Hay & Kilner has moved up the Legal 500 table this year and strengthened its reputation, as one of the forerunners amongst the region's law firms. With 135 staff including 65 fee earners, Hay & Kilner is a full-service firm with rankings in 21 categories, meaning clients benefit from a wide breadth of service all under one roof. The firm, established in 1946, boasts a particularly strong reputation for its commercial and private client services and has attracted a high number of owner-managers and professional partnerships. Fields of excellence singled out by the Legal 500 report include litigation, insurance, employment, debt recovery and clinical negligence, amongst others. Martin Soloman, senior partner at Hay & Kilner, said: "We provide a commercial, practical, effective and proactive approach. "We have enough specialists to provide a top-quality service but our size means we retain a personal focus with the emphasis very much on client satisfaction." According to the Legal 500 report, the firm's approach works well as "client satisfaction is high" and senior partner Martin Soloman and corporate head Nick James are "highly regarded". But for any firm, feedback from clients is the most telling accolade. According to the report, one Hay & Kilner client described the firm as "practical, innovative and prepared to pull out all the stops for us." The firm's breadth of service is perfectly illustrated within the field of crime. As the report says: "Hay & Kilner has the deepest resource of any firm in the region and an impressive quality of individuals. The four-partner team includes highly-thought-of Gerry Bass, Robert Hart and Mark Harrison. "The firm has a broad range of experience and has dealt with many cases including white-collar crime, health and safety prosecutions, sexual offences and offences under the Trade Descriptions Act." The last year has seen several developments within the firm including a major investment in new IT systems to streamline case management and improve the debt recovery system. The merger with local law firm Wallers in January 2003 has also gone smoothly, boosting the firm's capacity for volume work. Although still trading as Wallers for its niche service area of volume operations for institutional clients, the practice is now well and truly incorporated into the Hay & Kilner team. Wallers' spread of work, including equity release, repossession and right-to-buy work, will complement Hay & Kilner's expertise in commercial, litigation and private client work. The team of private client lawyers who transferred from Eversheds LLP in 2001 has now "bedded down" and is reaping rewards in the fields of personal tax, trusts, probate and family attracting a number of wealthy clients with substantial ancillary relief cases. The appointment of employment lawyer Chris Maddock from Howes Percival and partner Neil Dwyer's increased specialisation in employment law has also boosted the firm's standing. Insurance, headed by Ros Sparrow is a major sector for Hay & Kilner, which handles work for over 15 insurance companies In the field of insolvency and corporate recovery, Hay & Kilner is regarded as "technically superior" despite being smaller than rivals. Headed by Neil Harrold, who is particularly recommended by the report, the team acts for many clients including the big four accountants as well as a regional brewery. Head of clinical negligence David Bradshaw along with Ian Padmore, Dr Nicholas Wilkes and Clare O'Leary are described by the report as a "highly esteemed team." As for the future, Martin Soloman is optimistic. He said: "As a firm, you have to grow and make progress but we aren't expanding just for the sake of it. Our expansion is purposeful and focused on market sectors geared to meeting the needs of our clients in line with their growth plans." For more information contact Hay & Kilner on (0191) 232-8345. | 
