Ison Harrison

Ison Harrison Solicitors – Practice Overview for Chambers Submission

Ison Harrison Solicitors is one of the largest and most diverse full-service law firms in Yorkshire, combining regional reach with national capability and a long-standing reputation for high quality legal work across both personal and commercial disciplines. Established in 1978, the firm has grown steadily through disciplined investment in expertise, client service, and community presence. Today it operates 24 offices across Yorkshire and is recognised as the region’s most accredited firm, holding 15 Law Society quality marks that reflect the breadth and depth of its specialist teams.

The firm’s structure and culture are distinctive. In 2022 Ison Harrison became a 100 per cent employee-owned business, one of only a handful of sizeable UK law firms to adopt this model. The change strengthened the practice’s focus on long term client relationships, accountability, and collaborative working. Every member of staff holds a direct stake in the firm’s success, which in turn supports a culture of diligence, service, and continuous improvement. This approach aligns closely with the firm’s strategic ambition to remain both commercially innovative and client centred.

Personal Legal Services

The firm’s personal legal offering is extensive, covering the full range of individual needs. Its Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence teams are among the most established in the region, handling complex, high value and sensitive cases including catastrophic injury, fatal claims, military injury, industrial disease, birth trauma, and mental health related negligence. The firm is panel appointed for several national organisations, works closely with medical charities, and has a strong record of securing substantial settlements for clients through both litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

Family Law is another key area of practice, with a specialist private family team advising on divorce, finances, high net worth separations, complex child arrangements, care proceedings, domestic abuse, surrogacy, and fertility law. The department provides representation at all levels of court and has built a strong reputation for handling matters that require a blend of clear strategic direction, confidentiality, and measured negotiation.

The Wills, Probate and Private Wealth team provides full lifecycle support including will drafting, estate planning, inheritance tax mitigation, trust creation and administration, and contentious probate. With over 50,000 wills held in secure storage, the firm has become a trusted long-term adviser to individuals, families, and business owners seeking structured wealth protection. This work is often carried out alongside the firm’s residential property team, which remains one of its most active and profitable departments, handling conveyancing transactions across Yorkshire and nationally through a high volume, quality assured, Lexcel compliant process.

Commercial Legal Services

The firm’s commercial offering has expanded significantly over the past decade. The Corporate and Commercial team advises SMEs, owner managed businesses, investors and start-ups on mergers and acquisitions, governance, shareholder matters, restructures, commercial contracts, and regulatory issues. The practice is known for its pragmatic and commercially minded approach, ensuring legal advice is directly aligned with clients’ strategic and operational goals.

Ison Harrison’s Employment Law team provides support to employers across a broad range of sectors including manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, retail and hospitality. The team deals with tribunal litigation, TUPE, settlement agreements, senior executive exits, workplace investigations, discrimination claims, redundancy programmes, and strategic HR guidance. Clients value the team’s responsive, business focused advice and its ability to support both day to day workforce issues and longer-term organisational planning.

The firm also maintains a strong Commercial Property and Real Estate practice, advising on acquisitions, disposals, leases, refinancing, development agreements, secured lending, and landlord and tenant matters. Its client base ranges from property developers and investors to regional and national businesses managing multi-site premises. The team works closely with both the corporate and litigation departments to provide seamless support on transactional and contentious property matters.

Specialist Expertise

In addition to its core practice areas, Ison Harrison has developed niche expertise which differentiates the firm and supports its commitment to serving the needs of diverse communities across Yorkshire and beyond.

The Regulatory and Inquests team provides representation in complex investigations including health and safety matters, police conduct, professional disciplinary proceedings, CQC investigations, and coronial inquests. The team’s work is often sensitive and high profile, requiring robust legal knowledge and significant experience in advocacy, evidence handling, and negotiation with public bodies.

The Criminal Law team is similarly well accredited, handling matters from police station representation to Crown Court trials, providing 24-hour emergency support and dealing with everything from road traffic offences to serious and organised crime.

The firm also has a growing presence in Military Injury Claims, Sexual Assault and Abuse Claims, CICA matters, and Human Rights litigation. These areas are handled with particular emphasis on trauma informed practice, specialist procedural knowledge, and investigative rigour. The firm’s military team regularly takes claims involving PTSD, training injuries, harassment, assault and failures in duty of care, an area where Ison Harrison is one of the few regional firms with detailed understanding of both civilian law and the specific procedural landscape affecting the armed forces.

Approach to Service and Quality Assurance

Ison Harrison is accredited with Lexcel, the Law Society’s practice management quality mark, and holds specialist accreditations across family, residential conveyancing, clinical negligence, personal injury, immigration and crime. These quality standards are supported by a comprehensive internal Quality Procedures Manual and a firm wide commitment to compliance, training, and continuous improvement.

The firm invests heavily in technology and process development. It is actively embedding AI assisted workflows, document management, and legal knowledge systems to enhance efficiency and reduce turnaround times. This includes the development of internal Copilot agents, structured learning resources, and digital tools designed to support both client facing and operational functions. These projects align with the firm’s ambition to remain modern, adaptive, and commercially competitive.

Community, Culture, and Reputation

The breadth of the firm’s high street presence enables it to maintain strong connections with local communities across Yorkshire. Through sponsorships, partnerships, charity engagement, and outreach programmes, the firm plays an active role in supporting regional initiatives. Its employee ownership model reinforces this local commitment and contributes to a supportive, inclusive culture with strong staff retention and professional development pathways.

The firm’s reputation is built on technical expertise, reliability, and an approachable manner. Clients consistently highlight the firm’s responsiveness, clear advice, and ability to manage matters ranging from everyday legal issues to highly complex litigation. This combination of scale, specialism, and personal service places Ison Harrison among the leading regional firms in the North of England.