keep within that budget.'
'They have dealt with some challenging issues in respect of Landlord and Tenant matters and have provided sound advice, even at very short notice when a Court date was sprung upon us with less than 3 days notice.’