Chadwick Lawrence

FIRM OVERVIEW

Chadwick Lawrence LLP is a full-service regional law firm with national reach, more than 170 years of heritage and a strong and well-respected presence across Yorkshire.

With 8 offices, including offices in Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax and Bradford, the firm combines its traditional values with a modern approach to client care and commercial awareness.

Known locally as “Yorkshire’s Legal People,” Chadwick Lawrence provides robust and responsive advice to both business and private clients, underpinned by a philosophy of long-term partnership and straight-talking legal guidance.

Led by award winning Managing Partner, Neil Wilson, Chadwick Lawrence LLP is a dynamic and expanding regional law firm that offers a rare combination of broad commercial services and specialist private law expertise.

For business clients, the firm delivers comprehensive support across Employment, Corporate, Commercial Property, Dispute Resolution, and Social Housing—with a strong emphasis on risk management, regulatory compliance, and value creation.This combination allows business clients to benefit from both wide-ranging capability and specialist sector-specific expertise.

What sets the firm apart is its multi-disciplinary strength: private clients can access expert teams in Clinical Negligence, Family Law, Real Estate, Dispute Resolution, Wills and Probate and Court of Protection.

With an ethos built on clear communication, practical solutions, and longstanding client relationships, Chadwick Lawrence LLP continues to be a trusted advisor to businesses nationwide.Whether dealing with complex litigation, navigating M&A, restructuring a workforce, or supporting vulnerable individuals, the firm combines professionalism with approachability—and consistently delivers outcomes grounded in both legal precision and commercial sense.

KEY BUSINESS SERVICES

Employment Law

The Employment Law team at Chadwick Lawrence is well-regarded for its practical, commercially driven support to employers across the UK. From SMEs to larger enterprises, the team is known for providing timely, strategic advice designed to reduce risk, maintain compliance, and support internal HR functions.

Key offerings include:

• • Box HR: A flagship fixed-fee service offering employers ongoing access to employment law specialists for day-to-day support, policy drafting, contracts, and strategic HR advice.
  • TUPE, restructuring & redundancy: Expertise in large-scale organisational change, particularly where TUPE regulations apply or where the business is restructuring due to insolvency or M&A.
  • Tribunal representation: The team handles a wide range of employment disputes including unfair dismissal, whistleblowing, discrimination, and breach of contract, often representing employers in complex, high-value claims.
  • Settlement agreements & negotiation: Pragmatic and cost-effective support in achieving clean exits or resolving disputes before litigation becomes necessary.
  • Training & compliance: Tailored in-house training, audits, and investigations on workplace culture, grievance handling, and diversity & inclusion.

Led by experienced partners including Sam Pawson, Paul Campbell, Daniel Krigers, Jack Oldroyd and Sarah Wood, the team combines legal acumen with business sense. The firm is particularly noted for its responsiveness and ability to integrate with clients’ management teams.

Corporate & Commercial

Led by Partners Leanne Franks, Sarah Hemmings, and Nicholas Worsnop, the Corporate and Commercial team helps businesses grow, adapt, and succeed – from launch and funding through to succession, exit, and restructuring.

How the team helps:

• • Buying or Selling a Business: Provides end-to-end support with acquisitions and disposals – including structuring, due diligence, and negotiations – to ensure smooth transactions and lasting value.

• • Restructuring: Guides businesses through reorganisations, new group structures, or debt solutions to remain agile in changing markets.

• • Succession Planning: Develops tax-efficient, practical plans for family-run and owner-managed businesses to achieve a controlled and successful handover.

• • Shareholder & Partnership Agreements: Establishes clear frameworks for governance, decision-making, and exits to protect all parties.

• • Employee Incentives: Designs attractive share schemes and options to recruit, motivate, and retain key personnel.

• • Funding & Formations: Advises on equity, loans, and private investment, as well as bespoke company and shareholder structures.

Everyday business support:

• • LINK Retainer: Offers fixed-fee, ongoing legal advice and contract reviews to provide peace of mind.

• • Contracts & Terms: Drafts and reviews tailored agreements to reduce risk and safeguard commercial interests.

• • Specialist Agreements: Prepares consultancy, franchise, sponsorship, and image rights agreements to ensure clear and compliant business relationships.

• • IP & Data Protection: Protects intellectual property, brand, and data, providing expert advice on licensing, disputes, and compliance with UK GDPR.

• • NDAs: Secures sensitive information during negotiations and collaborations.

The team works with clients across sectors including manufacturing, technology, healthcare, professional services, and sport. Known for simplifying complexity and focusing on outcomes, the Corporate and Commercial team delivers practical, commercial advice that adds value with minimal disruption.

Commercial Property

Chadwick Lawrence’s Commercial Property team delivers high-quality advice on all aspects of commercial property and development for investors, landlords, tenants, developers, and businesses with property interests.

Services include:

• • Acquisition and disposal of commercial property: Advice on freehold and leasehold acquisitions and sales of all types of commercial property
  • Landlord and tenant matters: Lease negotiations, surrenders and assignments—always approached with a focus on protecting commercial interests.
  • Development work: Acting for both developers and landowners in acquisition or sale of development land, site assembly, conditional contracts, options to purchase and overage provisions
  • Property finance and refinancing: Working with borrowers and lenders on secured lending transactions and refinancing
  • Asset management: Supporting clients with ongoing property portfolio management, including lease renewals, variation agreements, and property disputes in conjunction with the litigation team.

Led by experienced partners such as Cheryl Largue, Jonathan Moore and Stuart Murray, the team is known for its depth of expertise, speed of turnaround, and close collaboration with planning consultants, surveyors, and lenders. Their integrated approach with the corporate and dispute resolution teams ensures property transactions and issues are handled efficiently and strategically.

Dispute Resolution

The Dispute Resolution department supports businesses across a spectrum of contentious matters, prioritising early resolution but also offering strong litigation capability when needed. The team is led by experienced partner Dan Hirst, Asma Iqbal, Peter Harling and Josh Smith.

Specialisms include:

• Commercial disputes: Breach of contract, misrepresentation, commercial fraud, professional negligence, and warranty claims.

• Shareholder and partnership disputes: Acting for majority and minority stakeholders in disputes over control, valuation, breaches of director duties, and deadlock situations.

• Insolvency and corporate recovery: Acting for insolvency practitioners and directors in liquidations, administrations, and disputes over antecedent transactions and personal liability.

• Commercial and residential property disputes: Including contentious lease renewals, forfeiture, nuisance, and rights of way, often handled in conjunction with the commercial property team.

• Construction disputes: Advising employers, contractors, and professionals on payment issues, defects, delay claims, and adjudications.

• Debt recovery: Providing a cost-effective, streamlined service for the recovery of unpaid invoices and enforcement of judgments.

• Reputation management: Advising clients on defamation, privacy breaches, media intrusion, and online reputation management.

The team’s approach combines technical rigour with a strong focus on commercial outcomes. The team is well-known for its innovative approach and use of strategy and technology to deliver efficiencies for clients.Where appropriate, the team makes use of alternative dispute resolution methods including mediation and early neutral evaluation to preserve relationships and limit cost exposure.

Social Housing

In 2025, Chadwick Lawrence expanded its offering with a dedicated Social Housing Management Team, led by expert social housing Partner Justine Hunkins. The team provides national litigation support to social housing providers across a full spectrum of housing law issues.

Key areas include:

• • Housing conditions and disrepair claims: Implementing systems for efficient case handling and cost control across large volumes of claims.
  • Tenancy enforcement: Including anti-social behaviour, unauthorised subletting, succession disputes, unlawful occupation, and breach of tenancy agreements.
  • Homelessness and allocations law: Advisory and representation in judicial review and appeals, as well as training and compliance advice.
  • Policy and procedure audits: Helping social landlords ensure regulatory compliance and best practice.
  • Training and client support: Including bespoke workshops for housing officers and heads of service, including housing management best practice, legal updates, and horizon scanning for legislative reform.

Clients praise the team’s responsiveness, deep sector knowledge, and ability to navigate complex litigation while reducing costs and delays.

The Firm’s integrated model also allows social housing providers to access the firm’s wider employment, commercial property, reputation management, regulatory and governance expertise.

The Team is particularly well known for its client-focused and commercial approach across all aspects of litigation and transactional work in the social housing sector.

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

The Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury department at Chadwick Lawrence is a standout practice, particularly for a firm with a strong business law focus. The teams are widely respected for handling complex, high-value cases, including:

• Birth injury claims, including cerebral palsy and hypoxic brain injury

• Delayed or missed diagnosis of cancer, sepsis, and neurological conditions

• Surgical errors, GP mismanagement, and failure to refer

• Fatal claims, inquests, and dependency claims

• Serious personal injury matters such as brain, spinal, and orthopaedic injuries, workplace and road traffic accidents

Led by Howard Willi and Ami Law the teams have built a reputation for combining legal excellence with empathy, achieving successful outcomes in emotionally, medically, and personally complex cases.

They work closely with medical experts, case managers, and financial advisers to secure comprehensive settlements that cover not only damages but long-term rehabilitation and care.

The Clinical Negligence Team is ranked in the Legal 500.

Court of Protection

In response to rising demand, Chadwick Lawrence launched a dedicated Court of Protection team in 2023. Led by Grace Armstrong, with support from Susan Preece and Karen Motley, the team advises individuals, families, and professional clients in matters involving vulnerable adults and individuals lacking capacity.

Services include:

• • Deputyship applications (property and affairs, and health and welfare)
  • Acting as professional Deputy where family members are unable or unsuitable to act
  • Statutory wills and applications for gifts, financial management, and property transactions
  • Ongoing support for lay Deputies, including guidance on compliance, financial reporting, and safeguarding
  • Personal injury trusts for clients receiving settlements after serious injury

The team’s work often intersects with the firm’s Clinical Negligence, Wills & Probate, and Injury Law departments, allowing a joined-up approach where compensation and care planning must align with legal guardianship and trust structures.

Clients and referral partners (including IFAs and charities) value the team’s practical, compassionate, and highly personalised approach to managing the affairs of those unable to do so themselves.