Business law specialists Clark Holt have been named as one of the law firms excelling in the South West corporate and commercial sector by Legal 500, the annual guide to the legal profession.

The Legal 500 provides a guide to the top law firms, leading individuals and emerging talent across the UK.

Clark Holt, which is based in Swindon, is one of just five law firms in the region to make the coveted Tier 1 ranking, which reflects a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

The corporate team at Clark Holt is led by Philip Humphreys, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, management buy-outs and reorganisations. The group advises a mixture of regional, national and international clients, with partner Joe Lewis able to draw on experience in listings and fundraisings.

Legal 500 notes some of the testimonials from Clark Holt clients, which include comments that it is

“a small but highly specialised team focused on their core areas of corporate transactions and commercial matters”, and “partner led, providing a truly personal and bespoke service to clients.”

It highlights some specific deals, including advising on a £17.6m private equity supported management buy-out of early careers recruitment software specialist Amberjack, and advising Jonas Computing (UK) on the acquisitions of Motion Software and Retail & Sport Systems.

Clark Holt also provide ongoing legal support to some long-standing clients across various sectors, including Cirencester-based Kallidus, a company that combines classroom, online, mobile and social learning into one single scalable platform.

Managing partner Philip Humphreys said he is delighted that the firm has again been recognised as a regional leader in corporate and commercial law.

“We are a specialist commercial law firm and believe in quality over quantity, and this accolade shows that big is not necessarily always best,”

“What Legal 500 identifies is exactly what our clients often tell us – that they value the fact that they are able to build a strong relationship with their lawyer, and get a very personalised service from people who are genuine specialists in their field of business law.

“We are fortunate to have been able to attract highly talented lawyers who think a little differently from some of the larger firms. The team’s flexible and pragmatic approach has chimed well with our entrepreneurial client base and enabled us to continue our transactional work under the challenging conditions caused by the Covid pandemic. As someone said of us recently, we offer London services at Wiltshire prices.”

For more information on Clark Holt go to www.clarkholt.com or call 01793 617444.